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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


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D 


Coloured  covers/ 
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I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


U 


Couverture  endommag6« 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


□    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le  tit 

I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pellic-tl^e 

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itre  de  couverture  manque 

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oire) 


n 


a 


n 


Tight  binding  may  cai>se  shadows  or  distorticn 
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n 

32X 


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empreinte. 

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et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

M 


THE    JEANNETTE 


COMPLETE    AND    AUTHENTIC 


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i 

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H 
H 
id 
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NARRATIVE    ENCYCLOPEDIA 


OF  AU.  VOYAOES   AND   EXPEDITIONS  TO 


THE  NORTH    POLAR  REGIONS, 


CONTAIXINO    A 


COMPLETE  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  MOST  REMARKABLE  EXAMPLES  OF  HEROISM, 
ENDURANCE  AND  SUFFERING  ON  RECORD. 

EMBRACING    THE    IlIOGRAPIIV     AND     VOYAOES    OK 

RANKLIN,  KANE,  HAVE?,  HALL,  AND  DE  LO|v(Q, 

WITH    AN    ACCOUNT   OF   THE  DEVELOPMENT   OF    ARCTIC    NAVIGATION    THROUGH    THE    VOYAGES    Ol     IHI. 

NORSEMEN,   THE  CABOTS,    GILHERT,  DAVIS,    BARENTZ,    HUDSON,  BAFFIN,    BEIIHING,    MACKENZIL, 

COOK,  SCORESUY,  PARRY,  WRANOEM.,  ROSS,  NARES,    NORDENSKIOLD,  SCHWATKA,    SMITH, 

YOUNG,   AND   MANY  OTHERS;   A?:  ACCURATE    DESCRIPTION  OF  ALL  IMPORTANT 

SCIENTIFIC    AND   GEOGRAPHICAL   DISCOVERIES  EVER    MADE  IN   THE 

FROZEN  NORTH. 


CAPT.     RICHARD     PERRY. 


ELEQANTLY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH  TWO  HUNDRED  ENQRAVINQS. 


THOMPSONVILLE,    CONN.: 

HORACE  KING. 

18S2. 


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The  uiii\(.Ts:il  intiTc;s(  in  Arclic  c-xploralioii  whicii  li;is  ocuii  jiroiiscd 
l)y  tlic  im-l;inch()ly  (;itc'  of  tlu-  |iMiiiicttc,  Iilt  coinmiiiulcr,  ;iiul  so  larj^c  a 
))'!iiioii  of  licr  crow,  has  su^f^cslcd  the  w  riliii<j:  of  this  work.  While  this 
has  hfcn  its  (hrcct  and  immediate  inspiration  it  was  deemed  advisal)le  to 
eidar<ife  its  scope  so  as  to  include  similar  and  correlated  voya<^es  from  tiie 
earliest  ])eriod. 

[t  has  heen  written  in  sympathy  with  the  heroic  efForts  of  the 
explorers  who  in  every  aj^'c  have  lahored  in  this  field  for  the  enl:ir,t,'e- 
ment  of  hnman  knowledt^e. 

The  ireneral  interest  in  literature  of  tliis  kind  is  le,i,dtimate  and  even 
commendahle.  A  wholesome  and  hracin-,'  intellectual  tonic,  it  enerj^izcs 
the  mind.  The  reading-  of  such  works  cannot  produce  o'.her  than  j;ood 
results.  Free  from  the  tedium  of  mimite  chronoloo-v  and  hurdcnsome 
detail,  they  possess  all  the  most  attractive  elements  of  history,  hio^^raphy 
and  travel — a  triple  combination  unsurpassed  even  hv  poetry,  iictiun 
or  romance. 

The  taste  of  the  artist  and  the  skill  of  the  en<,n-aver  liave  l)een 
hrou<,'ht  into  requisition  to  enforce  and  illustrate  the  information  con- 
veyed, addinj^  a  charm  and  value  that  will  be  readily  appreciated  bv 
every  reader. 

In  the  hope  that  this  \vnrk  will  contribute  its  share  toward  driving 
out  of  ji^cneral  circulation  the  mass  of  poisonous  trash  that  is  suH'ered  to 
represent,  or  misrepresent,  our  current  literature  among  such  multitudes 
of  the  youth  of  oiu'  land,  it  is  herewith  respectfully  submitted  to  the  kind 
consideration  and  patronage  of  the  public. 


LIST  OF  AUTHORITIES. 


The  FoIIowinjr  Works  have  1 


'ccn  iisi'd  in  the  Preparation  of  this  Vohi 


me 


Kncyclop.tdiii  Uritannica. 

Applcton's  AiiHTicun  Cyclopx-dia. 

Ch;  nibLTs'  Kncvclopa'dia. 

Zl'H's  Kncyclop;i'(lia. 

Johnson's  Kncyclopxdia. 

Newman's  America. 

Bancroft's  History  of  tlic  United  States. 

Lippincott's  I'ronouncinf,'  Gazetteer  of  the  World 

J..pi»ncott's     I'ronoun.-inK'     Jlioirraphi,.,!       Dk- 

tionarv. 
Hates'  Countries  of  the  'Worh!, 
Ilhistraled  Travels.     (Six  vols.) 
Whymper's  Sea.     (Four  vols.) 
Jleeren's  Works. 
Wheaton's  Kxplorations. 
Irvinjr's  Cohimlms.     (Three  vols.) 
I-'robisher's  Three  \'oyaj^es.  . 

Voyages  to  Catliay  and  India. 
Ralcifrh,  Discovery  of  CJuiana. 
liakluyt's  \'oya^ru  to  America. 
De Veer's  Three  Voyages  to  China. 
Hawkins'  Voyages. 
Maynarde's  Drake's  Voyages. 
De  Veer's  Voyages  of  Wm.  Harentz. 
Cooley's    Maritime   Inland   Discoveries.     (Three 

vols.) 
IJfe  of  Krobishcr. 
Phijjp's  Voyage  to  the  North  Pole. 
Uic  of  Sir  John  Franklin. 
Franklin's  First  Voyage. 
Franklin's  Second  Voyage. 
Wrangell's  Arctic  Vovages. 
Parry's  Tliree  Voyages. 


Voyages  of  Sabine  and  Clavering. 
Back's  Arctic  Land  ICxpedition. 
Lyon's  Private  Journal  of  Arctic  Xoyiigus 
Hartwig's  Polar  World. 
Verne's  Historie  des  (irands  Vovages. 
Inglefield's  Summer  Search  for  Franklin. 
Richardson's  Search  for  Franklin. 
Mayne's  \'oyages  to  Arctic  Ilegions. 
•M'Clure's  Discovery  of  Northwest  Passage. 
Elder's  Life  of  Kane. 
Kane's  First  Grinnell  Expedition. 
Kane's  Second  (irinnell  Expedition. 
Hall's  Arctic  Researches. 
M'Clintock's  \'oyage  in  the  Arctic  Seas. 
Tytlcr's  Discoveries  in  the  Polar  Seas. 
Leslie's  Discoveries  in  the  Polar  Seas. 
Adventures  of  Hritish  Seamen. 
Hayes'  Open  Polar  Sea. 
Hayes'  Pictures  of  Arctic  Travel. 
Markham's  Arctic  ''Vorks. 
Sonntag  in  Search  of  Franklin. 
Tyson's  Arctic  Experiences. 
Koldewey's  German  Expedition.     (Two  vols.) 
Wcyprecht  and  I'ayer's  Voyages. 
Nares'  Polar  Voyage. 
Nu!vi,;nskiold's  Voyage  of  the  \'ega. 
Ilisto-y  of  Shipwrecks. 
The  New  York  Herald. 
Harper's  Magazine. 
Scribner's  Monthly. 

The     Library   Magar.ine,   and    Conlem,,oraneous 
Papers  ai»;l  Magazines  generally. 


R 


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CONTENTS. 


PAJW  I. 


oliimc: 


'«•'•• 


.Is.) 


Kaki.y  E,xim.orek.s. 


i7-(iS 


CHAPTKIl  I. 


T>„iw  '^?"f?P"""«  "*  ^''t^  AncicMts-Vovaife  of  Pythcas-Discovors  Thulo- Origin  of  111,.  Xorsuman- 
'  f  N.Sh  Ameiiri'"''""  "''        P^'""<^V-^"'«^'n'''"'l  •'"''  I^^^'l.""!   C,.l„ni/..,<l-ln.  i.lontal  Disrov.ry 


I — Voracity  of  the 
ijfe  Around  the  World 


CHAPTKK  H. 

.  Port'itrucse  and  Spanish  piscoveries-Portuifucse  \'„yaKo,s  to  North  A.ncricii 
Spanish— Kesults  of  Columbus'  Discovery— Vovajft;  of  the  Ciibots— First  Vovate  I 
—Voyage  to  La  Plata — French  Voyajfes.  '  " 

CHAPTKK  III. 
Search  for  Northeast  Passajfc— Voyage  of  Chancellor  -ICnterprlse  of  Muscovy  Coinpany. 

chaptp:r  IV. 

,■11  ^^^^^  ^"'  ^"'■'hw'^s' T'lssage  Rcsumea-Frobisher's  Load  of  (iold-Two  Voyams  of  (^.ilb.Tt- 
(..Ibert  Shipwrecked— Hawkins,  the  Slave-Trader— Drake  Sails  around  Cape  Horn. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Davis  Sent  Out-Trades  with  Natives  of  Greenland  -Great  Danger  in  the  I.e-Passes  Hudson's 
Itay— Raleigh  in  Search  of  (jold— Disappointment— Contined  in  the  TcVwer. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

M  ,,^"y-'y'"'f  °^  the  Dutch-Northeast  Passage  Ag.iin-narentz  Reaches  Orange  Islands-Gcrrit 
De  Veer-Sickness  and  Dc^ith-Surrojinded  by  Hears  and  Foxes-Reappearance  of  t1,e  Sun-Bur  al  of 
Jlarentz— Voyage  of  Van  Noort— Fight  with  Patagonians— Defeat  the  Spanish. 

PART  II. 


Eaki.v  Arctic  Vovaoks. 


'.SS 


CHAPTER  VII. 


First  Arctic   Voyage  under  Bennet-Kill   Many   Walruses- Walruses    Brought  to  England- 
Voyage  of  Hmfson.'"  lI"P"V'="-Attacked  by   Savages- Voyages    of    Hudson-tFourth  al^d  Last 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Voyage  of  Poole- --Biscayan  Whale  Fishers-Button  in  Search  of  Hudson-Hall's  VovaLa^  to 
Greenland— Commercial  Voyage  Under  Baffin— Fotherby—Bylot-Discovery  of  Baffin's  Bay. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Voyages  of  Dutch  Resumed— Manhattin  Island  Occupied— First  Voyage  Around  the  Horn- 
Voyage  of  Munk— Casks  Burst  by  Frost— Voyage  of  the  May  Flower,  iiorn— 

CHA  PTER  X. 

Voyages  of  Fox  and  James-Enterprise  of  Bristol  Merchants-Marvelous  Escape  from  Iccbera-s- 
Keach  Open  Water-Land  on  Charlton  Is  and-Tlie  Ship  Sunk-Building  .a  Boat-siffering  and  D^ah 
—  The  Boat  Launched— Poem  of  James— The  Return  Voyage.  ^       "  i  laui 

CHAPTER  XL 

An    interval  between  Arctic  Voyages- Wintering  in  the   Arctic   Region-Death  of  Maven- 
finm-J"''"^^'^  '*''"'  "■■^'''^'  "*  ''  ^"^'-''  <^-'I>t:ui.-Which  Is  the 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Northwest  Voyage   of   Gillam-Alleged   Discovery  of  a   Northwest   Passage-Hudson's   Bay 

&'K-'i    1  ;"■  »''''''~.'^*^T'°i  '  ^^°A^  "^  ^^'^  ^Z^^'  Pole-Voyage  of  Wood-Wreck^of  Wood's  Shi-   1 
James  Knight— Report  of  Indians  Concerning  Mines.  « 

CHAPTER  XIH. 

-An^^l^Z:'^e^i:^X^°'"'^'"'  ^''^  ''"'''"'''  Deshniev-Conquest  of  Kamchatka 

VIL 


A 

Other . 

Way  to  India? 


vrrr. 


CONTENTS 

<  MAITKR  XIV. 


CHAPTIiH  XV. 


S)>it/.l,frj{fii. 


,f  l>..^;"i  ■—'"■'"'',"■ -Arctic   Explorati,in  by  Mciirnc— 
■f   Ksqu,„m„x-Arct>c   Voyage'  of   lMUp,,i-I{eache» 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


*-iiArrEK  XVI 


CHAPTER  XVII 


PART  III. 
TI.K  First  Akct.c  Vovaoes  „k  r„„  ..^tw  Ckntuhv.  . 

CHAPTER  XVni. 


•  '.S^— ,17" 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CHAPTER  XX 

^:^^^£i£S'?^-=-4^'^al^  ^^-^^   New.paper-An 

sun.s    More  Theatricals-Extracts  from  an  Arctic  JournallAStowcr  of'llaln''""'"'"  "     *^'^"".v-M..ck 

CHAPTER  XXI. 


CHAPTER  XXII, 


Three   . 
the  Shi) 


^y^^^^^^^^^i^tr^^^^:^^  oi  the   Objects  of  Franklin-s 

up-Trade  with  Esquimaux- Arrlv^ at  ^^'^^1^:0::^^%^^!^^^  ^"^^  '" 


ciiaptp:r  XXIII. 


^^"^^^P^t^-^^^S;^^^^  of  an  InCian  Chiof-The  Re- 

the  Copperm.„e.-A  Pedestrian  TripiReturn  of  Both  Partic"    "'"'  '°  Proceed-Canoe  Party  Sent  to 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


ardson^l'SaJ^ki;,'^'^  ^Z'"^^^^''  '^,'  %"PP"  Mount.jins-Curiou 
Party-Dr.  Richarfson  Risks^llrLff^rs-a^^h'eX^l^i^R^^ 


'-P  ^^^enture  of  Dr.  Rich- 
;lernb  e    Sufferings  of  the 
iinterprise. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

^'^y^^'m^^^^T^^^^^ir^l;^''  "'  Schalarow-Remains  of  Mam.oth-  V 
-Unwelcome  HospitaTity-A  Unique  18^.^^'""^  °^  '^"""'^'  Remains-KotzeE  X)^;^ 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


COUTKNTS. 


/.v. 


C^IIAITKR  \XVII. 

n...„.jN,7"'\l''\^'i'"r''  •;l«''«r'"J!'""";y-Knc(nintcr  with  ii  Be.ir-A  Salt  Moor-Si.rpl.is  l»rovl«|,mi. 

CIIAI'TKU  XXVIII. 

Wriinsrcll's  Third  SIcdifc-Ioiirncy-KiiHter  Suniluy- Views  the  Open  Se;i-Kx|il.>r.'   the    ruiulrn 
-Meet  Kosinin-In.port.uutv  ..?  HeruHWl-tk-nen.sity  oj  ,i  Jiik,it-ri..t..rn  t<.  K.llXk. 

CIIAI'TKU   XXIX. 

XVranjrell's  FounhSlc-JKO-Jnurncy- Start  for  (Jrcat  narimichii-Kuinors  o£  a  Northern  Contl- 
■.^V'";',',-^_^^i".'K^'"  ^'-•';;'.  tT.e^.Arctic-D:.nKcr-.Meet   ^vlth   Matinschkln-A   .Nutlvc  Specula^."  - 


ncnl 

Serfdom— Close 


/  niiiifel 
of  \Vni 


antfeirs  Kfforts. 


CHAI'TKU  XXX. 


I  .irrv  3  Second  Voyaire  to  the  Northwest-Sharp  Natives— Cairns  Discovered— \'umerf)us  DIs- 
cover.es_Lxplorat.on  in   Hoats-ln   Winter  (luartersLrUc.atricals  as  a   I'asUnK'-EsmZaur 
Huts-IuteUiKcncc  Anions  Natives-A  Northern  (Jeo>frapher-Killed  by  a  Fall.       '^'"'"""•""'  ^"'"'' 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

PoHr  Sp.7''u  "f!"'''l  I"  I^fcc  His  Shins-Iiflooklik  Islanl-A  Necropolis-Supposed  Discovery  of  the 
Polar  Sea-Hec  a  and   bury  Strait-(;lutt(.nv-Unusual  Khenornenon-MelviUe   Pen  nsulaExn^^ 
Successful  AnshnK-StiU  fieset-Death  from  Scurvy-\Vclcu,„c  at  Shetland  Ishiml"  '-"I'K'rcd- 

CHAPTEK  XXXII. 

FranklnTwi7e"^'l?r.nklin7'r:n!^^^^^  "^    Arctic    Science-Preparations  and   Plan-Death  of 

rranKun  s  vy  lie  rr.inKlin  1  l.ints  Ills  l<  lajr  on  an  Arctic  Island-- -Fort  Franklin- --Descend  the  M  .,  - 
ken/.ie--Sepanition  of  the  Two  Parties- -Serious  Adventure  with  Esuuimaux...The  ut  s  P^^^^^ 
dered— Franklai's  Return ---Success  of  Richardson---Return  to  England. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

W!nt,.r"'*ff''p  Tt'^'n''  Expedition-Slow  Pro-ress-New  Ice  Encountered— The  Fury  Swept  Awav— 
Winter  at   P,.rt   Howen---01)servations---HuntinL'-- -Capture   of  a    Whale- -.Th..J?„rv,\r.'.L'^i 
specting  the  Ships-The  Fury  Ab.mdoned--RepSrt  to  tlie  Ad.niralty.  ^   Aleak.-l„. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

J^i:^^^^.  Siirj.ui^j^^trlif^ab'^r'""^''^^'---^"''-''^'^'"^---^'--"^  -^  p-'""- 

CHAPTER   XXXV. 

England""''    ^'^^'^    Voyajfe-Rowe's   Welcome- Lyon's   Prayer  for  Help-Safety- Return   to 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Return  Hee£=-':joVrniyT^^^^^^^^  ''''""  ■'^■""--l-Kot,.ebue  Sound-Remarkable  Phenomena- 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


lum  Isl 


Parry  in  Search  of  the  Pole---Plan  for  Sledire-Journev---ReindeerTriv,.|      r .-,,•.„  ni .=  . 

Mussel  liay-Fine  Weather--The  "Knterprise'^  .^JS"rrj|ydg,"'-"?.'"='=r.T"ycl- -Graves  Disrovered- 

at  Hecla  Cove---Relief---The  Ch.iracter  of  Polar  Ice. 


:",X' .    "^"'">^>;i  i ravel- - -oraves  uisrovered — 
tndeavor"  -  -  -Reindeer  Abandoned-  -  -Am  ve 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


Ross' Second  Vovag'e— Employed  by  Felix  Booth— Times  r  Rnso    Tri,.=f  rr-      *  o*  •      »     .• 

Voya)res-Lanc..sterSound-NippeJ  in  tL   Icelln   Wintc4  qiriVS^s^IvTsitea    1^^^^^^  '"  '^"'u''"'' 

hausted  Teams-Provisions  Reduced-Magnetic  Pole  Discovered      1  Esquimaux-Ex- 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Back'sArcticJourncy— Leaves  Liverpool— Fort  Resolution— Great  Fish  Rivf-r     A„  A,  >•    n     • 

CHAPTER  XL. 

cape  ^?pi:;i,^iK"  '^'^^^Ti:^!^^^^-^ 

^Taim";. '""^'^'^-"""''"^  ButterHies-ArcUc  Animals-Taimur  Lake-i^.Ttllo^e^F^'^reu'el l' to 


.Y. 


CONTENTS. 


'••"^VKI.IN    ANI.Sk.u..,,    Vova„K«. 


I'AR r  /]'. 


tHAI»lK|{  xi.l. 


.<7'-<Vi 

*  IIAi'TEIl  Xt.ll. 

V  v,au»t— .vicnducious  liiquimimx.  .in.tru.i -a      n)iib|cH..mi:  Sotufxter— Mcthy  l'.>r- 

CIIAI'TKIt  XMil. 

CHAPTKK  \I,\- 

CHAPTE,!   \I,\I. 

sa^c  Predicted.       '^''--"-A  Cool  Uccc,..ion-,N   Vov.,  Ch^rolo'^yill^-LVi'i:;;^!:^^:^^^^^^^ 

fllAI'TEa  XLVII. 

Ab.,uio„,„.,u  of  the!  i^^s^i;;:!;:^^'^''  ^curd-nu '  ^^^'^'^'^^-v^::.^t;:^i^);!^^^^^i^ 

CHAPTKK  XLVIII. 


CH  A  PI 


S! 


CHAPTER  LI. 

CHAPTER  Lir  "^    "^'■'"' 

CHAPTER  I.m 
CHAPTER  LIV. 


COJVTEAr7\S. 


AY 


CHAPFKR  I,/. 

CICAI'Ti.:*.   I. VI. 

DiflltultloH  -If  Ar.tir   <)I.HtTV;  t  Ln-II .'  M    .1,      II,     .      '".V^,"'^  ^i"'"'   »  "rty-A<ci.limts  at  the  Hri^  - 

CUAI'TKU  r-VH. 

an  Allcifoil  l'.,l:,r  S.-.i,  I  "wrr  ..f    Kane -I tavfs'  Kx|K.,lltion -Morton    OiscuverH 

CHAITKIl  LVIII. 

ItavLsan.l  I'artv-A  Danuer  us    'im.r  ,,  .,         o  "'■•'•^•; -.">-V    H.'.or.l    Deposited-nopartur?  „f 

Uiaholical  IMot-Iis  Dcfe'il  W..n(li.r.,.ifs-Kal»tui.ah-K.am;'H   Womlerful   Uuoyancy-A 

CHAPTKH  I.IX. 

Oil  ii:f,f.  ,urivai  a.'up'jrik^Hiu'::::.'.-;  s'  ■:^:?l^;:;^i:fi::it'^i:-'^  '^-"  Kincd-m.  AnLai 

C'HAI«TKIl  I.X. 

aty-^wfc^,l^..^r:!i:?;l;:^:;:'ki;;r^Mru!;'7'r.;:^"^  '"^^^  '--•^"^  "^''^"■' 

fill   Inf.Tc.tuH.  -Wvn  Skwta.  ri7-A  Ciirious    Mt    i   V     .,"'■'"''-' I'"',^""  discovers  a  llccord-A  Mourn- 
tan.cof  M.Llint.Hk's  InvLulratio,^:  MmUcv-I  c'stunony  of  the   Ksquimaux  Woman-Impor- 

CIIAPTICU  I.XI. 

CIIAI'TICK  I.XII. 

A  strange  Custou,-In  a  >^^^^^^U.,  L.,(:(:::;L^;^;^!-:t'u!^^-^^^^^ 

C'HAl'TKU  I, XIII. 

HcKions-An  Unsafe  Boat-  An  Important  J.mrneyt'os^Jon.a  '''""'    -Subsistence  in  Arctic 

CHAPTER  LXIV. 

Wate;'3l^.'!i;)'l^;^^rK^l?!er^lr'iu^:;;^o!f'[V'-^^  Stcons-Frcsh 

ward  Hound.  '^"^ '""'-<- "'I -Lountes.s  of    \Varwick's   Sound— llome- 


UkCE.NT  PoLAK    KXPEDITIO.VS. 


CHAPTER  LXV. 


•SS7-736 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

Olacli^f^^j^^St^^^i'-r ^^^^       w!:;if ^ilfT?-;;^  ^J'Tl  ^'^P-^'-^  Brother  John's 
U,^su^  Weather-A  Serious  Cau-nity-L^  H^e:^!i!^^-;;i^^,;^;ril:;;^!^;;?^ 

CHAPTER  I.XVn. 

?o..I}:i^^^l'i^(:;tll''n;:;^^  ""PF-THo  Perseveranco_A  Snow 

Lltitude-A    Prudent    Return-The    ShZ    IniMrL      \f»    l"T  ^  *''\J'','"P'-''''""''''-Un«''f<-'  Ice-High 
Sound-The  Return  Home-s"arta.\''jr  NelU-Xatlrofiiuyef.   '"   ^^^"••"^— ^'^'P«    Isabella-Wh.fle 


XII 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.XVIII. 
CHAPTER  I. XIX. 

CHAPTER  I.XX. 

Uaujr.r~.V.„.tcc.,  Persons  heft  ...-v  tl.e  Ice-A  l^'ift  of  NeftHy  T«  o^s^^^  ""  Hall_T)ie 

CHAPTER  LXXI. 

CHAPTER  LXXH. 


iii.iii  »vh:iIor. 


'rorriblu  Witch— A  He 


Ishjorn— Inferences— TeffotthofT- 


AXecess.:yc;;;;^f..i;;-^^--^^,^.3^^^.^Dp^ 


CHAPTER  I.XXIII. 


CHAPTER   I. XXIV, 


Scliwatka  Expe<Iition-The  Eotlu..,,- 


"f  Kae.  iw^n  ■r-ar;:^:;:^  u:^:^S^::c^  '^^z-t:^^y'^-^^.}^^~c^^^.. 


>  n  A  nenca  and  Great  Britain. 


CHAPTEP^  LXXV. 


sssissasss~iis£^^ 


CHAPTER  I.XX\'I. 


CHAPTER  LXX VII. 


Hr 

Ai 
pros 


chapti;k  i.xxv'iii. 


1^^SSl£BBBfS^imB^^^Sm^_ 


CHAPTER  LXXIX. 


K-vpeditioa.  '"•"     '^    ll'-'cci.tion    at     Boulojrne-Ti.e    fir  u  d    Cold  r"^,Vn    7^    """•^'''''■'^'"'''^  ^" 

i^cicDr.Uion- -Comments    on    the 


CONTENTS. 


XIII. 


PART  VI. 


Till'.  Jeannkttk 


■  m-H% 


CHAPTER  I.XXX. 


CHAPTER  I.XXXI. 
CHAPTER  LXXXII. 
CHAPTER  LXXXin. 
CHAPTER  LXXXIV 


CHAPTER  LXXXV. 


■A  Disas- 


The  Jeannette  in  the  Extromitv  of  Peril- 
Soundinps- -Extracts  from  the  Jeaimettc's  Lo" 
A  I  hick  l-og-.-Tlic  Lust  Entry  in  the  Log. 


Anxiety  on  Shipboard --Near  Wrangell  La.Kl--Chipp's 
-Uie  Ice  Borod--A  Party  of  Explorers--Discoyeries-- 


CHAPTER  LXXXVI. 

CHAPTER  LXXXVIL 

CHAPTER  LXXXVHI. 

CHAPTER  LXXXLX. 


I- 

of 
md 


UST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


M 

I 


(Frontis|)iece.). 


(l-'ull  PagJ.;.' 
(Full  Page.).'.' 


NoK.sK  Snii's.    (Full  Pa.V;.', 

^/■o.vK  Tower  at  New  °ok  r 

C(>lu.m„l:s'  lMK,sr  Sight  ok  lAVd 

CilK..sloi.,IEK    CoLUMliU.S 
COLLMUU.S  iJxi.KK  AKKE.ST".";Kuil" 

i>t.iiASTiAN  C.MJOT.    (Full  Pa-  .  ) 
Jacques  C.vrtikr      ^    ""  ^ ''»' 0- •  • 

|Koiii.s,rER  Pas.si.xg  GreexwIc,';  " 
Po.tTKArv  OE  FRom.sHFR 

S;:^l'/S,^oJ^--  --B^KE.:,:;; -(F^if  Pag^o: 

View  ox  the  PIld.son 

Cape  Horn 

-LaxVding  of  the  Ma y*Flo\vkk 

;il^lLOING  A  EOAT.      (Full    P,.,.  ) 

IcHUKTciiis  Blilding  A  llt-i      n''uU  ;; 

Jsc,.i.MAu.x  House.     (Full  PaX-  f  ""  ^  •''■''" '^ 

Straxi.eu  Whale.      Full  Pa|e    

William  ScoREsuY  ^   '' 

ym  JOHX  Ros.S 

Dorothea  axd  TrVvt-V'  '  */ v'  IT  "i*. 

«n.  NVI.LI AM  imSu  -pi^R V   "^^'^^"^ 

MockSlx.s.     (Full  Page.)         

Oroup  of  Childricx     CFuiV  u'  "\ ' 

Sm  JoHx  Fraxklin       ^  ^  ''^''•> 

Fort  ExTERPRisE.     (FulV  Pa,;^  ) 

Si/SS^£^S;:;^^-'--Se\viVh  woLVe; 

^---ox^^^iHr^---:^^^^ 

J^IliERlAX  DoG-yLEDGE.    VfuII    P;,,;.'; 

Attacked  hy  JJkars.     (Full    >■  o'!^.  -* 

t-KA  Bears  of  SiiiERiA  ^  ^  ^  "^ 

i)RE.s,s  OF  Native.  

Ax  Arctic  Scexe.    (i'uU  \'nZ  \ 

^-Qc;iMAuxsxow  v,LAG,ri1.^;n  •]..;:,;•, 

k^quimauxfI^hI;;;;;  "(fuh  pJ,;j  ; 

i-«Qt;iMAi;x  Child',.  Dr.-ss        "  ^^ 

i>UN  at  Midxi(;ht     rFMll  P.,V  ; 

A.CHIX    W:Ticl4j^;!!!/;ai— • 

Plax  of  Arctic  Sledge.'  "  rFullPu'r:/^ 

Mtchex  at  Fort  R.-xiaxc   .       ^  ''''"•^ 

The  Terror  Ni.pkdixthe  Ice/' "f -u'p -J;; 

XIV. 


(Fuil  Page.y. 


(FulV  Pag 


o.j.  . .  , 


l-.K,. 


-.•) 

2>S 

3' 

3-' 

3.3 

3<^ 

39 

44 

4^ 

4S 

.S5 

til 

74 

75 

'J<-> 

•■■  93 
• . . . loo 
• . . . I jj 
....127 
....134 

I  ^0 

....1G2 

...163 
. . , .l6y 

.    .181 

...lyj 
...lyy 

-  ..20  J 

...J13 
...217 
...224 
...231 

■•■^33 
...247 

.  ..26S 
...270 

••-73 
..27.J 

..264 
••^9.3. 

..2<JiJ 

•■3'.S 
••3-i-; 
•3-\S 
■3-7 
•3.SO 

•355 


!fJMSTRA7IONS 


XV 


Samoveo  Chieftain.    (Full  Page.)                                                                           ''"§'-'• 
Blstoi'Fran-klix.     (Full  Page.). . ........... ^^ 

ESQUI.VIAUX  Ol     XORTH  A.MEKICA. ^1^ 

Bear  Attacked  hy  wolve.s.     (Full  Pa.rc'i ^ 

In  A  Lead.     (Full  Page.) , "^      393 

Perils  or  Sledge  Travel '. ■^°' 

Arctic  Hakes ^^^ 

n.  M.  S.  Intrepid  Iced  in.     (Full*  Pac're  ) " '>'% 

Cutting  Ice  Dock.s.     fFull  Page.) . . .  ^../.i.'. V.     ^ 

Relics  oe  Franklin.     (Full  Paia' ') '^^^ 

Arctic  Tools ' 4.3^' 

Arctic  Plant  (actual  size). ..".'..'... 44.'? 

On  Beech ey  Island ..'. 447 

-Shooting  Seals ".'.'. . ..'.".'. 4.S- 

Fiskern.es.     (Full  Page.) 4.S''< 

Dr.  E.  K.  Kane.     (Full'Page.) '.'.'..'. ^IP 

S.MiTii's  Sound  ' '  _ 4c>3 

Glacier  Seen  uy  Kane ....."..'.. ^^% 

Kane  in  Winter  Quarters.     (FulVpa'o-e  i ^'-^ 

William  Mouton ' S»' 

Watching  eor  a  Seal ..'.".' " •'>'" 

Catching  Birds !!!..!!.!!!!' •'' 

Kalutunah,  an  Esqui.maux  Chief.     (Full* Page") ^^^ 

llAN.s,  Wife,  and  Relatives. ^-3 

Off  to  the  Oi'EN  Sea 5-° 

Statue  of  Franklin.     (Full  Page.) .'..!.'" ■''3° 

Charles  Francis  Hall ...'.'.....'..*.*..'..!  \ \^Z. 

Caft.  Sidney  O.  Buddington •''47 

Innuit  Wo.man's  Head  Dress .......*.*.'. \)^ 

Oi'HiuRiD  OF  Northern  Seas.    ^Fiin"p'n!/„\' 5"9 


EuiERlilNG,  TOOKOOLITO,  AND  ChiI 

Dr.  I.  I.  Haves 


(Full  Page.). 


(Full  Page.). 


•.S79 
■58.3 


Brother  John's  Glacier ■^'•^' 

-.-        **  f.^  * 


f)OI 

604 
619 
620 


STLE.     (Full  Page-) "^'^ 

SLAND  Village p> 

"•'•••■'  "^ (Full"" ^" 


The  Little  Auk 

Po'NT  Isabella 

Whale  Sound.     (Full  Page.) 

Devil's  Castle.     ' 

East  Green 

Encou.xtkr  with  Walruses.     (I'uii   ratro.) 

HiGHEsr  Point  Achieved  uv  the  Polaris 

Burial  oi- Hall 

Grave  of  Halt " '^45 

Cai't.  Georcje  E.  Tyson.".".'!'.  !'.'...... '.".'.'.'.'.'..'.'."■ ^47 

Group  of  Survivors  of  Tyson's  R.\ft      ( l"\iil'  Pi'crJ  ) )^^ 

Perilous  Situaton  of  the  Polaris "'  ' '-^4 

Stxrtof  Payer's  Sleikje  Expediton.    '('Fuii'ivre  ) t'p'^ 

Transporting  Wood  for  the  House  »•/••• o^s 

Fall  of  Sledok.     (Full  Page.). .  . ' )'"' 

■     ' 670 


33 
642 


Discovery  Bay. 


Grave  OF  Lieut.  Irving 

Prof.  a.  E.  Nordenskiold 

Samoved  Encampment.     (I'uil  Pago.) 

The  Cloud  Berry ... ..?... 

Dwarfed  Trees   in  Siiieria .. 

Barkm/'  House,  Exterior  and  1ni 

Sa.moyi:!)  Sledge 

Arctic  Hair-Star ...'*. ........ 

Star-Fish  OF  Northern  W.vrERs '.'. 

Christ.mas  Eve  on  Board  the  Ve(;a.    (Full 
Auroral  Display  Seen  from  the  Vega. 


ERioK.     (l''ull  Page.) 


Page.). 


.r,M 

.6Sy 
.  692 

•'''95 
.702 

•703 

•  ro.s 
,707 
.712 
.714 

7^3 


(Full  Page.) \,l 


w 


A'V/. 


ILL  UHTRA  TIONS. 


Esi'ssA!:^  f:,:-ir.",r"'"  ""■  """'  ""s') '"f:i 

Lieut.  John  W.  Danexiiovvkr.  . .    T^(^ 

LIE'  T.  ClIARLliS  W.  ClIII'l'  7<x> 

V.     •     lAM  M.  DUXUAR ." 78J 

Bur.'  iNGOKTifE  Rogers     (FulVpatr") 785 

Parliament  HoL'SE  at  Reikiavik        798 

ArcticSledge 801 

Dr.  J.  M.  Amuler ....*" 804 

Departure  (jf  Ninderman  and  Noros.'  "  VfuiV  PaVre  1 ^"^' 

Raymond  L.  Nevvcomh.  . .  ^  ^^\i^) 808 

Geo.  W.  Melville Sii 

E.XTERioROK  Convict  Hut'in' Siberia S16 

Group  oe  Survivors  of  Jeannette  ExPEDrno'v  ' '  >Fn'''l  p'." '  \ ^-' 

Melville  Finding  De  ^n.^  and  Fartv       F  n'  A  ,  '    '  "^"'^ f'^5 

Grave  ok  De  Long  and  Party.     (Full  Pa .4  1  ^-8 

JE  ..NNETTE  SEARCH  EXPEDITION  §31 

Commander  Cheyne's  Plan  for  REACHiNG'-iuE  Pole f-^° 

Map  oe  Polar  Regions.    (Full  Pao-e  \  ^Zl 

"  '^ 835 

TAIL   PIECES 

Tin-RE  Ships 

Head  OF  Native '.' 28 

Head  of  Native i;i 

Sledge  Party 57 

Native  ON  Snow  Shoes'" '. 68 

Greenland  Pilot 81 

Gulls "   ' 9.^ 

Iceberg 104 

Sledge  Party iii 

Dragging  the  Boat 119 

Gothic  Iceberg .' 124 

Arctic  Dress .......'. 167 

OoMiAK 1S7 

Camp  Life 203 

Head  of  Tchuktchi 219 

Seal-Skin  Cup ..."    228 

Child's  Sledge 256 

EwEk  \T,  a  Sorceror  265 

The  Walnut  Sheli ".".'.'.'. -71 

Bale  of  Pemmican 295 

Esquimaux  Knife 310 

A  Great  Auk 330 

Esquimaux  Mother.  .......'.'. 345 

1 1  ead  of  Walr  us 379 

Head  OF  Esquimaux  Dog.!..!..  ...  387 

Head  of  Reindeer " 414 

The  Arctic  Owl \'' 431 

Esquimaux  Spear 4*^9 

Caught  IN  A  Trap...    .      459 

Arctic  Aquatics '. 48S 

Dog  Shoe ' 496 

Kane's  Favorite  Dog <^o^ 

Esquimaux  Woman's  Knife..'.. .^12 

Si^ 


PART   I. 


NEARLY  EXPLnHEHS. 


»^ 


1 

"5* 


"  VVhcn  szvords  arc  i^lcamino^- you  shall  sec 
The  Norseman'' s  face  flash  gloriouslv^ 
With  looks  that  make  thefoeman  rcel^ 
His  viirrorfrom  of  old  ivas  steel. 
And  still  he  zvields  in  hattlc\^  hour 

That  old  Thor''s  hammer  oj  Xorse  power' 
Strikes  with  a  desperate  arm  of  might., 

And  at  the  last  tug-  turns  thcfght., 
For  never  yields  the  Norseman.  " 


J 


1 


•3 


CHAPTER  I. 

CONCHl.TKmS  OK  TIIK  ANCIENTS— VOYAGE  OK  I'YTIIE  AS— mscoVKUS 
TirULK— OUIOIN  OF  THE  NORSEMEN— I'OhlTICAI.  DEVELOPMENT 
—A  CAKEKK  or  I'lK AC Y-GUEENLAND  AND  ICELAND  COLONIZED 
—INCIDENTAL    DISCOVEUY    OK    NOKTII    AMERICA. 

Altliou-h  vvilh  tiic  discovery  and  colonization  of  Greenland  and  Ice- 
land by  the  Norsemen,  practically  bc-jins  our  knowledge  of  the  Arctic 
seas,  the  secrets  of  the  hidden  North  had  long  been  a  favorite  theme  of 
speculation.  The  fruitful  imaginations  of  the  ancients  attached  marvel- 
ous  features  to  this  mysterious  region. 

It  was  the  region  of  darkness,  but  as  in  the  succession  of  events  day 
spru.ig  from  nigiit,  so  in  their  tiiought  did  light  and  its  benefits  emanate 
from  the  North.  Here  the  Hindoos  located  the  dwelling-place  of  their 
deities,  where  those  divine  beings  veiled  their  godlike  attributes  in 
misty  obscurity.  Here  dwelt  the  gods  of  Scandinavia  ;  and  from  here 
they  directed  watchful  eyes  to  guard  and  protect  the  interests  of  their 
worshipers.  When  the  Aurora  Borealis  shed  its  soft  light  over  the 
frosty  earth,  .lispelling  with  its  radiant  glory  the  gloom  of  night,  then 
the  simple  minds  of  the  people  discovered  in  the  sky  the  dreadful  shapes 
of  their  gods,  and  trembled  and  lejoiced. 

Thus,  too,  the  father  of  history  relates  how  the  Hvperboreans-"  of  all 
the  human  race,  the  most  virtuous  and  happy,  dwelt  in  perpetual  peace 
and  del.ghtful  companionship  with  the  deities,  under  cloudless  skies,  in 
fields  clothed  with  perpetual  verdure,  where  the  fruitful  soil  yields  twice- 
yearly  harvests,  its  blest  inhabitants  attain  extreme  old  age,  and  at  last, 
when  satiated  with  life,  joyfully  crown  their  heads  with  flowers,  and 
phmge  headlong  from   the  mountain  steeps  into  the  depths  of  the  sea." 

But  all  this  belongs  to  tradition  and  song  rather  than  to  history. 
The  happiness  we  crave  is  histinctively  located  in  some  far-off,   unattain- 

19 


I 


80 


ror^u.B  OF  rrriiEAs. 


al.lo   place,  a.i.l    the   existence   ..fthis    tendency    may  explain    the    facts 
above  reconled.     Ail  the    certai.i  kn<.vvle,lf,.e    which  nations  of  antiquity 
had  of  northern  tenitories   ma)    he   very  hrieHy   summarized,   for   as  yet 
compass  and   sextant  were    unknovvii,  and  the    few    intrepid    adventurers 
that  dared  at   all  to    brave  the   fury  of  the  sea,  did   so  almost  blindfolded, 
and  at  the  peril  of  their   lives.      The    Tyrians   an.l    Phci..nicians   had  left 
their  native  shores  to  fh.d  in  other  re-ions,   the  wealth  which   their  own 
ru-rcd  coasts  yielded  so   scantily.     Cartha-e  had    been    founded    on  the 
coast  ofAfrica;  and  the  Greeks,   in   the  traditional  voyage   of  the  Ar-o, 
had  wreathed   themselves   with  glory   and  given   a  subject  for  many   a' 
pleasing  song  ;  but  none   as  yet  ha.l  ventured  to  try   the  dark  regions  of 
the  Xorth,   and    its  secrets    remained  its    own,    to   be    unlocked    by    the 
genius  and  bravery  and  invention  of  more  modern  times. 

Thus,  all  records  by  northern  historians  of  the  events  occurring 
before  the  Christia.i  era  may  be  set  down  as  mythical  or  inicertain  ;  for 
classical  antiquity  exhibits  a  very  obscure  notion  of  the  geography  of 
Europe  beyond  the  German  Ocean.  This  is  illustrated  in  th^  fact  that 
the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  considered  Scandinavia  an  island,  or 
cluster  of  islands  in  the  Northern  Seas  ;  and  other  ideas,  equally  erroneous, 
-^nlfice  to  .how  the  .obscurity  in  classic  times  which  clothed  this  unex- 
plored region. 

The  first,  and  for  a  long  tim.  the  only  voyage  to  northern  regions, 
recorded  by  any  nation  of  letters,  was  made  by  Pyiheas  of  Marseilles-a 
Greek  colony    in  France. 

The  date  of  Pytheas,  who  was   the  most   celebrated    navigator  of  his 
time,  is  approximately  placed  at  330  B.  C,  making  him  about  contem- 
poraneous with  Alexander   the  Great.      lie  is  the   o.dy    explorer   of  the 
pre-Chr,stian   period,   who,  so    far    as    we    n.ay  judge    from    authentic 
records,  at  all    approached   in    spirit  the  heroes   of  modern    navigation 
Regarding  his  birth   and   the  circumstances  of  his  private   life   we"  have 
I.ttle  or  no  trustworthy   hiformation  ;  but  what  is  more  in.portant  to    us 
m  th.s  connection,    we    know    that   he    exploded    the  Northern    Seas   of 
Europe.     The  ancient  geographers,  like  conservative  pedants  of  a  more 
recent  period,  professed  to  place  little   reliance   o,t  his   staten,ents.      ,V,.. 


DrSCOVRRS   TIIULE. 


91 


Polyblus  and  Straho  treat  him  with  the  utmost  seventy  and  ridicule, 
and  nvMition  his  accounts  as  absurd  and  incredible— a  proceeding  quite 
customarily  followi'i«r  any  important  discovery  on  land  or  sea,  in  mind 
or  matter,  philosophy  or  art.  "Absurd"  has  echoed  throu<,'h  the  ages, 
as  the  response  of  the  ignorant  to  what  has  been  contrary  to  their  pre- 
conceived notions. 

Modern  writers  are    inclined  to    set  more    value    on    the  accounts    of 
Pytheas,  as  well    as  on  all   of  the   best    known   ancient   writers.     We 
gather  that  he  sailed   through  the   English   Channel,  and,  :ifter   leaving 
P>ritain,  a    voyage  of  six  days  to  the  North  brought  him  to  an  island 
which  he  called  Thule,  where  he  says   the  sun  never  descends  below  the 
horizon    for  a  certain    25eriod    at  the    summer    solstice.     This    statement 
would  apply  to  Iceland,    but    the    incredulous  are    supposed  to   identify 
his  island  with  one  of  the   Orkneys,  because  it  seems  unlikely  that  Pyth- 
eas could   have  reached   Iceland   in  six    days.     In   Greek  enumeration, 
as  in  our  own,  an   error  of  transcription  is   very   easy  ;  and  it  is   more 
rational  to  look  for  a  mistake  there  than  to    reject  a  fact   of  observation 
which  is  certainly  not  applicable  to    the  Orkney  Islands  ;    these,  more- 
over, are  several  in  number,    and  are  so    close    to  the    mainland,  as    not 
properly  to  fall  under  the  description  of  being  six  days'  sail  from  Britain. 
Some  have  thought  that  he    had  come  upon   a  portion  of  Norway   or 
Denmark,  but  the  evidence  of  this   is  not  conclusive.     He    visited   some 
island  at  least,  and  probably  named  it  from   his  native  telos,   meaning  the 
goal  or  the  farthest  point. 

Pytheas  afterward  entered  the  l^altic,  and  reached  a  river  which  he 
called  Tanais,  which  critics  believe  to  be  the  Elbe.  Here  he  found  a 
people  who  made  use  of  amber  instead  of  wood,  and  as  that  substance  is 
still  found  in  large  quantities  in  Prussia,  there  is  little  doubt  that  he  must 
have  visited  that  joart  of  Europe.  H^^  gave  an  account  of  his  voyages  in 
two  works—"  Description  of  the  Ocean  "—which  contains  his  voyage  to 
Thule,  and  "  Periplus,"  or  circumnavigation.  He  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  to  determine  the  latitude  of  a  place  from  the  sun's  shadow,  and 
the  first  to  suspect  that  the  tides  are  influenced  by  the  moon.  It  is  safe 
tosaythat  he  had  more  of  the  spirit  of  discovery   and  observation    Lhan 


r 


88 


OlilGlX  OF  THE  NUIiTIIMEN 


h..s  untn.vclc.1,  though  scholarly,  critics,  and  with  the-    li.^ht   of   n.o.lcrn 

research  and  the  aid  of  modem  appliances,  suci,  a  spirit   woul.l  d.,nhtless 

have  done  mnch  to  unravel  the  tangled  skein  of  northern  mysteries. 

Thetrue  inception  of  Arctic  discovery  has  already   been  referre.l   to 

the  Norsemen,  whose  .levelopments  and  achievements  we    may    now  do 
well  to  consider. 

VOYAGES   OF  THE    NORSEMEN. 

The  Norsemen,  or  Northmen,  were  known  to  the  ancients  as  Scan- 
dniavums,  a  nn.re  distinctive  and  appropriate  designation  which  again 
bids  fair  to  become  current  '"""^ 

in    our    own    dry.     Some 
words  are  like  fashions   in 
clothing,  they  are  discarded 
for  a  time,  but  in  a  genera- 
tion or  two  are  once  more 
hrought  into  use  because  of 
some    special    appropriate- 
ness or  utility.  Every  town, 
city,  county,  state,  nation, 
or  other  geographical    dis- 
trict may   have   its    North- 
men, but  Scandinavians  or 
Norsemen     are    a    special 
class  of  Northmen.     Norse- 
men is  to  l)e  preferred   for 
its    ters.'ncss,    and    because 

NORSK   VI-KINO. 

Sca„<,  „uvi„n  ,„„  „„  „p,„,,„„^,  „,  „^,„„   ^^^^^^^  ^^^^^  .^  ^  ^ 

.hey   ,pn,„.    scorn.,   .„   „.„„    ,,,, „„„^,    „,^,    ,^,^^  __^.   ^^^^ 

wh,ch  ™,n,.e„  fro,„  ,„e  hi,h,,,„.,s  „f  C„„.n„  Asi,.,  ,„e  ,„,■,„„  „,„„„  ,„ 
h.  I  .I..E,„-„„„,,„  ,„  An.an  fa.nily  „f  ,,,,,.     j,,  „„„,  ,,„,     ,,,^., 
they  1,0,..,,  .„  ,„„,  „„„„,  ,„„„  f„,.  ^  „^^^  ,^,,,_^^._  ^,^^^   J^^^    -      J 

m,g,:u„,y  experience,  if  ,„„  otherwise,  that  thelr  ehler  h,„lhor,,,  L  Pe,- 


i 


1 


SEA-LIFE   OF   THE   NOliSF.MEN. 


88 


sians,  Greeks,  Latins,  Celts  and  Sclavs,  had  seized  the  southern  and  cen- 
tral portions  of  Asia  and  Europe,  and  theie  remained  hut  the  laiHls  of  the 
inhospitahle  North.  These  they  overspread,  suhduin}^  tlie  earlier  inhab- 
itants,  the  stunted  and  swarthy  Finns  of  tlie  great  northern  peninsula. 
This  was  an  overland  mij^ration,  and  the  iniinij^rants  had  no  knowledije 
of  ships. 

In  the  ei{,'hth  century  of  our  era  they  had  so  lu     oased  and  multiplied 
that  they  mi<i;ht  he  said  to  have  been  compelled   to    renew    their    travels, 
this  time  by  water.     Meanwhile  they  had  learned  to  build  and  use  sliips. 
The  cold  hillsides  of  their  native  land  liad  been  brou_<,'ht   into   rude    culii- 
vation  to  supplement  the  more  fertile  plains.     Hut  still  they  jjrew    and 
multiplied  and  necessity  tau<,dit  them   to   find  in   their  inlets   and    bavs  a 
valuable  addition  to  their  stores  of  food.     Fishinj,',  the  natural  introduc- 
tion to  seafaring,  is  calculated  to  jiroiluce   hardy   and  dexterous  seamen. 
And  we  find  that  the  Norse  leaders  andaheir  crews,  when  they  sprun" 
into  the  foreground  of  mediioval  history,  were  bold  and  skillful  mariners, 
brave  and  active  fighters,  and  ever  ready   to   face   danger   in    pursuit    of 
spoils.     They  were  more  than  a  match  for  the  agricultural,   manufactur- 
ing and  commercial  nations  round   about  them.     Their  agriculture  was 
scant,  and  of  trade  and  manufacture  they  were  ignorant.     If  to  t'^^se  be 
added  the  all-pervading  infiuencc  of  a  religion  which  taught  that  death  in 
battle  was  but  a  passage  to  the  happy  immortality  of  Valhalla,   we  have 
a  combination  of  the  conditions  necessary  to  form    a  conquering  people. 
As  is  usual  in  the  early  history  of  nations,  they  are  fouml   divided   into  a 
number  of  tribes  or  clans   under  petty   kings  or  chiefs.     At   the   actual 
period  of  their  historic  inroads  they  were  just  passing  into  the  more  pre- 
tentious form  of  consolidated  monarchies,  with  the  chiefs  of  the   old   reg- 
ime  crystalizing  into  the  hereditary  nobles  of  the  new,  a*ul  especially  of 
the  rank  known  in  their  language  as  jarls,  in  ou'     earls.      Though  jiolit- 
ically  subordinate  to  the  sovereign,  these  earls  retained   much    of  their 
former  power  in  their  relations  to  those  beneath  them.     Wheth^        .     n. 
term  vikings  we  are  to  understand  these  chieftains— as  if"  vice  s--      - 

or,  as  seems  more  probable,  "  fiord-folks,"  it  is  certain   that   leaders  and 
people  a.like  were  ent(>rprising  and  brave. 


^4 


!'//fACr. 


i< 


It  wa.  .oo„  fou.ul  that  the  relatively  h.xuriot.H  a.ui  efTemina...  <len|. 
.ens  of  Houther.,  la.uls  couhl  he  easily  in.h.ce.l  hy  a  little  show  of  vio.cnce 
to  purchase  their  lives  hy  the  surren.ler  of  a  portion  of  their  wealth,  or 
be  made  easy  victims  to  the  hardihoo.l  ,,.,.1  clari.i^r  of  those 

"Orlni  vikings,  wlio  foiirul  rupture 
In  tin-  sea-fipht,  and  the  capture, 
And  the  h'le  of  Ninvery," 

to  which  .hey  ,.eclu<:«l  such  a>  wore  „o,  rich  enough  to  „  ,  r.,„.,„m. 

TiK.  Norse  vil<i„„.s,  „i,l,  „o  wealth  hut  tl,eir  ,l,ips,  „„  I,,,,,,.  |,„t  ,heir 
.words    swannci   up..,,  the  occnn,  plun.lereci  every  clistrict  they  could 
»pl.ro„ci,,  ,u,<l  for  several  ceuturies  spread  hlood,  ,api„e  aud  ,n,se;y  over 
ho  na.,o„,  of  Euro,x..    All  their  habits,  feeliug,  a,„l  assoeiatiou,  we,o 
ferocous.     Tl,ey  re!;a,ded   pi,-aoy  aud   pl,„,der  as   the   most   houorahle 
n>etho,l  ,,,    securi,,.  wealth.     Raw   Hosh  was  a  ,o„thso,ne  .loliccy,  pity 
was  weakuess,  a„d    ,oa,s  were  „u,uauly.     They  .elieved   ,l,e  m„„o,„„y 
of  the  regular  occupatiou  of  killi,,,,  au.l    pluuderiuj;  a,lults  l,y  a  „„.,  „f 
»portive  «„,„-  iu  which  they  tossed  f,.„,n    lauce  to  lauce,  with   wonderful 
dexlonty  aud  precisiou,  helpless  infants  wrenche,!  f,on,  the  a,™s  „t  their 
s  an,h,e,.ed  ,u„,ho,s.     They  knew  „o  „|o,.y  hut  the  destructiou  of  their 
"ene,.,es..o,.  victi.us,     Wheu    they  fell    upon  a  disfict  they  uot  o„lv 
rohhcl  ,t  o(   ,ts  acc„,„ula,e,l  wealth,  hut  dostroyd    the  growiu,,  co,;, 
wn I,  ruthless  harhari,..     Peaceful.  p,.osperous  aud  civiii.ed  Co.:,,:,:: 
h.u    a       ,.y  ,„,,,„    ,„|„^,  „^„,.,^,,^   |^__^.^.^,^^   ^^  he  gathced  all    the  ,„„,.o 
eas,ly  hecanse  ofihe  iefi,icment  <if  the  owueis. 

With   ,1,0  exception  of  the    warlike    Franks  i.uncd  .o  wa,-.s  alarn,, 
.      e  couraged    In  a  l„„g  „r,.„y  „f  ,„i,i,a,,,  ,„,_,„  „„„„  ,,^. . 
Ka,    (Charlemagne),  Europe    lava,   the   feet  of  the  freohooter.  , .     ,  „; 
Wt  .     To  do   ,he,„  justice,  however,  or  .-athcr  to  enforce   the   law 
wh,ch    ,mpels  n,a„  to   postpone   the  ha.a,<l  of  his   life  nu.il  m    peaceful 
n,oans  of  suppo,,  „,„  exhaustetl,  we  call  the  ,.eado,-s  attention  to  •      foN 
ow„,s  fact.      Before  onteriug  on  a  career  of  piracy,  .ho   No,,hu,o„    ,  ^1 

X  :„;::"■" •*=  "^  -'".>-"'-p:tahie  ..ogions  of  icd., 

and  G.ccland,  as  .,,    ,     .s  .no  ,„„re  genial   hut  ci,.ou,„scril,e,l  .-egions  of 


25 


26 


GREENLAND  AND  ICELAND  COLONIZED. 


the  Faroe,  Shetland,  and  Orkney  Islands.  It  was  an  age  when  the  neces- 
sit.es  of  a  surplus  population  appealed  to  the  law  of  the  strongest  Our 
more  civilised  .nethods  of  piracy  do  not  so  harrow  human  sensibilities, 
but  the  law  of  "might  gives  right,"  may  still  be  traced  by  any  one 
givc'i   to  reflection. 

At  first  the  marauders  paid  only  flying  and  stealthy  visits  to  unpro- 
tected   coasts;  but  afterward,  emboldened   by  success,  and  strengthened 
hy  the  acccosions  which   the   fame  of  their  exploits    and  the  resultinc. 
harvests  of  booty  brought  to  their  support,  they  made  deeper  inroads^ 
and  finally  effected  permanent  lodgments  in  Russia,   England,  Ireland 
and  France.     In  Russia  they  .vere  known  as  Varangians,  that  is,  -  .ea- 
warnors,"  who  gave  a  king  and  <lynasty,  Rurik  and   his  successors,  to 
that  country.     In  England  and  Ireland  they  were  known  as  Danes;  and 
m  France   as  Normans,   where   they  because  possessors   of  Normandy 
whence  too,  under  their  Duke  William,  their  descendants  invaded  and 
conquered  England  in  1066. 

Their  first  permanent  settlements  in  the  Faroe,  Shetland,  and  Orkney 
Islands  are  supposed  to  have  been  made  about  the  middle  of  the   ninth 
century.     In  Iceland  the  date  is  more  authentic,  being  placed  by  the  best 
authont.es  in  A.  D.  874.      The   accidental  discovery  of  Greenland  fol- 
lowed two   years  later,  but  no  effort  at  coloni^ation  seems  to  have  been 
ma<lc  unfl   985,  two  years  after  its  re-discovery  by  .Eric  the  Red      Ice- 
land became  self-governing  in  928,  and  remained  independent  until  1,87 
when  it  submitted   to   the   king  of  Denmark   and  Norway.     Greenland 
_  prospered      for  several  centuries,  receiving  its  first  bishop  in  1121,  and 
■ts   last  one   in    ,406.      The  population  was   decimated   by   the   "  black 
death    -and  that  of  Iceland,  also-and  it   could  no  longer  support  the 
expens,ve  luxury  of  a  bishop.     With  the  bishop,  in  ,409,  doubtless  went 
the  annahst  of  the  colony,  as  there  is  no  further  record  of  Greenland  for 
nearly  two  hundred  years.     The  truth  probai^ly  is  that  as  onlv  the  pre  - 
sure  of  over  population  at  home  could   ha^-e  reconciled  them  ti,  an  abode 
-  dreary  Greenland   and   n-o.en    Icelan.I,  so  when  that  was  removed   bv 
^-    'black    death,"    which   swept   off  35,000,000  of  the   populati<,n    I, 
Europe  ,n   three  years  (.348-5,),  there  were  no  new  accessions,  and  the 


'y^^^mmmmmmfK^mMl^^m, 


»*4«%v 


»-*«aa#^Pt> 


and 


TNCIDENTAL  DISCOVERT  OF  NORTH  AMERICA.  ffj 

more  enterprising  and  active  of  the  survivors  in  botii  colonies  may  have 
found  more  congenial  homes  among  their  kindred  in  Europe. 

Besides  these  authentic  voyages  of  the  Norsemen  to  Greenland  and 
Iceland,  there  are  some  alleged  voyages  to  the  latter  made  by  more 
southern  navigators.  There  is  a  story  of  the  Zeni  brothers,  of  Venice, 
who  are  said  to  have  explored  those  Northern  seas,  and  to  have  discov- 
ered certain  northern  islands,  one  of  which  is  conjectured  to  have  been 
Iceland.  And  it  is  even  possible  that  Columbus  himself  visited  those 
latitudes  fifteen  years  before  his  great  discovery;  for  in  one  of  his  letters 
is  found  this  statement:  »  In  1477  I  navigated  one  hundred  leagues 
beyond  Thule."  A  favorite  identification  of  the  Thule  of  Pytheas  of 
Marseilles  has  been  with  Iceland;  but  it  Is  thought  that  medieval 
wnters  may  have  rather  inclined  to  identify  it  with  the  largest  of  the 
Shetland  Islands. 

An  incidental  result  of  the  discovery  and  colonization  of  Iceland  and 
Greenland  referred  to  above,  was  the  discovery  of  the  continent  of  North 
America,  and  some  of  the  smaller  islands  along  the  coast,  although,  as 
IS  well  known,  this  fact  led  to  no  very  permanent  results.  Biarne 
Herjulfson  is  said,  by  tradition,  to  have  sailed  from  Iceland  for  Green- 
land, in  9S6  A.  D.,  but  on  account  of  fogs  and  north  winds,  los^  his 
course  and  came  upon  the  coast  of  a  strange  land,  which  he  sighted  at 
d.fferent  times  i,i  a  northern  direction.  It  is  thought  that  he  came  upon 
the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America,  perhaps  at  Newfoundland  or 
I-abrador,  and  sailed  along  it  until  he  arrived  at  the  colony  of  Eric.  He 
did  not  land,  hcv.'ever,  until  Greenland  was  readied. 

In  the  year  1000  this  discovery  was  repented  by  a  son  of  Eric  the 
Red,  who,  with  tiiirty-fivc  men,  explored  the  coast  of  North  America 
for  a  long  distance  from  north  to  south.  After  landing  at  a  spot  sup- 
posed to  have  been  Labrador,  he  sailed  to  the  south,  and  discovered  a 
pleasant  country,  which  was  called  Vinland,  from  the  abundance  of' 
grapes  found  upon  it.  Here  tlicy  spent  the  winter,  and  two  years  later 
Thorwald,  a.iother  son  of  Eric,  visited  the  place  and  discovered  Cape 
Cod.  After  this  Vinland  was  quite  extensively  colonized  from  Green- 
luP.l   ..,nd   was   variou.!y.^  visited   by  Norse  voyagers.     The  colony   was 


^»  ■T'»t'H'waa'fc?i|.<i-}ik»i.afej|Mtyiia?«.g5^ 


SUPPOSED  RELICS   OF   THE   NORSEMEN. 


supported  for  a  few  years,  but  owing  to  the  fierce  attacks  of  the  natives, 
the  enterprise  was  finally  abandoned.  A  son  born  to  Karlscfne,  the  head 
oftheVinland  colony,  was    the  first  child  born  to  European  parents  on 

guished  families  of         ^^S^SHt  old  Zl  to^^^Zt 

Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and  the  inscription  upon  Dighton  Rock,  which 
hes  upon  the  bank  of  Taunton  River,  are  memorials  of  the  visits  of  these 
Northmen. 

Such  a  beginning,  then,  had  the  series  of  adventures  to  whose  de- 
scription this  volume  is  devoted-adventures  which,  made  in  the  cause 
of  scence,  and  requiring  the  highest  degree  of  manly  courage,  must 
thrill  all  with  their  dangerous  and  desperate  character. 


»*«»SW»!^.«^S«J^f^ 


CHAPTER  II. 


I'OKTUGUESE      AND      SPANISH     DISCOVEKIES PORTUGUESE      VOYAGES 

TO    NORTH     AMERICA VORACITY    OF    THE    SPANISH RESULTS    OF 

COLUMBUS'      DISCOVERY  — VOYAGES       OF       THE       CABOTS  FIRST 

VOYAGE    AROUND    THE  WORLD — VOYAGE    TO   LA    PLATA — FRENCH 
VOYAGES. 

The  gradual  way  in  which  the  maritime  enterprise  of  the  Portuguese 
led  them  to  the  discovery  of  the  ocean  route  to  the  East  Indies,  marks 
tlio  distinctive  character  of  their  voyages.  The  final  result  was  the  slow, 
deliberate  and  laborious  outcome  of  several  previous  adventures  carried 
on  in  a  systematic  manner.  To  Prince  Henry,  surnamed  the  navigator, 
because  of  his  patronage  of  these  enterprises,  Portugal  was  largely  in- 
debted  for  her  early  naval  supremacy  among  modern  nations. 

Madeira  was  discovered  in  1420;  Cape  Bojador  was  passed  in  1439; 
and  Cape  Verd  in  1446.  The  Azores  were  discovered  in  1448  ;  the 
Cape  Verd  Islands  in  1449,  and  St.  Thomas  in  1471.  In  1481  the  Pope 
granted  to  the  crown  of  Portugal  all  the  countries  which  the  Portuguese 
might  discover  beyond  Cape  Bojador.  In  i486  Bartholomew  Diaz, 
while  on  an  expedition  to  explore  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  was  driven 
by  high  winds  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  River,  actually,  but  un- 
consciously,  doubling  the  most  southern  point  of  Africa.  On  his  return, 
in  1487,  he  named  the  headland  Cape  Tarmentoso.  In  1497  Vasco  da 
Gama  doubled  Cape  Tarmentoso,  which  he  named  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  in  1498  arrived  in  India.  By  this  discovery  of  an  ocean  route 
to  India,  the  trade  of  the  East  was  diverted  from  the  old  channel  of  the 
Red  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  commerce  of  the  world  was 
revolutionized. 

Eariy    in    1500   Pedro   Alvarez  de  Cabral,  on  a  voyage  to  the  East 
Indies  by  t'.o  wMy  of  (he  Cape  of  (iood  Hope,  fell  in  with  the  land  now 

29 


•M 


CORrEREAL--COL  UMB US. 


known  :.s  IJnuil,  and  promptly  took  possession  of  the  sa.nc  for  the  crown 
c^f  Portuj,.al.    Two  Portuj^uese  voyaj,a-s  to  North  America,  un.icr  Caspar 
Cortereal,  ni  1500  a.,.!  1501,  Jcft  no  memoraI)le  incidents,  except  his  cruel 
kidnappinjr  of  natives  on   the   first,  and   his   own   disappearance   on  M.e 
second.     A  third    voya-c,   in   1502,   under  Miguel  Cortereal  in  search  of 
h.s  brother   Gaspar,  resulte.l    in   a   similar   disappearance;  and    I'ortu.^al 
never  gahu..!  a  foothold  in    North  America.     The   success  of  Da  Ganv, 
and  Cabral  had  found  a  more  profitable  outlet  for  Portuguese  commerce 
and   colonisation,  and  their   va-ious   enterprises  in  South  America,  West 
and  South  Africa,  and  the  adjacent  islands,  as  well  as  in  the  East  Indies 
afforded  ample  scope  for  all  the  surplus  energies   of  prince  and  people.' 
Before  dismissing  Portugal  from   the  field  of  observation,  we  wotdd  re 
mn.d  the   reader  of  the  well    known   voyage  of  Magellan,  a  Portuguese 
.n  theservceof  Spain,  in  15.0,  and   the   discovery  of  the  straits  called 
by  h.  name-a  southwest  passage  to   India,  or  rather  to  the  islands  of 
(lie  1  acific  atui  to  Australia. 

SPANISH  VOYAGES. 

The  greatest  and  most  wid.-rcachi,,,-  i„  influence  of  all  the  voya.rcs 
of<l.scovco',  was  that  of  CoIunAus,  in    ,49=,  In  scare*  of  a  western    J,,. 
Base  to  In,lia.     His  great  discovery  was  not  like  so  ntany  of  the  preced- 
.ng  ones,  an    aeci.lcn.al    ],appcni„g  or  a  lucky    hit,  „or  tl,c  direct  consc- 
qucncc  of  other  epilations  innt.xliatcly  preceding,  a,  was  Da  (Janra^s  ; 
but  the  restdt  of  an  intellectual  conception  carefully  elaborated  and  ,o,n,d- 
«1  on  geographical  data.     Any   nn^hcr   of  discoveries  ,,y  stornt-driven 
No,se,„en  or  cod-fishing  Bretons,  or  adventt.rous   Welsh.nen-were  the 
facts  established  beyond  all  doubt-eould  not  rob  Colt.„,bns  of  the  pecu. 
bar  glory  of  his  great  achievement. 

By    birth  a  Genoese,  hn.    failing  of  proper  encouragenren.   at  hotnc 

.        .n  o,  er  conntnes  to  which  he  ba.l  subn.itted  his  projects,  C rbus, 

the,     .n   the  serv.ec  of  Spain,  sailed    front  the  port   ofPalos    ,„    flnd  a 
western     passage   to    In.lia,  an.l  in   ten    weeks  came   in   sight  of    , 

i^;';    """  "      '    ''^""■""   -O-i"    "..n,e   rcpeatcl    here,  as  oulv    its 

."Huence  and  beanng,    upon   later    voyage,  fartner    nh,   eo.ne  within 


•«**S^Kiiii^^^^j,;,^t^jli,,j^^^^ 


COLUMBUS   FIRST  SIGHT  OF  LAND, 


■] 


t» 


SPA.V/S//  EXPLOIlArWN  OJ-   NOIir,,  AMEIIICA. 


I' 


.lK..c,,pc..f„,„...„,.k.     ],„    .lie.l   f„„„„e„    ,..„rs  ,a,o,-,  i„    p„ve«y   ,,„J 
ncgk-ct,  alUT  f„„r   v.,va(;o,   ,„  ,h„  Now  W„,I.I,  „i,,   ,„„|,r  „,,  i,^,,,,,. 

W,.h,„fif.,,  ,..,»  ofh„  di,covc,j,,h..go„gn,phicd  k„„wlodgc  h,  ...^ 

possession  of  mankind 
was  doubled  ;  and  the 
foundations  of  modern 
accuracj-  and  fullness  in 
that  ie^r;„-(l  were  deeply 
laid. 

PORTUGUESE    AND 
SPAXISJI     EXI'I.OKEKS. 

Spanish  navigators  in 
great  nmnbers  followed 
in  the  wake  of  Colum- 
bus, some  originally  his    % 
subordinates    and    asso- 
ciates,  others    not  spec- 
ially connected.      When 
the  way  is   opened    by 
genius,    talent     is    ever 

CHRISTOPHER   COLLMBUS. 

;T;^  '"*."  i"  ^""' «""^^--  ^=™"'-     Ojeda,  Vcpucius  Pi,„„„,  Baseidc, 
Ba,b.,a,  Gnjalva,  Dc  So.'   .  Do  Loo.,,  D.  Cordova,  Co„c,,   D.  AyUon 

!    ::r  -"'7"«™-'""  -.y  other,  increased   .he  area  orSpa.dle.' 

mfamy  of  he,r  ,a„el  oppression  and  heartless  e„sh,ven,en.  and  depopu- 
la.  o     o      he  na.,ve   raees,  in  Cen.ral    and  Son.h  Ameriea,  in    mUC 
-d.heWes.    Indies.     The   Spanish   e.plora.ion  of  Nor.h  AnreHrC 
Gon,e.,  n,  ,53,,  led  .0  h„p„r,an.   resnits,  h„.  .as  si.nali.ed  l.v  .he  e,  ' 
.on,ary  Span.sh   barhari.y  .0  .he   na.ives,  several    of  who,,    were   Id 
napped   and  sold  in.o    slaver,,    „,akin,  .he  ven.nre  eo^nereiall/;.      ." 
able,  h„.  morally  ,„fa„,„„,,.     ,^,,,1  so  i.  ha.h  ever  been- 
"  Regard  „.  „„r],||^  ,„„^k  ,,„„,  j,,!,,^  |_|^^^ 
And  low  aba.e  Ihc  l,l„l,,  IktoIc  spiril. " 


o 
o 
r 
c 

0) 


CI 

IS 

> 

X 

E 


o 
o 
r 
c 


r, 
> 

X 

E 


88 


^ijhatsM-Jii-' 


84 


RAPACITY  OF  SPAIN. 


II 


The  wealth  which  Spain  wrenched  with  heavy  hand  from  the  luck- 
less natives  who  fell  under  her  sway,  was  lavished  in  wasteful  luxury  and 
expensive  wars.  Like  others,  her  growth  would  have  been  more  solid 
and  her  prosperity  more  enduring  had  she  been  content  with  fair  retiuMis 
froin  her  American  possessions.  But  her  voracious  greed  and  atrocious 
cruelty  pUicked  out  the  eyes  of  the  New  World — and  her  own.  Mexico 
and  Peru  were  extinguished,  their  civilization  destroyed,  and  their  wealth 
confiscated  by  the  unwise,  as  well  as  cruel,  policy  of  her  conquerors. 
Liberty  and  justice  are  the  two  pillars  of  national  prosperity  which  no 
violence  of  brute  force  can  pull  dov.n,  and  which  alone  can  defy  the 
assaults  of  internal  and  external  foes.  After  nearly  four  hundred  years 
of  mistaken  j^olicy,  a  new  generation  of  nobler  sons  have  begun  to  guide 
the  ship  of  state  on  wiser  principles. 

After  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus,  and  the  recognition  that 
the  land  surface  of  the  globe  had  been  considerably  enlarged  by  a  long 
stretch  of  territory,  the  width  of  which,  however,  was  not  ascertained  till 
long  afterward,  the  search  for  a  passage  through  it  to  the  Indies  was  not 
relinquished.  In  1513  Balboa  had  found  the  "South  Sea,"  now  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  after  having  with  immense  labor,  patience,  and  perse- 
verance, built  some  vessels  on  tlie  Gulf  of  Panama — "an  enterprise  no 
leader  save  he  could  have  carried  to  a  successful  issue  " — he  cruised  on  its 
waters  beyond  St.  Michaels.  But  his  premature  death  at  the  hands  of 
his  rival  Davila,  of  Darien,  in  151 7,  deprived  him  of  the  opportunity  of 
further  exploration.  The  reports  sent  by  Balboa  to  Sp'^.in  in  relation  to 
the  great  wealth  of  the  regions  south  of  Panama  inflamed  the  zeal  and 
avarice  of  the  Spaniards,  and  manv  expeditions  were  organized  with  a 
view  to  exploration  and  conquest.  In  their  search  for  gold  they  enlarged 
tlie  area  of  geographical  knowledge,  but  their  destruction  of  the  civiliza- 
tions of  Mexico  and  Peru  has  robbed  humanity  of  an  inheritance  for 
which  that  is  no  recompense.  That  would  eventually  have  been  reached 
without  their  aid,  but  the  loss  referred  to  can  never  be  repaired. 

One  of  the  first  results  of  Columbus'  discovery  of  the  New  World 
was  the  re-discovery  of  North  America.  The  English  "  Society  of 
Merchant  Adventurers,"  was  established  in  135S  under  the  name  of  "The 


A 


ruide 


CABOT  DISCOVERS  NORTH  AMERTCA.  8S 

Thomas  a  Heckct  Society,"  and  the  whole  body  of  E.i-hsh  traders  were 
ea-er  to  share  in  the  commerce  of  India,  China  and  the   East    -enerally. 
The  Pope  ha<l  early -ranted,  ahnost  as  soon  as  the   discovery    was    fully 
authenticated,  a  sort  of  monopoly  of  the  advantages  of  the   Eastern  dis- 
coveries to  the  Portuguese,  and  of  the  Western  to  the  Spaniards.     Jiy  a 
l)ull  of  1495  the  meridian  of  100  le  ivrues  west  of  the   Azores  was  estab- 
lished as  a  line  of  demarcation  between  the  two  powers.     By   the   treaty 
of  Tordesillas,  in  1494,  and  a  confirmatory  bull  in  1506,  the  line  was  ex- 
te.ided  to  the  coast  of  Brazil,  or  375   lea-ues    from    the    Azores.     The 
adjoining  country  inland,  extent  unknown,  was  understood  to  follow  the 
fortunes  of  the  coast.     The  method  of  division  was  unscientific  and   un- 
fortunate,  but  as  far  as  oth.;r  nations  were  concerned  it  was  supposed  to 
cut  them  off  from  all  share  in  the  great  discoveries  of  the  period.     The 
English  were  determined  to  find,  if  possible,  a  solution   which,  while  it 
would  not  formally  antagonize  the  high  authority  of  the  Pope— at  that 
time  an  accepted  and  important  element  in  international  law— would   let 
them  into  a  substantial  share  of  the  results.     This  was  the  origin   of  the 
celebrated  theory  of  a  Northwest  Passage  to  India  and  Cathay,  or  China, 
which  will  be  more  fully  treated  in  a  succeeding  chapter. 

In  pursuance  of  this  theory  the  Cabots,  John  and  Sebastian-father 
and  son-sailed  with  three  vessels,  in  1497,  from  Bristol,  then  the  lead- 
ing  commercial  port  of  England.  They  virtually  discovered  North 
America,  as  it  is  not  known  that  the  discovery  of  the  same  region  some 
5ooyearsbefore,  had  any  influence  on  their  course  or  its  results.  As 
t.early  as  can  be  now  determined,  the  region  actually  discovered,  and 
which  they  loosely  designated  by  the  name  of  "  The  Land  First  Seen," 
was  Labrador.  Though  not  signalized  by  large  immediate  i.-^sults,  and 
in  a  commercial  sense  unprofitable,  this  voyage  was  one  of  the  most  mo- 
mentous in  the  history  of  the  world.  It  was  the  corner-stone  of  Eng- 
land's colonial  system  and  indirectly  of  the  greater  glories  of  the 
American  Union,  with  itr,  incalculable  contributions  to  the  elevation  and 
progress  of  mankind.  Our  minds  cannot  grasp  the  immensitv  of  these 
results,  but  the  effort  h.  seize  the  dim  outlines  of  the  mighty  fobric  will 
amply  repay. 


■ 


'    Vx      ^\  '\>  vs.  \. 


SEBASllAN  CABOT. 


.       II 


86 


SECOJVD  VOrAGE  OF  CAliOT. 


87 


In  u  second  voyajje,  about  a  year  later,  Seliastian  Cabot,  in  command 
of  two  vessels  and  300  men,  explored  the  coast  from  Labrador  to  Chesa- 
peake Bay,  perhaps  to  Florida.     He    named    Newfoundland    and   noted 
the  <freat  iunnl)ers  of  codtisii   to  be   found    on    its    banks— a    discovery, 
however,  in  which  he  had  been  anticipated,  it  is  thou<,'ht,   l)y    the  fisher- 
men of  France.     He  reached  latitude  58%  and  perhaps   hij^her,  but   en- 
countered so  much  floatinj,'  ice,thou«,'h  it  was  in  the  month  of  July,  that 
he  concluded  to  return  to  Enj,Wand.      Nothin<^  more  is  heard  of  Sebastian 
Cabot  until  15 13,  when   he   entered    the  service  of  Spain,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  death  of  his  patron,    Ferdinand    V.,    in    1516,     Soon 
afterward  he  is  again  found  in  the  service  of  England,  being    given  the 
command  of  an  expedition  to  Labrador,  iu    1517,   by    Henry    VHL     To 
the  cowardice  or  malice  of  an  associate,   Sir  Thomas   Perte,    is    usually 
attril)uted  Cabot's  failure  in  this  third  voyage  to   North   America.     But 
it  can  hardly  be  just  to  attribute  it  to  such   a  cause.     Complete    success 
was  impossible  at  that  early  stage— step  by   step  man    prog; esses.     He 
explored  what  is  now  Hudson's  Bay,  ascending  to  67°  30',  and  naming 
several  places.     Dissatislied  with  the  result,  or  innuenced  perhaps  by  the 
dissatisfaction    of  his   principal,  Cardinal  VVolsey,  who  was  at  that  time 
emphatically  "the  power  behind  the  throne,"  and   far   more    interested 
in  Ihuling  a  passage  for  himself  to  the   papacy    than    in    promoting  the 
efforts  of  the  merchants  of  London  to  discover  a  route  to    India,  or    for 
some  cause  not  clearly  ascertained,  Cabot  left   Engl  uid   and   re-entered 
the  service   of    Spain.     The    unexampled    prestige    of  its    young   king 
Carlos,  elected  emperor  under  the  historic  name  of  Karl  or   Charles  V., 
ni  1519,  n)ay  have  inspired  C:'l)ol  with  the  hope  of  securing  in  that  pow- 
erful tjuarter  liie   necessary    patronage    for    his    cherished    project,    the 
Northeast  Passage.      It  is  said  that  he  iiad  secured  a    favorable   hearing 
from  the  late  king  for  that  fantastic  dream,  but   in    l-:nglan(l    the   North- 
west  Passage  was  still  in  the  ascendant.     He  was  ajjpointed  pilot-major 
of  Spain,  and  was  for  some   years   engaged    in    (piietly    discharging   the 
duties  of  that  ofHce,  for  which  his  exact    knowledge   of  detail   and   liirge 
experience  in  naval  matters   from   his    boyhood,  specially   qualified   him. 
With  Cabot  we  turn  again  to  Spain  and  its  maritime  enterprises. 


.fc,»V--r'»-!l.t    &^ 


VOTAGE  OF  MAGELLAN, 


FIRST  VOYAGE   AROUND   THE    WORLD. 
Fcrnaiulo  Mafralliacns  .,.•  Ma-dlan  ( 1470-1521 ),  a  I'oitu-uesc   nav- 
igator, had  attainctl  some  dlHtiiictioii    in  tl;c  service   of  his  country  in  the 
East   Imlies,  and   had   taken  part  in  tiie   conquest  of  Malacca  in    leii. 
While  servinjr  under  Alhuquerciue  he  had   made  a  voya<,'e  to    the  Mc 
luccas  or  Spice    Islands,  which  he  afterward    learned   were  witliin  the 
jurisdiction   of  Spain  as  estahlished  by  papal  adjudication    and  the  treaty 
of     Tordesillas.     In    151 7    he    opened    his    project    of  fmdin;r    a    West 
passa-e    to    the    Moluccas,    to  Charles  V.   of  Si)ain,    and  an  a-reement 
was  entered  into,  March  23,  151S,   whereby  the  Kin-  was    to  defray  the 
expenses,  and  receive  the  lion's  share  of  such  commercial  advanta<,a's   as 
should  accrue.     Magellan  received  command  of  five  vessels  and  337  men 
for  the  expedition,  and   having    finally  got  all    things   in   readiness,   he 
sailed  for  the  New    World  in    1519,     The   expedition    had    to    struggle 
against  l)ad  weather,  insubordination   and    mishaps  of  various  kinds,  the 
details  of  which   would  be  foreign   to  this  stage  of  our  narrative.     Ma- 
gellan discovered   and  traversed   the  Strait    called  by  his   name  in  1520; 
and  was    killed    in    battle   with    the    natives  of  one    of    the    Philippine 
Islands,  in    1531.     His  subordinate,  Sebastian  del  Uano,  completed    the 
voyage,  reaching   Spain  Sept.  6,   1533.   lacking  fourteen   days  of  three 
years  since  the  departure  of  Magellan. 

CABOT'S  VOYAGE  TO  LA  PLATA. 

Cabot  conceived  the  project  of  reaching   Peru  by  a  more  direct  route 
than  that  discovered  by  Balboa    from  Panama,  or  by  Magellan  through 
the  Straits  which  arc  called  by  his  name.     He  secured  the  command  '^.f 
an  expedition  to  explore  the  La  Plata,  in    1536,  and  search  for  a    South- 
west  Passage  to  the  South  Sea  or  Pacific  Ocean,  and  thence  to  the  East. 
In  1527    he   ascended   the  La  Plata  120  leagues,  and  discovered   Para- 
guay.    He  was  feebly  sustained  by  the  home  govertiment,  and  returned 
to  Spain  in  1531.     As  with  the  cardinal  in  England,  so  with  the  emper- 
or in   Spain,  the  pre-occupation  of  more  congenial  pursuits  dwarfed  the 
interest  in  maritime  exploration,  and  Cabot  concluded  to  again  try  Eng- 
land,  whither  he  went,  in  154S.     He  perhaps  hoped    to  be   able  to  in- 


FRENCH  vor Annus. 


tcrest  the  viiforous  and  cnterprisiti^j  Duke  of  Somerset,  protector  of 
Eiij,'laii{|,  ill  his  now  favorite  project.  lie  was  crcateil  inspector  of  the 
navy,  and  instructor  of  the  youn<j  Kinj,'  Edward  VI.  in  tlie  nautical 
science  of  tile  day,  whce  we  will  leave  him,  while  we  call  atten- 
tion  to  another  branch  of  our  subject. 

FRENCH  VOYAGES  TO  NORTH  AMERICA. 

Durin}^  the  fifty  years  succeedin<;  the  disco^'cry  of  America  i)y  Ct)- 
lumbus,  Cabot,  and  Vespucius,  France  was  too  deeply  involved  in  Euro- 
pean wars  to  give  much  attention  to  maritime  discovery.  Louis  XII. 
(1498-1515),  Francis  I.  (1515-47)  and  Henry  II.  (1547-59),  successive- 
coast  of  North  Amer- 
ica. After  the  peace 
of  Cambray,  Francis 
— failing  to  find,  as  he 
said,  any  claui.e  in 
Adam's  will  disin- 
heriting France  in 
favor    of    Spain    and 


ly  struggled  with 
Austria  for  the  pos- 
session of  Lombardy. 
The  defeat  of  Francis 
at  Favia,  in  1525,  by 
throwing  the  nation 
into  financial  and  po- 
litical disorder,  put  an 
end  to  \'errazzano's 
otherwise  successful 
cxploi.ition      of     the 


Portugal  —  renewed 


v;^^--NxsJ<^  his  interest  in  Ameri- 
jAct^L'Ks  cARTiKR.  cau  cxploralioiis.     In 

1534  he  sent  out  Cartier,  who  discovered  the  Gulf  and  River  of 
St.  Lawrence,  and  in  a  second  voyage,  in  1535,  ascended  the  river  to 
what  is  now  Montreal,  where  he  wintered  peacefully  with  the 
natives.  In  two  other  voyages  (1541-1543)  he  maintained  the  most 
friendly  relations  between  the  French  colonists  and  the  Indians.  Pont- 
grave  in  1599,  De  Champlain,  from  1603  to  1635,  De  Monts  (1604) 
and  other  French  explorers  of  North  America  followed  the  example  of 
Cartier,  or  the  natural  instincts  of  their  race,  in  the  humane  treatment  of 
the  American  Indians,  winning  a  place  in  iheir  good  graces  which  no 
other  Europeans  have  been  able  to  reach.  The  story  of  these  events, 
however,  belongs  to  the  history  of  colonization,  not  to  that  of  Arctic 
voyages,  but  being  the  most  northerly  voyages  of  the  period  which  left 
abiding  results,  they  are  at  least  worthy  of  brief  mcntit^n. 


\kS&ad^ 


..:A 


i:  I 


CHAPTER  III. 

SEARCH    FOR    NORTHEAST    PASSAOE-VOVAOK    OP     CHANCELLOR- K>,l 
TERPRISE    OF    MUSCOVY    COMPANY. 

In  the  .ncantime  Cabot  had  elaborated  his  pot  scheme  of  reaching 
I.Kha  by  a  Northeast  Passage,  evidently  having  no  adequate  conception  of 
he  extent  or  configuration  of  the  north  coast  of  Asia.  But  however 
ludicrous  it  may  now  appear,  the  project  led  to  important  results  It 
opened  the  way  to  commercial  relations  with  Russia,  then  starting  out  on 
an  mdependent  career;  and  it  has  also  exerted  great  influence  on  the  his- 
tory  of  Arctic  voyages. 

Under  the  auspices  „f  Caboe  an.l  his  royal  pa.ron,  the  search  for  the 
Northeast  P,.sage  was  „o„  beg,,,,.  I„  ,553  three  ships  were  fitted  out 
a.  the  expcse  o,  the  -.  Me,ch„„t  Adve„.,„.ers  „£  London,"  and  under 
the  s„per,n,e„de„ee  of  .he  aged  Cabot.  The  ve..,els  we.e  na.ned  Buona 
bpe,a„.,,  or  G00.I  Hope;  ,;„„„„  Confideneia,  Good  Confidence;  and 
Buona  Ventu,,,  ,;„„d  .Success;  and  were  co.n^anded,  .espective  v,  by 
^r  Hu,h   W,l,„u,hby,  CornCius  I>u,.fo,,h,  and    Richan,    Chanedlo," 

Wall?:,    r   """'.""    *"  ^°"'   "'  ""'">■•    --«•  "'■'  ■"  "-  Loffoden 
islands,  oi  after  rouncimg  the  North    r-..-.^   fi.„,   i 

.u„r.  ,r  ^"''"   *-"'P^' tliey  became  separated,  and 

.he  Bnona  Ventura  entered  the  White  .Sea,  till  then  unknown   o  Euro;ean 
nav„a,o,,.       The  o.her  .wo   held    .o.e.he,-  son.c  .i,nc  longer,  dri.Z 
around  between   .he  north   coast  of  Lapland   and    .he  Arc^c     slan     of 
Nova  Ze,„b  ,.     Be,„,e  the  close  of  .he  year  .he  .  Confi.lcnce  "  .e.nrne" 
.0  England,  having  hecon,e  separa,e.l  f,.„,„  her  consort  in  ano.hcr  s.o,  n 
T  e    ensun,g    year  some    Russian    fishermen    found    .he    G„o<l    Hope 
hen,™cd  „,  by  ,ce  a.  the  ,no„.h  of  .heDwina,  in  Lapland,  a,,,,  her  en.ire 

554,  and  .hat  was  „„  douh.  .he  date  of  thei,  ,lestr„c.ion-.he  fl  s.  of  .' 
long  ser,es  of  vieti,ns  .0  .he  sevc-i.y  of  Arcc  seas,  and  .heir  ow,!  ine.;. 

40 


WRECK  OF  THE  BUONA    VENTURA. 


41 


periencc.  Had  they  been  skilled  in  the  resources  of  the  north,  tlicy 
could  have  j^rotected  themselves  against  the  severity  of  the  weather  by 
laying  in  a  stock  of  the  mossy  turf  or  peat,  for  fuel,  and  have  secured  by 
hunting,  ample  provisions  to  sustain  them  through  the  winter.  The  in- 
telligence of  the  most  advanced  nations  must  be  combined  with  the  hard- 
ihood and  experience  of  the  rude  inhabitants  of  the  North  before  Arctic 
exploration  can  be  other  than  a  useless  sacrifice  of  human  life. 

Chancellor,  more  fortunate,  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Dwina,  antl 
landed  at  the  monastery  of  St.  Nicholas,  near  where  Archangel  was 
founded  in  1584.  Notwithstanding  the  hardships  of  the  journey,  Chan- 
cellor proceeded  to  Moscow,  the  residence  of  the  sovereign,  who  was  no 
other  than  Ivan  IV.,  VasilievitchlL,  that  is,  son  of  Vasil  or  Basil,  and 
surnamed  "  The  Terrible."  Some  ten  years  before  he  had  changed  the 
modest  title  of  Duke  of  Russia  for  that  of  czar  and  autocrat.  However 
well  Ivan  may  have  deserved  his  surname  because  of  his  excessive  cru- 
elty to  his  enemies,  the  Tartars,  and  his  abuse  of  unrestrained  power 
over  his  subjects,  he  was  quite  gracious  to  the  English  navigator.  It  was 
in  reality  a  "  good  venture  "  for  both  parties— the  merchant  advcnturcis 
of  London  and  the  autocrat  of  Russia. 

The  realm  of  Ivan  was  strictly  continental  and  the  trade  with  West- 
ern Europe  was  through  the  dominion  of  his  enemies,  the  Poles.  Chan- 
cellor therefore  received  every  encouragement  to  renew  his  venture,  and 
obtained  an  excellent  market  for  his  wares.  He  returned  to  England  in 
1554^  '"^"d  the  next  year  made  a  second  voyage  to  Saint  Nicholas,  with 
four  ships  and  accompanied  by  two  agents  who  made  an  advantageous 
treaty  with  Ivan.  On  the  return  voyage,  accompanied  by  a  Russian 
ambassador  to  England,  he  lost  one  ship  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  and  a 
second  in  quitting  the  harbor  of  Droutheim.  He  was  soon  afterward 
driven  by  a  violent  storm  into  the  Bay  of  Pitsligo,  in  Scotland,  where  the 
Buona  Ventura  was  wrecked.  He  succeeded  in  getting  the  ambassador 
into  a  small  boat  with  himself,  but  the  boat  was  upset  and  tlie  navigator 
diowned,  while  the  inexperienced  landsman  escaped  with  the  loss  of  • 
some  wares  and  gifts  which  he  was  taking  to  England. 

In  1556,  the  Muscovy  Company — as   the  Merchant   Adventurers  of 


ikte^:^': 


43 


VIEWS  REGARDING  NORTH  COAST  OF  ASIA. 


London  were  now  called — dispatchcxl  the  Serchtrift  in  command  of 
Stephen  Burrough,  who  had  served  as  pilot,  or  sailing  master,  of  the 
Buona  Ventura  in  1 553,  to  make  further  search  for  the  Northeast  Passao-e 
and  the  mouth  of  t!ie'  Obi.  Burrough  reached  the  strait  between  Nova 
Zembla  and  Vaigats  Island,  now  known  as  Kara  Gate  or  Strait,  but  was 
driven  back  by  the  ice  and  returned  to  England.  Burrough  wrote  an 
account  of  his  voyage. 

It  was  thought  that  the  promontory  forming  the  eastern  cape  of 
the  Gulf  of  Obi  was  the  northeast  corner  of  Asia,  and  that  therefore 
Nova  Zembla  and  tne  Kara  Strait  were  distant  only  some  400  miles 
from  the  east  coast  of  Asia.  In  this  view  the  great  geographer  of  the 
day,  Mercator,  concurred;  and  this  naturally  gave  fresh  impetus  to  the 
unavailing  search.  But  the  best  authorities  are  liable  to  err,  even  in  the 
line  of  their  special  investigation. 

«  I  do  not  know,"  says  Milton,  «  what  I  may  seem  to  the  world,  but 
to  myself  I  seem  to  have  been  only  like  a  boy  playing  on  the  seashore, 
and  diverting  myself  in  now  and  then  finding  a  smooth  pebble,  or  a 
prettier  shell  than  ordinary,  whilst  the  great  ocean  of  truth  lay  all  undis- 
covered before  me." 

All  attempt  to  explore  the  route  to  Asia  by  the  way  of  the  White 
Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  Obi  was  now  abandoned  for  nearly  a  generation, 
and  English  enterprise  was  again  directed  to  the  Northwest  Passao-e 
which  they  had  given  up  in  1517.  This  change  in  the  direction  of  ex- 
periment is  the  best  evidence  of  the  strong  hold  the  problem  had  taken 
of  the  public  mind.  England  had  as  yet  no  hope  of  becoming  mistress 
of  the  ocean,  and  she  wished  to  have  a  route  to  the  East  which  would  be 
less  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  an  enemy's  fleet.  It  is  thus  that  a  "Teat 
part  of  a  nation's  efforts  and  resouices  are  wasted  in  j)reparing  to  defend 
itself  against  the  hostility  of  other  sections  of  the  human   family. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SEARCir    KOR    NORTHWEST    PASSAGE  RESUMED— FRORISHER's  LOAD  OF 
(,OI.D  — TWO    V0YA(;KS    of    GILBERT  — GILBERT     SHIPWRECKED  — 

HAWKINS,    THE      SLAVE-TRADER DRAKE      SAILS    AROUND     CAPE 

HORN. 

It  was  almost  fifty  years  since  the  failure  of  Cabot,  when  Martin 
Frobisher  succeeded  in  again  turnihg  the  British  mind  toward  the 
Northwest  Passage.  In  1576  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  published  his 
"  Discourse  to  Prove  a  Passage  by  the  Northwest  to  Cathaia."  This 
was  the  year  of  Frobisher's  first  expedition,  but  he  had  been  some  years 
laboring  to  secure  the  acceptance  of  his  views;  and  Gilbert's  pamphlet 
shows  the  bent  of  public  opinion  rather  than  the  source  from  which,  as 
has  sometimes  been  alleged,  Frobisher  received  his  inspiration.  It  is 
more  probable  that  his  fifteen  years'  pleading  with  the  merchants  and 
nobles  of  England  for  aid  to  enable  him  to  attempt  the  execution 
of  what  he  called  "  the  only  great  thing  left  undone  in  the  world,"  was 
the  origin  of  the  "  Discourse." 

Frobisher  had  at  length  found  a  patron  in  Ambrose  Dudley,  Count 
of  Warwick,    and    a    favorite    of     Queen    Elizabeth;    and    set   sail    on 
the     8th     of     June     from     Deptford,    now     a    part    of    the    city    of 
London,    with    three    vessels,    two    of    which    were    only    of    twenty- 
five   and  twenty  tons  burden,  the  third  a  man-of-war;  or  as   others  say, 
with  three   small  barks  of  35,  30  and  10  tons.     As  he  moved   down  the 
Thames  he    was    graciously  saluted  by  the   queen  from  her  palace  at 
Greenwich.     The  smallest  vessel  went  down  in  tlic  first  storm,  as  might 
have  been  expected,  and  all  her  crew  perished.     The  second  returned  to 
England,  while  the  largest,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Frobisher, 
safely  reached  the  coasts  of  Greenland  and    Labrador.       After  coasting 
around  the   Savage    and  Resolution  Islands,  he  entered  the  strait  which 

43 


,,;  «.>-•  .irf 


44 


(Ki~;-«'.--'<<tasHi<  ti,.,. 


s 
o 

$ 

z 

a 
» 

O 

0 

y, 


X 

m 

a 
o 

K 
Ix 


ALLEGED  GOLD—SHIPWRECK.  45 

he  named  after  himself,  and  which  is  so  called  to  this  day,  near  63° 
north.  He  was  hindered  hy  the  ice  from  extending  his  voyage  farther, 
but  before  returning  to  England  he  went  ashore  and  took  possession  of 
the  country  for  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  established  some  slight  but  friendly 
intcn-ourse  with  the  natives,  whose  land  he  named  Meta  Incognita,  that 
is,  Unknown  Boundary. 

Taking    with    him    some   dark,    hard    stgnes,    the   luster    of    which 
was     erroneously     attributed     to     the    presence     of    gold,    he    set     sail 
for    England,    where    he   was     enthusiastically    received.       The     report 
that  Frobisher  had  brought  back  some  gold-bearing  stones  intlamed  the 
public  mind;  and  there  was  no  danger   that  he  would   be    compelled  to 
languish  another  fifteen  years,  waiting  for  patronage.       A  second  expe- 
dition, with  three  vessels  of  goodly  size,  was   soon  m.-ule    ready  and   set 
sail  under  his  command  in   May,  1577.       At  the    entrance  of  Frobisher 
Strait  his  passage  was  again  blocked  by  the  ice,  but  he  took  aboard   200 
tons  of  the  "  precious   ore,"  and   returned    to   England  with  the   blissful 
consciousness  of  having   made  a  j^rosperous  voyage.       In  1578  a  fleet  of 
fifteen  vessels  were  placsd  at  his  disposal,  and    he  hastened  away  before 
Portugal  or  Spain  should  learn  of  the   great   "  find"    that  was  destined 
to   dwarf  the    treasures   they  were  draining   from   the  East  and   West 
Indies. 

"  The  best  laid  schemes  o'tnice  and  men 

Gang  aft  a-glee ; 
And  leave  us  nauglit  but  grief  and  pain 

For  promised  joy." 

One  of  Frobisher's  largest  vessels  was  crushed  by  an  iceberg  at  the 
entrance  of  the  strait,  and  forty  lives  lost,  while  the  whole  fleet  was 
strained  and  injured  by  the  ice  floe.  It  had  been  intended  to  establisii  a 
military  colony  of  100  picked  men,  and  to  build  a  fort  for  the  protection 
of  the  rich  surface  deposit  that  Frobisher  had  the  good  fortune  to  have 
discovered  lying  around  loose  on  the  shore  of  his  famous  Meta  Incognita. 
On  a  survey  of  the  situation  it  was  found  that  a  considerable  part  of  the 
wood  destined  for  the  fort  would  l)e  required  to  repair  the  injured  ships; 
and  as  the  eflTcctive  force  of  men   had   been   seriously  diminished    by  the 


^jjitlakS&a^''^', 


40 


FROBISHEI^S  HOPES  DESTROTBD. 


losses   .-.hx.a.ly  sustuincl,   it   was    thouj^ht  best   to   abandon    tbat  project 
NVc  M,ay  well  inia,^Wne  that  tlie  dreary,  desolate  and   forbiddinj.  aspect  of 
the  country,  in  a  season  of  excessive  severity,  woul.l  so  chill  the  ardor  of 
th..sewhoweretobcleft    hchin.l,  that    they  took    counsel  of  their  f ears 
a.id  preferred  to  retur.i  with  the  lleet  whiic  they  had  the  opportunity. 


I'oKTK.ur  OF  rKonisiiF.n. 
The  dreams  of  Frobisher,  and  other  san^^uine  participators  in  his  delus- 
.«..,  ^vere  rudely  dissipated  on  his  return  to  England,  when    it    was  fbnnd 


I 


i 


L^Bs  ■' 


svflSfe.  ■>..  '  .,A4,.,-  .,f, 


GILBERT  TAKES  POSSESSION  OF  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


47 


rojL'ct. 
cct  of 
lor  of 
fears, 

y- 


us- 
iiul 


that  his  tons  of  precious  ore  were  so  much  worthless  stone,  hrought  3000 
miles  to  swell  the  rock  piles  of  England.     His  last  voyage  had  heen  the 
.severest  of  the  three,  and  the  500  tons  hrought  home,  while  they  might 
have  compensated  for  the  sacrifices  and  trials,  had  they  proved  valuable, 
were  hut  an  aggravation  of  the  general  sense  of  injury  felt  by  the  people 
of  England  at  the  bursting  of  Frobisher's  bubble.     Ten  years  later  Fro- 
bisher  redeemed  his  name  from  any  obloquy  that   might  otherwise  have 
attached  to  it  because  of  the  great  and  almost  ludicrous  disproportion  be- 
tween his  sanguine  anticipations  and  the  meager  results.     In  the  contest 
with  the  Spanish  Armada,  in  15S8,  he  was  captain  of  the  Triumph,  and 
did  such  signal  service  in  the  discomfiture  of  the  arrogant  ^Spaniards,  that 
he  was  knighted  for  his  bravery.     All  honor  lo  Sir  Martin,  and  a  genial 
smile  for  his  quaint  conceit  that  the  finding  of  a  Northwest  Passage  was 
the  only  thing  of  note  left  undone  in  the  world.     It  was  found  a  genera- 
tion ago,  yet  the  array  of  notable   things   still   undone,  wonderfully  sup- 
plemented as  they  have  been  by  discoveries  and  inventions  never  dreamed 
of    \^y   honest  Sir    Martin,  remains  substantially  undiminished,  for  "  the 
thouo-hts  of  men  are  widened  with  the  process  of  the  suns." 

TWO   VOYAGES  OF   GILBERT. 

Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  already  referred  to,  received  from  the  queen  in 
1 5 78,  a  patent  to  make  discoveries  in   North   America,  and   to  take  pos- 
session of  any  part  found  unoccupied.     In  .579  he  sailed   for  the  New 
World  with  the  purpose,  as  is  generally  supposed,  of  colonizing  New- 
foundland, but  tliis  opinion  Is  based  mainly  on  what  is  known  of  his  sec- 
ond attempt.       One   of   his   vessels  was  lost,  but   he   arrived   safely    in 
England.       Four  years  later  he  resumed  the  undertaking  under  more  en- 
couraging auspices,  but  with  a   more  disastrous   issue.     "  On  the  eve  of 
his  departure,"    says    Bancroft,  "he   received    from   Queen    Elizabeth  a 
golden  anchor  guided   by  a  lady,  a  token  of  the  queen's  regard."     He 
sailed  with  ^\\c  vessels  and  360  men,  and  arriving  in  Newfoundland,  dis- 
covered  by  Caliot  in  1497,  he  proceeded  to  take  formal  possession   in  the 
queen's  name,  and  issued  leases  to  such  of  his  company  as  desired  them. 
But  the  spirit  of  colonization,  with  its  hard  work   and   slow  results,  was 


j^^^-  ^ 


cn<i 


vvi 


isl 


F//fS T  E.Var. /S/f  SL  A  \  'E-  T/iA DER.  49 

al)scnt.;  and  he  s,,,,,,  proceeded   witli   liis   whole  company  to  seaicli   Cor 
silver  mines.    Soon  the  lar-est  ship  was  wrecke.l  throujrh  the  ne-li-ence 
of  the  crew,  and   .nosl  of  those   on    hoard   were   lost.      Gilhert  now" con- 
cluded  to  return    to    I':n-lan<l  with    what    remained.     On    the    voya-e  a 
severe  storm  arose,  an.l   he  was  earnestly  entreated  to  take  refuj,'e  in^he 
lar-er  of  the    two    remainin-   vessels,  from    tiie    little    hark    of^'oniy  ten 
tons  in  which  he  had  set  out  tor  the  coastin-  voya-e.      His  reply   has  l-e- 
come  historic,  and  has  elicited  much  admiration   for  the   calm    intrepidity 
it  <lisplays.       It   savors,  however,  fully   as   much  of  fatalism   as  of  piety, 
and  thoujrh  his  action  may  he  re-arded  as  heroic  in  declinin-  to  ahand<m' 
his  associates,  the  princii)le   implied    in    what   is   itself  a  mere    truism,   is 
more  poetic  than  praiseworthy.     The   scene  is  thus  descrihed,  with  'all 
proper  accessories : 

"  The  general,  sittin-ahaft  with  a  hook  in  his  haml,  cried  out  to 
those  in  the 'Hind':  '  We  are  as  near  to  heaven  l,y  sea  as  by  land.' 
That  same  night  about  twelve  o'clock  the  lights  of  tiie  '  Squirrel'  sud- 
denly disappeared,  and  neither  the  vessel  nor  any  of  its  crew  were  ever 
seen  again." 

HAWKINS,  DRAKE   AND   CAVENDISH. 

These  three  were  famous  English  navigators  of  the  period  we  have 
now  reached,  being  contemporaries  of  Davis.  But  as  they  were  chiefly 
engaged  in  combating  Spanish  domination  oa  the  ocean,  they  hardly 
come  within  the  scope  of  this  work.-  In  prosecuting  their  paramount 
purpose  of  crippling  Spain,  they  contributed  some  little  to  geographical 
knowledge,  and  on  that  account  deserve  passing  mention. 

Sir  John  Hawkins  has  the  bad  distinction  of  being  the  first  English 
slave-trader,  and  in  pursuing  that  infamous  business  lie  became  fanriliar 
with  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  He  suffered  heavy  loss  in  an  encounter 
xyith  a  Spanish  fleet  in  1567,  which  closed  his  "commercial"  career, 
but  gave  him  the  opportunity  of  winning  distinction  by  his  services 
against  his  personal  and  national  enemies.  He  helped  to  rout  the  Span- 
ish  Armada  in  1588,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  to  1595,  his  efforts  were 
directed  aguitist  Spanish  trade   with  the   West  Indies.     His  voyages  in 


li-'^ktu^^  ■ 


ll 


50  PHAKES  RECEPTION  BY  INP/AXS. 

those  waters  increasc-a  the  sum  of  knowledge  in   relation  to  that  portion 

of  the  American  coast. 

Sir  Francis  Drake  was  with  his  kinsman  Hawkins,   n,    .567,   when 
they  were  overwhelmed  hy  the  Spanish  fleet,  and  like   hin.  ha.l  h.s  na- 
tional  antipathies  influenced  by  the  sense  of  personal   loss.     From    1570 
t„  his  death,  in  :S9S,  he  did  his  utmost  to  spread  havoc  among  the  Span- 
Ish-American  fleets,  and  was   frequently  successful.     In  15?^  he  gamed 
n  view  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  from  the    Isthmus  of  Darien.     In    157S  ^^ 
s.uled    through    the    Straits    of  Magellan    and    plundered  the  coasts  of 
Chili  and  Peru.     He  sailed  north  to  48°    in    the    hope  of  finding  the 
Northwest  Passage  on  the  Pacific  ^'de.     Failing  of  that   expedition,  he 
returned  to  what  is  now  San  Francisco,  which  had   been  previously  d.s- 
covered  by  the  Spaniards.     He  took  possession  of  the   country    for  the 
Queen  of  England  and  named  it  New  Albion,  and  spent  several  weeks  m 
friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives.     He  gives  this  account  of   h>s  re- 

''^u  When   we   landed  they  appeared    to  be    greatly    astonished,   aiul 
showed    us    great    respect,    thinking    that    we    u  ^re    gods,    and    they 
received  us  with  a  great  deal  of  reverence.      As  long  as  we  remained  on 
shore  they  came  to  see  us,  bringing  us  bunches   of  beautiful    featners  of 
all  colors,  and  sometimes  tobacco,  which  the  Indians  regard  as   an  herb, 
.nd  make  great  use  of.     Before  approaching   us  "they  would    remani  at 
some  distance  in  a  respectful  attitude,  then,  making  a    long    harangue 
accordinc.  to  their  custom,  they  would  lay  down  their  bows  and  arrows, 
and  approach,  ofl-ering  their  presents.     The  first  time  they   came  they 
were  accompanied  by  their  women,  who  remained  at  some  distance;  but 
they  commenced  to  scratch  their  cheeks  and   tear    their    flesh,    makn.g 
sicns  of  lamentation,  which  was   altogether   inexplicable,  but  we  after- 
ward learned  that  it  was  a  form  of  sacrifice  or  offering  which  they  made 

*°  Teavinc.  California,  Drake  crossed  the  Pacific  to  the  Moluccas, 
and  thence^-eturned  to  England  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  v.s.t.ng 
manv  points,  most  of  them  previously  discovered,   and    reached   home, 

Nov'   3d,    15S0,    after  an    absence    of    nearly    three   years,  being   the 


arid 
they 


I 


CA  VENDISH  PL  UNDERS  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.  81 

first  Rncjlish  circumuavijrator  of  the  jrlc.h..  1 U  afterward  took  an  active 
l)art  .„  tlie  .lefeat  of  the  Spanish  Armada,  an.l  in  the  English  rava.^es  on 
Spanish  commerce  in  the  West  In.lies.  He  was  so  engage.r  with 
Ilawlcins  in  the  last  voya«>e  of  hoth  in  1595. 

Thomas  Cavendish,  or  Candish,   was  also  en-aged  mainly  In  con- 
flicts with  the  Spaniards  on  the  sea;  and  in  1^87,  with  three  small  ships 
fitted  out  at  his  own    expense,    he   wrenched    ,nuch    plunder  from    the 
Spanish  settlements  on  the  Pacific  coast  of  South  America.     The  towns 
of  I'araca,  Cincha,  Pisca,  Paita,  an<l  the  island  of  Pmia,    were    made  to 
disgorge  over  $3,000,000.     At  Aguatulio  he  seized   a   Spanish    galleon 
or  treasure-ship,  with  $133,000   and  other    booty   on    hoard.     He   then' 
proceeded  to  the  Philippine   Islands  and  returned  home  by  tiie   Cape  of 
Good    Hope,    arriving  at    Plymouth,    Sept.     9,     15S8.     He   was    the 
second  Englishman  to  make  the  voyage  around  the  world.     In    159,   be 
set  out  again  with  five  vessels,  but  failed  i.i   his  efforts   to    replenish  his 
wasted  wealth,  and  died  in  1593  before  reaching  the  English  coast      He 
.s  credited  with  having  rendered  some  services  to  the  sciences  of  geo-ra- 
piiyand  hydrography.  '^ 


,-iaaat(  ''St* 


CHAPTER  V. 


DAVtS  SKNT  OUT— TUADKS  WITH  NATIVES  OF  OKKKNKAND  —  (iHKAT 
DANi.l.K  IN  TMIC  KK  —  I'ASSKS  IIUDSON's  HA  Y  —  II  Al.rw;  II  IN 
SKAUCIl    OK  (iOLI)--l)ISAI«l'()rNTMKNT— CONFINED    IN    TUK    TOWKIl. 

Notwrithst.iiiJiiij,'  previous  disappointments— so  tenacious  is  the  pub. 
lie  inintl   of  an   idea   once   ardently  embraced— the   London   merchants 
could  not  entirely  abandon   the   hope  of  finding,'  a  passa«re   to   Cathay. 
Onee  in-.re,  after  a  respite  of  seven  years,  several  of  them  "cast  iii  their 
adventure"  and  dispatched  Captain  John  Davis,  in  1585,  with  two  ships, 
the  Sunshine  and   the    Moonshine,  of  fifty  and  thirty-five   tons   respect- 
ively.      Thou,i,'h    the  El  Dorado    of  Labrailor    had   disappeared  in  the 
flumes  of  the  assayer  of  Froliisher's  ore,  there  was  yet  no  invincible  dem- 
onstration  that  a  Northwest  Passa;^e  could  not  be  found.  They  pn.bably 
felt,  as  men  have  often  felt  before  and  since,  that  if  they  hail  not  allowed 
themselves  to  be  diverted  from  their  oriijinal  purpose  by  the  <?old   mania 
of  1576-S,  the  route  to  China  mii,dit  have  been  laid  bare,  and  the  wares 
of  the  East  brou<,'ht  to  London  by  way  of  Labrador.     It  was  worth  an- 
other  efTort;   and  so   they  sent    out   Davis,  a  navigator  of  unquestioned 
ability;  and  witli  a  refinement  of  thou<,'htful  attention  supposed  to  l)c  for- 
cijrn  to  the  minds  of  mercenary  traders,  they  furnished  him  with  a  band 
of  music— the  number  and   Uiml  of  instruments  not  stated— "  to   cheer 
and   recreate   tlie   spirits  of  the   natives."        Cunnin-,'   traders,   had   they 
learned  that  to  bewitch  the  natives  with  music  was  a  good  investmeni 
toward  getting  furs  clieap? 

[uly  the  20th,  forty-three  days  out,  Davis  discovered  what  he 
named  the  Land  of  Desolation,  which  is  a  much  more  ajjpro- 
priate  designation  than  the  m.snomer  Greenland,  which  it  bears.  In 
Gilbert  Bay  he  traded  advantageously  with  the  natives,  giving  glass 
beads  and  other  trinkets  for  valuable  furs.    A  few  days  afterward,  allured 

53 


DAV/S  AlilifVES  IN  C.REENLAND,  88 

(loulUlcHs  by  the  im.sic  of  the  band  so  thou-lufully  sent  forward  by 
their  London  nympathizcrs  "  to  recreate  their  spirits,"  and  of  which  the 
first  lot  of  native  traders  had  spread  the  fame  ta.  and  near  Ihron-h  the 
camps  of  the  Ksquiniaux,  no  less  than  thirty-seven  canoes  surronndcd 
tiie  Enjrhsh  ships.  On  the  6th  of  Anjrnst  they  came  in  sijjht  of  a  hi-h 
mountain— the  Snkkertoppen— and  sailing' still  northwest  they  reached 
land  at  66^'  40'  free  from  «  the  pesters  of  ice,  and  ankered  in  a  very 
fair  rode."  Davis  th<)n<,'ht  he  had  reached  the  entrance  to  the  sea  wliich 
commnnicated  with  the  Pacific  Ocean.  He  explored  the  re<rion  of  Cum- 
berland  Sound  and  the  entrance  to  Frohisher  and  Hudson  Straits,  jriy. 
uij.'  names  to  tlie  Hay  of  Tatness,  and  to  the  Capes  Dyer  and  VValsing. 
ham,  and  returned  to  Iviifrland. 

In  i^SO  Davis  was  put  in  command  of  four  vessels — the  two  of  the 
previous  voyage,  tofrcthei  with  the  "  Mermaid"  and  the  "North  Star." 
On  June  39,  when    fifty-three    days    out,  he  again    reached   Greenland, 
at  r^*'',  whence  he  sent   the  "Sunshine"   and   "North  Star"    along   the 
east  coast  to  seek  a  passage  farther  north,  while  with  the  other  two  he 
proceeded  to  foilov/  ;ip  his  investigations  of  the  previous    year  on  the 
west  side  through   the    strait    called  after  his    name,  advancing  as  far  as 
69".     The  ice  was  found  more  massive  than  on  the  previous  year.    One 
great  field  was  encountered  in  the  middle  of  July  which  it  took  thirteen 
days  to  pass.       The  wind    from  olF  the   ice  so  froze  the  ropes  and  sails 
that  his  men  became  discouraged  and  pathetically  admonished  him  that 
"l)y  his  <n-er-boldness  he    might  cause   their  widows  and  fatherless  chil- 
dren  to  give  him  bitter  curses."     He  thereupon  retraced  his  course,  and 
after  souk-  further  exploration  of  the  region  of  Cnmberland  Sound  and 
a  conflict  with  the   Esquimaux,  in  which   three  of  his  men  were  killed 
.'iiid    Iwo  wounded,  he   returned   to    England,  unsuccessful    but  hopc-fiil. 
He  wrote  to  a  friend  that  he  had  reduced  the  discovery  of  the  Northwest 
Passage  almost  to  a  certainty. 

May  15,  15S7,  he  left  London  with  the  "  Sunshine,"  "Elizabeth, " 
"Darlm.nith"  and  "Helen,"  and  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Greenland, 
June  15th.  This  expedition  was  fitted  out  on  the  express  condition 
that  the 


('Xi)eiises    ^\m\\ 


lid  be    ligbtencf!  liy    fish 


ing  wlienevt-r  practicable. 


54 


IMPORTANCE  OF  DAVIS'   VOTAGES— RALEIGH. 


For  this  purpose  two  ol' their  vessels  were  left  near  the  scene  of  their 
former  explorations,  while  with  the  others  he  pushed  forward  in  Baffin's 
Bay  as  far  as  73°  12',  naminj^  the  highest  point  he  reached  Sanderson's 
Hope,  in  honor  of  his  chief  patron — falling  short  of  the  latitude  of  Uper- 
navik  about  italf  of  one  degree.  Again  stopped  by  the  ice  and  forced  to 
go  back,  he  made  some  further  explorations  lower  down.  He  passed 
the  entrance  to  Hudson  Tiay,  and  failing  to  find  tlie  two  vessels  at  the 
appointed  rendezvous,  he  returned  to  England  whither  they  had  pre- 
ceded him.  Though  unilaunted,  and  hopeful  of  final  success,  he  could  not 
secure  an  outfit  for  a  fourth  trial,  and  was  compelled  to  relinquish  the 
joroject.  The  results  of  his  voyages  were  important  geographically, 
but  the  English  merchants  were  more  affected  by  the  financial  aspects, 
as  their  ardor  had  been  efTectually  chilled  by  six  successive  disappoint- 
ments in  twelve  years. 

VOYAGES  OF   RALEIGH. 

It  is  not  as  the  founder  of  tiie  Roanoke  Colony,  in  America,  nor  as 
soldier  in  France  or  Ireland,  n(M-  yet  as  a  favorite  of  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, or  member  of  the  British  Parliament,  nor  even  as  one  of  the  most 
renowned  and  remarkable  men  of  his  age,  that  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
finds  a  place  in  this  history  of  great  navigators.  His  two  voyages  to 
Guiana  and  persevering  attempts  to  find  the  El  Dorado  of  the  age,  the 
fabled  paradise  of  gold-seekers,  entitle  him  to  a  place  in  the  list. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1595,  Raleigh  sailed  from  England  with 
five  ships  and  100  scldicrs,  besides  seamen,  officers,  and  some  gentlemen 
volunteers,  on  his  first  voyage  to  Guiana. 

Arrivinsr  at  Fastaventura  in  the  Canaries,  he  took  on  board  fre:;h 
supplies  of  water,  and  after  a  stay  of  four  days,  proceeded  to  TenerifFe, 
where  he  was  met  by  one  of  his  captains.  Waiting  eight  days  in  vain 
for  the  appearance  of  Captain  Brereton,  he  sailed  for  Trinidad,  where 
he  met  Whiddon,  another  of  his  captains.  De  Berreo,  Spanish  com- 
mander of 'frinidad,  suspicious  of  the  designs  of  Raleigh,  forbade,  under 
pain  of  death,  all  intercourse  with  the  English.  Raleigh  landed  under 
cover  of  night  with   100  men,  burned  the   town  of  St.  Josci^h,  and  took 


RALEIGH  ASCENDS   -^IIE  ORINOCO. 


55 


Berreo,  with  some  of  the  principal  inhabitants,  aboard  his  vessel  as 
prisoners.  He  was  here  joined  by  two  vessels  of  his  squadron  under 
command  of  Gifford  and  Knynin.  They  proceeded  at  once  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  and  after  passing  through  a  number  of  islands  at 


SIR  WALTER    RALKIGJ!. 

its  mouth,  ascended  the  river  a  distance  of  400  miles.  He  failed  to  find 
Manoa,  the  city  of  gold  and  gems,  unsurpassed  in  grandeur  and  magnifi- 
cence, and  in  comparison  with  which,  the  riches  of  Mexico  and  Peru 
dwindled  into  insignificance.  All  this  and  more,  Raleigh  learned  from 
his  Spanish  captives  and  Indian  visitors.     To  which  they  kindly  added 


56 


RALEIGH  CONFINED  IN  THE   TOWER. 


\.\    ■■> 


it  costs  but  little  to  enlarge,  when  one  draws  on  his  imagination  for 
facts — that  there  was  no  winter  at  Manoa,  and  no  sickness  ;  that  the  soil 
was  excellent  ;  that  there  was  abundance  of  game  ;  and  that  the  songs 
of  birds  filled  the  air  with  a  perpetual  concert.  The  emperor  of  Manoa 
was,  however,  a  inighty  potentate,  and  Raleigh  with  his  handful  of  men 
would  be  foolhardy  to  attempt  to  cope  with  him.  His  people  were  high- 
ly civilized  and  jealous  of  their  immense  treasures  —  within  their 
territory  there  existed  a  mountain  of  gold — and  it  would  be  rash  to  at- 
tack them.  Raleigh  felt  otherwise,  anu  pressing  his  Indian  informant 
to  act  as  guide,  he  was  astounded  to  learn  from  his  lips  that  Manoa  had 
been  submerged  and  was  then  under  water,  as  was  no  doubt  the  golden 
mountain.  He  might  have  added  that  it  was  the  native  version  of  the 
story  of  Atlantis,  as  paraphrased  from  what  they  had  heard  from  the 
Spaniards  or  other  visitors.  Though  Raleigh  may  not  have  believed  all 
that  he  had  been  told,  it  is  clear  that  these  marvelous  stories  had  their 
influence  upon  his  imagination  and  judgment,  for  he  says  : 

"Some  may  perhaps  think  that  I  am  enthusiastic  and  visionary;  but 
why  should  I  have  undertaken  this  enterprise  if  I  was  not  convinced 
that  this  land  of  Guiana  was  a  country  abounding  in  gold.''  Whiddon 
and  Milechappe,  our  surgeon,  have  brought  me  many  precious  stones 
which  resemble  sapphires.  I  have  shown  these  stones  to  many  people 
in  Orinoco,  who  have  assured  me  that  there  is  a  mountain  full  of 
them." 

He  returned  to  England  before  the  rlose  of  the  year  i  595,  but  through 
all  the  honors  as  well  as  trials  which  intervened  between  his  first  and 
second  voyages,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  lost  the  hope  of  making  rich 
discoveries  on  the  Orinoco.  Upon  his  release  from  the  Tower  in  1615, 
after  a  confinement  of  thirteen  years,  we  find  him  at  once  busying  him- 
self about  an  expedition  to  Guiana.  He  sailed  in  161 7  with  thirteen 
vessels  and  a  considerable  body  of  men,  for  the  expectation  of  great  re- 
sults ran  high,  and  his  personal  jiopuhirity  had  been  much  increased 
through  sympathy  for  his  undeserved  punishment.  Arriving  on  the 
coast  of  Guiana,  he  dispatched  an  exploring  party  up  the  Orinoco.  At 
St.  Thomas  they  encountered  the  S    Miiards  and  were  driven  back  with 


|4V 


HE  NEWS   THE  SEARCH.  ^ 

loss,  among  others  that  of  the  eldcsi  and  favorite  son   of  Raleigh      Nor 
had  they  heard  anything  further  of  the  sapphire  or  gold  mountain,  or  of 
the  cty  and  people  of  Manoa.    On  their  return,  Raleigh  sailed  for  New- 
foundland to  refit  and   revietual,  purposing  to  renew  the  search,  but  his 
men    ,m>tm.ed  and  insisted  on  sailing    bac]<  to    England,    where    thev 
arnved  in  July,  i6iS.     Raleigh,  broken  in  spirit  and  fortune,  soon  found 
that  h.s  English  enemies  were  as  unrelenting  as  his  Spanish  foes-  and 
through  their  united  eftorts   consent  to  his  execution  on  the  old  sentence 
was  obtanied  from  the  weakly  compliant  James  I. 


\ 


Vv.  *iS«Si*«  ~^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 

VOYAGKS  OF  THE  nUTCH— NORTHEAST  PASSAGE  AGAIN— BARENTZ 
REACHES  ORANGE  ISLANDS— GERRIT  DE  VEER— SICKNESS  AND 
DKATH— SURROUNDED  KY  BEARS  AND  FOXES— REAPPEARANCE 
OF  THE  SUN— RURIAI.  OF  RARENTZ— VOYAGE  OF  VAN  NOORT— 
FIGHT    WITH    PATAGONIANS— DEFEAT    THE    SPANISH. 

This  l>rHve,  enterprising,  and  incUistrious  people  had  scarcely  suc- 
ceeded   in    establishing  their  independence,  when  they   began     to  turn 
their  attention  to  the  question  of  the  age— another  route  to  India.     In- 
deed, that  independence  was  not  yet  acknowledged  by  their  late  masters, 
and  the  f.n-mal  recognition  of  the  right  of  the  Netherlands  to  a  place  in 
the  family  of  nations,  was   stubbornly  resisted  by  their  oppressors  until 
1609.     The  narrow  limits  of  the  "Seven  Provinces"  naturally  impelled 
them  to  seek  a  position  among  maritime   Sta^'^s.     And   as   the  southern 
avenues  to  the  coveted  commerce  of  the  East  were  controlled  by  Spain, 
they  were  driven,  like  the  English,  to  search  in  northern  latitudes  for  a 
route  to  China.     Their  first  efforts  were  directed  to  the  exploration  of 
the  Northeast  Passage.     And  as  a  practical  convenience  toward  the  ex- 
ecution of  that  project,  they  proceeded  to  establish  trading  posts  at  Kola, 
in  Lapland,  and  at  Archangel,  in  Russia.    The  fLiilure  of  the  Englisli  to 
penetrate  the  Straits  of  Kara  suggested  the  idea  of  going  to  the  north  of 
Nova  Zembla,  in  which  they  were  encouraged  by  the  counsels  and  sug- 
gestions of  Peter  Plaucius,  an  adept  in  the  nautical  science  of  the  day,  as 
well  as  a  distinguished  theologian  and  astronomer. 

THE   NORTHEAST  PASSAGE   AGAIN. 

In  1594  the  merchants  of  Amsterdam,  Enkhuyscn  and  Middelburg 
fitted  out  a  squadron  of  three  vessels  to  institute  a  search  for  the  North- 
east Passage.     The  command  of  these    they   gave  to   Cornelius  Corne- 

58 


liARENTZ  REACHES  ORANGE  ISLANDS.  59 

li.oon,  „,„«  Y*n,„t.oon,  and  Will„,„  Daren,.,  „f  whom  .he  last 
ha,  become  .he  ,„„,.  fan,„n,.  They  left  .he  Texel  on  Jnne  6.h,  with 
Baren..  n,  con„na„J  of  the  .Merenry."  Having  reaehed  the  eoas.  of 
Lap  and,  d,ey  proceeded  eastward  toward  Nova  Zembia,  where  tirey 
■v.  e,       I  arent.  .eepin,   to    .he  we.    of    that    i„and,  s.rnck    toward 

"  *•  "r  """^■-  '-"  ™"""-l  i"  "«  »a.ne  direction  as  before    nntil 

^,ey  reache,  wl,at  tirey  called  Vaigat,  ( Win.Uhole)  Strait,  .sonth  of 
K  S  ra,  ro,„  wlJcl,  it  is  separated  by  Vaiga.,,  Island.  I.  was  .his 
K..,a  Stn„.  that  the  English  had  found  impassable  by  reason  of  the  ice 
gorge  wh,eh  they  there  encountered.  The  Dutch,  more  fortu„.ate  in 
hnv,„g  gone  farther  south,  an.i  i„  experiencing  a  more  favorable  season, 
nrade  then-  way  througl,,  though  with  .he    u.most    difficulty 

Arr,  v„,g  at  the  cas.ern  entrance  of  the  strait,  they  saw  to  their  great  de- 

TL  ^r'r/T;'"  -'  "'"^  °P^"  -^  *=>=hing  to  the  horizon,  now  known 
as  the  Culf  of  Kara.     Fin.ling,  too,  .hat  the  land   to  their  right  receded 
.apK  ly  to    the  soutlreast,  they  felt   triumphant.     They  had    solve.l    the 
great  problen,;  the  prouronlory   they  had  jus.   doubled    coul.l    be    no 
o  her  than  the  famous  Cape  Tabis  of  Pliny,  and  but  four  hundred  miles 
of  sea   separated    them    from    Canton,  in  China.     They  did    not  know 
that    hey  were   d.stant  from    tl,e    northeastern    point  of  Asia    ,20=     or 
one-thn-d  of  the  whole  circumference  of  the  globe.     Entirely  sa.is'hed 
ot  the  nnmense  value   of  .heir  discovery,  they  hastened   back  full  of 
pa.not,c  enthusiasm  for  the  fame  and  prom  of  their  youMg  country,  to 
ena  le  the  government  to  take  proper  measures  for  seeur' g  the  fruits 
of  .hen-  pnx  ...ous  success.      Meanwhile   Harent.    had    .loubled  Cape 
Nassau  .and,  July  ,oth,  encountered  great    fields  of  ice,  through  which 
e     ought    h,s    arduous  way    until    he  reached   Orange  Isla^ls  at  the 

the  lattu  les  of  several  points  with  rare  precsion  for  those  days,  and 
proceede.1  to  make  the  homeward  voyage.     On  his  way  he   me    hi! 

f»™er  companions  on  the  coast  of  Lapland d  the  disguLd  Ba    „' 

w.th  the  ex„l..an.  Bran,  and  Cornelius,  rcurned  togetlJto  the  Tell   ' 
lite  merchants   of    Rof.erdam   now  combined  wi,h   those   of  'h 
'h.-ee  cities  interested  in  the  former  venture,  and  together'  they  fi,.U 


lil 


!l    ) 


60 


LOCKED   IN   THE  ICE. 


out  six  vessels  for  :i  second  voyaj^'e,  laden  with  wares  for  the  Eastern 
market.  This  scjuadron  was  placed  under  the  supreme  command  of 
James  Van  IleemskerUe,  with  Barentz  as  chief  pilot.  To  it  was  added 
a  yacht,  the  sole  duty  of  which  was  to  serve  as  a  dispatch  boat  to 
bring  back  the  tidin<,rs  that  the  fleet  had  safely  entered  the  Gulf  of 
Kara.  But  merchants  and  voyagers  were  doomed  to  disappointment. 
The  Vaigats  Strait  was  found  impassable,  being  blocked  l)y  huge 
masses  of  ice  which  defied  the  continued  efforts  of  the  determined  mar- 
iners. Findnig  that  the  impossible  would  no^  yield  to  their  wishes  or 
exertions,  they  sadly  retraced  their  course,  and  arrived  in  the  Texel, 
Sept.  iS,  1595,  with  feelings  quite    different  from  their    predecessors' of 

the  previous  year. 

Yet  another  trial  was  decided  upon,  and  May  16,  1596,  two  vessels 
were  sent  out  under  command  of  Heemskerke  and  John  Cornelizoon 
Rijp  or  Ryp,  with  Barentz  again  as  pilot,  and  Gerrit  de  Veer,  who 
became  the  historian  of  the  voyage,  as  mate.  Passing  the  Shetland  and 
Faroe  Islands,  they  encountered  ice  on  the  5th  of  June  before  reaching 
Bear  Island,  where  they  landed  on  the  nth,  and  which  they  so  named 
because  there  they  had  found  and  killed  a  bear.  On  the  19th  they  discovered 
the  land  which  they  named  Spitzbergen,  and  which  they  supposed  was 
a  part  of  Greenland.  They  explored  the  west  coast  for  a  considerable 
distance  to  the  nc^rth,  but  were  compelled  by  the  ice  to  fall  back  on  Bear 
Island.  Here  the  vessels  separateil,  Heemskerke  and  Barentz  slowly 
making  their  way  through  the  ice  toward  Nova  Zembla,  having  heard 
that  from  the  highest  points  of  Orange  Island  the  open  sea  had  been 
seen  to  tlie  southeast. 

On  tlie  i6thof  July  they  readied  the  west  coast  of  Nova  Zembla, 
then  known  to  western  navigators  as  Willoughby's  Island.  Pro- 
ceeding northward  they  douliled  Cape  Nassau  on  the  6th  of  August, 
and  the  Orange  Islands  some  days  later.  Having  reached  the 
same  latitude  previously  attained  by  Barentz  in  his  first  voyage,  they  were 
compelled  by  the  ice  to  turn  south  on  tlie  eastern  coast,  where  they  soon 
became  ice-locked  in  a  small  harbor,  latitude  75^'  4/?''  >"  which  they  had 
taken  refuge.     " 'I  he  cakes  of  ice,  "    says   De  Veer,  "  began    to    pile  up 


61 


11  ;.,..SB**^^' 


62 


DE  VEER-DIii APPEARANCE  OF  THE  SUN, 


around  the  ship  on  all  sides,  and  pressed  against  it  so  closely,  that  it  com- 
menced to  crack  and  give  way,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  vessel  would 
break  into  a  thousand  pieces  ;  and  when  the  ice  moved  it  pushetl 
and    rais-d    the    ship   as  if  some    huge    machine   were    elevating    it    in 

the  air." 

Giving  tip  all  hope  of  extracting  themselves  from  the  ice,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  effect  a  landing,  and  transport  provisions  on  shore  for  a 
winter's  sojourn  in  that  inhospitable  region.  A  few  days  later  some 
of  the  men  discovered  a  river  some  nine  miles  in  the  interior,  on  which 
they  found  floating  a  considerable  quantity  of  wood.  They  also  found 
tracks  of  the  bear  and  the  saiga,  a  species  of  antelope.  A  quantity  of 
driftwood,  probably  from  Siberia,  was  found  on  the  shore,  and  they  were 
enabled  to  build  a  warm  cabin,  large  enough  to  hold  them  all,  besides 
having  abundant  firewood,  «  for  all  that  cold  winter,  which  we  knew," 
says  De  Veer,  "  would  fall  out  to  be  extremely  bitter."  They  were  sev- 
enteen in  number,  and  under  wise,  careful  and  competent  leadership. 

By  the  33d  of  September  the  ground  had  frozen  so  hard  that  they  could 
not  dig  a  grave  for  their  deceased  comrade,  the   carpenter,  who,  though 
he  would   have    been  specially  useful   in  the  construction  of  their  winter 
quarters,  was  the   first  to   succumb  to  the   rigor  of  the   climate.     They 
buried  him  in  a  cleft  in  the  rocks.     On  the  2d  of  October  their  house  was 
completed,  some  of  the   ship's  furniture   being   used  in    its  construction. 
As  they  grew  apprehensive  thi-.t  the  vessel  would  soon  go  to  pieces,  they 
began  to    sleep    ashore    on    the    1 3th  of  October;  and  soon    after   they 
carri^-d  ashore  everything  that   could  be  of  use  to   them.     They  began 
immediately  to  reduce  the  daily  rations,  fearing  their  supplies  would  not 
hold  out.     A  chimney  was  erected    reaching  to  the  top  of  the  house,  and 
a  place  was  reserved  near  the  central  fire-place  for  a  sick  comrade.     On 
broad  shelves,  or  bunks  around   the  walls,  they    placed    their  beds,    and 
from  a  large  cask  they  extemporized  a  bath  tub,  the  surgeon  insisting  on 
cleanliness  as  absolutely  necessary   to  the  preservation  of  health.     The 
sun  soon  disappeared  entirely,  and  they  had  fairly  entered  on  the  long 
and  dreary  winter.     "  We  looked  pitifully  one  upon  the  other,"   says  Dc 
Veer,"  being  in  great  fear  that  if  the  extremity  of  cold  grew  to  be  more 


The 


MERRIMENT  IN  DANGER.  gg 

and  more,  we  should   all  die    there    of  cold,  for  that  what  fire  soever   we 
made,  would  not  warm  us." 

A  Dutch  clock  transferrcl  from  the  ship  helpe<l  to  remind   them  of 
honie,  as  well  as  to  mark  the  slow  march  of  time.     The  house  ^vas  soon 
covered  with  snow  several  feet  de.  p,  and  to  get  out  thev  had  to  ttuu'.el   a 
pathway.     During   one   period  of  adverse  winds   for  four  .lays   the   fire 
would  not  burn,  and  the  ice  grew  two   hiches  thick  on   the  sides  of  their 
bunks,  while  their  clothes  were   thickly  covered  with  frost.     In  a  short 
time  they  began  to  be  surrounded  by  bears  and  foxes,  who  threatened  to 
tear  the   roof  ofl^  the  house;  and   the  foxes  learned   to   climb  down  the 
chimney.     They  trapped  several  of  these,  and  shot  some  bears,  the  skins 
of  both   proving   a   great   help  in   warding  o{^  the  intense   cold.      They 
used  the  flesh  of  the  foxes   for  food,  but  through  some  unaccountable 
prejmhce  they   failed   to  utilize   the   more   valuable  bear's-meat,   which 
would  have  been  a  great  preventive   of  the  scurvy,  from  which  they 
suffered. 

Early  in  December  a  violent  storm  arose,  blowing  from  the  northeast 
and  producing  intense  cold,  when  they  made  a  great   fire  of  coal,  which 
they   brought   from    the   vessel.       Closing    every   crevice,   and   eJen   the 
chimney,  to  retain  the  genial  warmth,  they  soon   began   to   co,«plain  of 
dizziness,  whereupon  one  ran  to  open  the  door  and  another  the  chimney 
when   they   recovered.     Notwithstanding   their  constant   privations,  and' 
often  intense  sufferings  in  exceptional  weather,  they  labored  to   maintain 
a  cheerful  spirit.     On  January  the  5th  (1597),  the  eve  of  Twelfth  NLWit 
a  feast  long  celebrated  throughout  all  parts  of  Europe,  they  propose,?  t,! 
have  a  little    merriment    suitable    to    the    occasion.     «  We    prayed    our 
Master,"  says   De    Veer,  "that   we   might   be  merry,  and   said  that  we 
were  content  to  spend  some  of  the  wine  that  night  which  we  ha.i  spared 
and  which  was  our  share  (half  a  pint)  every  second  day,  and  whereof  for 
certain  days  we  had  not  drunk.     And  so  that  night  wc  made  merry,  and 
drew  lots  for  king.     And  thereof  we  had  two  pounds  of  meal,  whereof 
we  made  pancakes  with  oil,  and  every  man  had  a  white   buiscuit,  which 
we  sopt  in  the  wine.     And  so  supposing  that  we  were  in  our  own  coun- 
try, and    amongst  our  frien.ls,  it  comforted  us  as  well  as  if  we  liad  made 


M 


REAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  SUN. 


ii 


a  ^rrcat  banquet  in  our  own  house.  And  we  also  made  trinkets,  and  our 
gunner  was  ma<le  kinj?  of  Novaya  Zenilya,  which  is  at  least  800  miles 
lonjj,  and  lyeth  oetwecn  two  seas." 

lanui.ry  34th  the    sun    reappeared,   and   (hou<rh   they   lost,  the   same 
day,  one  ..f  their  number   who  had  been  ill  all    winter,  their   ho,)es  rose 
hi-her;  and  on  the  2Sth,  the  .lay  bein-  fine,  they  played  a  game  of   ball 
in'the  bracing  northern  air.      Ivuly  in  March  the  ice  began  to  move,  but 
they  c.uhl    not    yet   leave  thc-ir    <,narters.     April    15th  they  visited  the 
ship,   wiiich    they  found    in    bottc-r  condition   than   they  had   anticipated. 
May   1st  the  men   thought  they  might   leave,  but   the   more   experienced 
Barenlz  declared  they  would  have  to  wait  a  month,  as   the  vessel   could 
not  he  liberated  sooner;  and  that  it  was  doubtful  whether  she  would   be 
found    seaworthy.      In    the    event   of  her   proving    unsafe    he  promised 
that  they  would  rig  out  the  two  boats   for  the   liomeward   voyage.     On 
the  20th,  becoming  satisfied  that  the  ship  must  be  abandcmed,  they  began 
with  a  will  to  get  the  boats  in   readiness.     It    was,  however,  the  middle 
of  June  before  they  took  leave  of  their  late  residence,  and,  doubtless  not 
without  misgivin-s,  trusted  themselves  to  tlieir  fVail  crafts  for  so  long  a 
voyage        liarcntz    inclosed  a  record  of  their   piishap  in  a  gun   barrel, 
which  he  fastened  to  the   chimney,  that   shoulil    a  search    party  be  sent, 
they  miglit  learn  their  fate.      They  proceeded  by  the  way  they  had  come 
and  in  a  short  time   reached  Orange   Island. 

In  the  interval,  and  when  only  four  days  out,  the  boats  got  hemmed  in 
hy  enormous  blocks  of  ice,  and  giving  themselves  up  for  lost,  they  silently 
took  leave  of  each  other.  Hut  I)e  Veer,  with  the  instinct  of  self-preserva- 
tion, taking  the  end  of  a  strong  rope  in  bis  hand,  clambered  from  block  to 
block  initil  lie  reached  a  large  Hoc,  on  which  they  sut-ceeded  in  getting  first 
tiie  sick,  then  the  stores,  and  finally  the  two  boats  safely  landed— a  feat  often 
performed  since,  but  for  those  days  of  inexperience  it  can  be  regarded  as 
nothing  less  than  a  liriliiant  stn^ke  of  genius.  The  boats  had  been  badly 
nipped,  and  they  repaired  them  as  well  as  they  could  on  the  ice  floe.  He-; 
it  was  that  Barentz,  and  one  of  the  sailors,  Nicholas  Andrien,  died.  On 
the  3oth  of  June,  while  floating  northward  with  the  ice,  on  the  west  coast 
of  Nova  Zembla,  the  worthy  pilot  closed  the  voyage  of  his  life,  <lying 


niRIM.    OF  n  ARE  NT/.. 


48 


vcrv  unex,H-ctc.<lly  t.,  th.  ,„cn,  th<n.j,l,  apparctly  not  to  hi.nsolf.     ^<  The 
death  ..f  Willia.n    Uarent.  .„acK-  us  all  fed  very  sa<I,  seein,.  that  he  wa. 
our  pr.nc.pai  j,nmlc  and  pilot,  and  one  in  vvho.n  we  had  every  c.mfidenee 
Hut  we  could  not  resist  the  will  of  God,  a,.d  this  thoujfht  ,nade  us  cahu," 
says  the  faithful  chronicler. 

After    conunittinjr  the  reniains    of  Uarenl.    to  ,he    deep,   an.l   fre 
qnently  baling,   their   repaired    boats    ,o   keep    then,   fron,    sinkin-s  .1k-v 
succeeded  in   reaching.  Cape  Nassau.     Haulinj,    the  larj;er    boat    ashorl- 
for  repau-s,  she  was  upset,  and  they  lost    nearly   ..11    their  provisions  and 
came  very  near  losin;^  their  lives.     On  the    igth  of  fuly  they  a-^in  put 
to   sea,  and    on  the    28th  they  had    reached   the    southern  poin^  of  the 
island.     In   the  ope.i  sea  beyond   the  boats  became  separated  in  a  fo.. 
and  d.d  n<,t  again  meet  until  they  reached  Cape  Kanine,  at  the  entrance 
to  the   White  Sea.     Meanwhile,  their  scanty  stores  had   been    supple- 
mented from  time  to   time  l)y  the  kindness    of  Russian    fishermen  with 
whom  they  chanced  to  fall  in.     This,  with  rigid  self-denial    in  the    use 
of  what  remained  of  their  original  stock,  prevented  them    from  dyin-^ 
of  starvation.     They  now  learned  that  at   Kola  they  would   find  three 
vessels  of  their  country  getting  ready  to    return  to    Holland. 

Sending  one  of  their  number  across  the  gulf  with  a  Lapp  guide,  he  re- 
turned in  three  days  with  a  letter  signed  John  C.  Rijp,  the  commander 
of     the    second  ship,  from  which  they  had  become    separated   thirteen 
months   before.     Sept.  30,   Rijp  followed  with  a  boat-load  of  provisions, 
and  conveyed  his  countrymen    to   Kola,    and    thence     to    Amsterdam' 
They   had   been    104    days    in    performing   the   trip  from   their  winter 
quarters   to  Cape    Kanine.       Four     of  the     seventeen    had     died;    the 
thu-teen    survivors    were  welcomed    home    with  much  enthusiasm,   and 
entertamed  at  the  expense  of  the  city  until  they  had  received  the  money 
that  was  due    them.     Ten    years   later,    in    1607,  Heemskerke  received 
the  co>pmand  of  a  flc.  ^  of  twenty-six  vessels,  and  lost  his  life  in  a  naval 
battle  with  the  Spaniards. 

VOYAGE  OF  VAN  NOORT. 

On     the     .d    of  July,    1598,    Oliver    Van   Noort,    a     young    but 
experienced  navigator,  left   Amsterdam   with   two  ships,  two  yachts  and 


01  ATTACKED  Br  I'ATAGONIANS. 

248  men.  The  second  in  command  win  James  Claaz  d'Ulpenda,  and 
nn  able  Enj,'lish  seaman  named  Melis,  was  pilot.  The  Northwest  Pas- 
sa^'e  had  been  sou^'ht  in  va'n  by  the  En^'Hsh,  and  the  Northeast  one 
by  both  En},'lish  and  Dutch,  with  substantially  the  same  result.  For, 
althoujjh  a  route  had  been  discovered,  it  proved  impracticable  or  uncer- 
tain on  .'iccount  of  the  ice  blockade  to  which  it  was  subject.  It  became 
necessary  then  to  abandon  all  hope  of  share  in  the  profitable  traffic 
with  the  East,  or  else  break  up  the  Spanish  monopoly  of  the  southern 
route  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

The  latter  alternative  was  chosen,  and  Van  Noort,  with   his  little 
band  of  248  men,  umlertook  to  fight  his  way  to  the  Spice  Islands,  if  he 
could  not  succeed  in  eludinnf  the  watchfulness  of  his  enemies.     Knowing 
that  the  route  by  the  Straits  of  Magellan  was  the  least  frequented   by 
the   Spaniards,  he  determined  on  pursuing  that  course.     After  touching 
at  Gorcc,  they  landed  on   Prince's  Island,  on  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  where 
they  lost  twenty-one  men  including  the  pilot   and    a   brother  of  Van 
Noort,  at  the   hands  of  the    Portuguese.     They   discovered    Annobon 
Island  on  Jan.  5,  1 599,  and  sailed  thence  for  the  coast  of  Brazil.     Driven 
off  by  the  hostile  Portuguese  and  natives  with  the  loss  of  seven  men, 
they  reac  bed  a  small  island  off  the  coast,  where  they  found  fresh  pro- 
visions  and  water,  of  which  they  were  much  in  need.  The  admiral's  ship 
was  injured  by  being  driver  on  the   rocky  coast  of  the  Island  of  Santa 
Clara,  and  one  of  the  yachts  was  abandoned  for  want  of  men.     Noort 
also  lost  one  of  his  captains,  who  was  buried  at  Port  Desire.     Here  they 
were  attacked  by  the  Patagonians,  losing  some  men,  but  wreaking  a  ter- 
rible revenge;  thry  annihilated  the  whole  tribe.     This   was  but    a    few 
days  before  the  close  of  the  year  1599.     Some  weeks  later  they  lost  one 
of  the  two  larger  vessels  in  a  storm,  and  the  squadron   was  reduced    to 
the  flag-ship  and  one  yacht. 

But  now  their  fortunes  began  to  mend.  They  were  kindly  received  by 
the  natives  of  some  islands  on  the  Pacific  coast  which  they  had  reached 
through  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  The  rich  settlen^ents  of  the  Spaniards  in 
Chili  and  Peru  afforded  opportunities  for  plunder  of  which  Noort  and  his 
men  were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves.     In  those  days  English  and  Dutch 


BATTLE  WITH  SPAJVIAKDS.  „ 

..  »aM  ,„  Sp„„l„„N  „„,,  p,„,,„,,„,,,,  „„„  ,_,.^,^^_^^,_.^^ 

on  ,,o„  .„,„ba.a„.,  „„,,  .h.>  ,„„,„„,,.,  ,„,,_  „„^^,,  ^,,^,_j  J^" 

.r„  .„„„„,.  .hrou,,,,,,,,  ,hc.  civilize.,  wor,.,.      Thoir  „„„  .,,.  .„„,  „ 
.he  .s„,h.e,e  p,c.su,npHo„  of  i„,„bordi„atio„  ,.  ,,i,e„„,c.„.,  „„,.  „,;,j 

Ik  „..,».»  abamloncl  them  „„  desert  Uia,,,!,,  ,„.-  ,„„.,   |„„„„„,   ,„.  ^,|, 
the    penal.,..  kn„„n  ,o  that  bl„,„ly  pcri,«i_p„e  >hem  to  death. 

I.  w„,  ab.,ue  .he  ,nid.ne  „f  S.p,e,„be,-,  ,6o„,  „hcn  ,hey  bore  away 

pn,e  Wand,  OC    ,,,  where  .h.y    .,.„k    vc.eanee  „:,  .he    ,.„„„,J1 
for  .he  ,,a„,  .er  of  tbeh-  comrade.      ,.„.  .hey  were  swayed  ,„„r ', 
sp,r,.  o.  eruehy  an.l  rapaei.y  .ha„  of  re.ribu.ion  for  injuries  receive,!     „ 
even. be  Chinese  ,,„.»  which. hey  eneo„n.ered  in  .hL  eas.:  . 

sha,ed  ,he  ,an,e  ,a,e  a,  .bo  ship,  and  see.le^ents  „f  .heir  wes.ern  ene. 

";7;  ""^  ^' '•'''  ""•'  Po^-K'-e,  In  .ru,h,  .be  au.horize,!  naval  force, 

o    .hose  day,  were  bu.  Ii..ie  be,.er  .ban  freeboo.ers  and  pira.e,,    and 
often  ,e     below  .he  s.andard  of  ,|,e  „„„„wed  bnccaneer,.     Finally  .  e 
D.,.ch  lell  n,  wi.b  .wo  Spanish  ships  which   ,ave  .be.  ba..le.     .,f  ,1  i 
en,a,e,nen.  .bey  los.  „ve  n,e„  ,<i,led,  and  .wen.y.five  .akcn  prisoner,; 
and  abo,..  a,  many  woun.lcl.     They  also  los.  one  of  .heir  ships;  bu.  .he 
Spaniard,  1„,.  .wo  b„„dre<:  n,e„,  and  .heir  flas-sbip  .o„U  Hre  and  wa, 
dcroyed    Noor.,  now  in  con,n,and  of  only  a  ,in,de  vessel,  had  .be  pecu- 
har  Ro,.l  forU,ne  .o  fall  in  with  a  rich  pri.e,  a  vessel  of  .he  enemy  laden 
w,.h  a  valuable  cargo  of  spices  which  be  cap.ured  in  .he  wa.er,  o£  Bor- 
neo.     He  n.ade  all  has.e  .o  reach  home  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
.-.mved  a.   Ro.,crdan,.   An,.    .6,    ,&,,  after  a  vova.e  of  over  jhree 
years.     He  was  .he  firs,  of  his  coun.ry  .o  circumnavigate  .he  world ;  and 
h,slas.p,eceofs„cces,  reimburse.1  hi.  pa.rons  for  .be  on.l.ay  incurred. 
Bu.  wha.  was  of  more  impor.ance  he  had  shown  his  coun.rymen  .ha. 
.he  Spaniards  were  no.  more  invincible  on  .be   ocean  .ban   .hev   had 

.shed  .he  follow„,g  year,  and  attracted  so  much  attention  that  it  was 
ranslated  n,.o  several   languages.      Van   Noort  survived   his  return  at 
least  ten  years,  beinj.  on  record  as  late  as  .6i  i. 


68 


VOl'AGE   OF  MAHU. 


But,  although  this  famous  voyage  attracted  the  attention  of  the  world, 
and  won  great  ere  lit  for  Van  Noort  among  his  countrymen  for  the  skill 
and  coura.cre   he   had   displaycii,  it    was   of  little   commercial   advantage. 
Almost  simultaneously  with  Van  Noort's  expedition,  a  squadron  of  five 
sliips,  fitted   out   mainly  at   the   expense  of  the    merchant  Verhagen,  left 
Rotterdam  under  the  command  of  James  Mahu,  with  the  famous  Eng- 
lishman, William  Adams,  as  pilot,  and  Sehaldde  Weert  as  captain  of  one 
of  the   vessels.     They   lingered  too  long  on   the  African   coast,  losing 
Mahu  and  some  of  the  crews.      Reaching  the  Straits  of  Magellan  they 
were  detained  therein  five   months  by  adverse  winds,  and   suflfered  much 
from  scarcity  of  provisions,  and  the  severity  of  the  climate.     They  were 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  eating  raw  herbs   and   shell-fish,  which  pro- 
duced disease,  and   added   to  their  misery.       Some   of  the   ships  finally 
effected  a  passage  into  the  Pacific,  but  were  dispersed  in  a  storm.  Adams 
succeeded  in  reaching  Japan  in  one  of  these  vessels,  with  only  five  men 
able  to  work  on  their  arrival.       His  fortune,  and  that  of  his  companions 
in  Japan,  possesses  much  interest,  but  is   foreign   to   the  scope  of  this 
work.       Sebald   de   Weert,  detained  in  the   strait   four   months   longer, 
where,  too.  Van  Noort  passed  him  by  without  rendering  any  assistance, 
finally  effected  his  escape  into   the  Atlantic,  and   discovered    the  islands 
now  known  as  the  Falkland,  but  which  he  named  the  Sebaldine.     After 
a  tedious  voyage  homeward  he  reached  the  Meuse  some  time  in  the  year 
1600,  with  only  thirty-five  men  out  of  a  crew  of  one  hundred  and  rive. 
This'expedition,  or  the  part  of  it  which  arrived  in  Japan,  led  to  the  sup- 
planting  of  the  Portuguese  by  the  Dutch  in  the  lucrative  trade  with  that 
countr-y. 


I    i 


^'ik      ,jj^  i 


le  world, 
the  skill 
vantage. 
1  of  five 
Lgen,  left 
)us  Eng- 
in  of  one 
it,  losing 
Han  they 
•ed  much 
ley  were 
lich  pro- 
)s  finally 
I.  Adams 

five  men 
mpanions 
)e  of  this 
s  longer, 
issistance, 
le  islands 
e.  After 
1  the  year 

and  rive. 
:)  the  sup- 
with  that 


PART    II. 


NEARLY  flHETIE  VnYflEES.^ 


«  up!  tcp!  let  us  a  voyage  take! 
Why  sit  we  here  at  ease  ? 
Find  its  a  vessel  tight  and  strongs 

Bound  for  the  northern  seas. 
There  shall  we  see  the  fierce  white  bear; 

The  sleepy  seals  aground., 
And  the  spouting  whales  that  to  and  fro 
Sail  with  a  dreary  soundP 


— HOWITT. 


I 

i 


70 


CHAPTER  VII. 

P.KST  .»c™  VOVAOH  »„.„  -K..C._...,  ,,,.,  ,,.„„,,,_ 
WALRUSES  BROUGHT  TO  ENGLA.V.,_VOVAOE  „K  KmOHT  ,„  „,^ 
HOPEW,E._.„ACKE„  .V  S.  V,.„ES -VOV.OES  OK  H„„sO.  _ 
FOURTH    AND    LAST    VOYAGE    OK    HUDSON. 

I..  .60.  ,l,e  English  r=,«w.d  Aeir  attempts  .„  fl„a  ,,,  j,„,,„^^^, 
Passage,  .he  search  fc-  which  had  been  abandoned  afte,-  ,he  las.  voyag 
of  Dav.s  ,n  ,587.  Cap..  Wey.no„.h  was  intrusted  wi.h  .he  new  ve!- 
ure  Pass.„g  .hrongh  Hudson's  S.rai.,  he  reached  .he  en.rance  .0  Hud- 
.ons  B  y  w,thou.  d.sas.er;  but  was  d.iven  back  by  „  violcn.  s.onn  and 
returned  wt.hou.  achieving  any  definite  result. 

Distinctively  Arctic  vovao-pn    nnrlw,-   v.     \-  i. 
fir,,v„  re  ^"^^   ""''='   English  auspices  began  wi.h  the 

fi  s.    oyage  o.  Steven    Benne.,  in  ,603.      He  sailed  wi.h  one  small  ves- 
se^  .he  .Gotlspecd ,"  fi.ted  out  a.  .he  expense  of.  the  worshipful  Fran   s 
atKU   ,7^*7'''- -S-Wch  he  was   iustruc.ed    to' dispose  o 
a.  Kola  the  Dutch  trad.ug  post  in  the  north  of  Lapland.      After  sellin. 
his  goods  he  was  to  proceed  to  the  Arctic  Ocean  on  a  voyage  of  discov! 
ery.     Bennet  complied  with  his  instructions  in  both  particnirars.     On  J, 
voyage  fronr  Kola  northward  he    rediscovered  the  island    which    Z 
rent,  had  discovered  nine  years  before,  and  called   Beat    Island.     Here 
Benne.  fotn,d  foxes,  but  „o  inhabitants,  and   named  the   islan.l  Cherry 
Island.      He  determined  its  latitude  .0  be  74"  30'.      He  „,..,de  a  second 
voyage  thither  in  ,604,  and  found  it  covered  with  wild   fowl  and  ,ea 
horses  or  walruses.       The  teeth  of  the  la.tei  were  a  valu.able  article  of 
commerce  and   Bennefs   crew  endeavored   to  secure  a  return  cargo  of 
hem       They  crnelly  blinded  the  animals  with  small  shot,  and  then  at- 
emp.ed  .0  kill  .hem  with  ha.che.s.      Bu.  .heir  cruel.y  did  no.  av    1 
h  m  much,  for  out  of  a  thousand  which  .hey  maimed,  .hey  killed  only 
fifteen.     In  ,605,  being  be,.er  equipped,  they  succeeded  no.  only  in  .^e.- 


73 


ENTERPlilSR  OF  THE  MUSCOVV  COMPANV 


II 


ting  a  carjjo  of  teeth,  but  in  boilinj,'  the  blubber  into  oil.  In  1606,  Ben- 
net  collected  in  a  iortnight  three  hofrsheads  of  teeth  and  twenty-two  bar- 
rels of  oil.  In  1608,  he  was  again  on  Cherry  Island,  and  in  seven  hours 
he  and  his  companions  killed  1,000  walruses.  A  couple  were  brought 
alive  to  England,  and  the  male  was  exhibited  at  court,  "where  the  king 
and  many  honorable  personages  beheld  it  with  admiration  for  the 
strangeness  of  the  same,  the  like  whereof  had  never  before  been  seen  in 
England.  Not  long  after  it  fell  sick  and  died.  As  the  beast  in  shape  is 
very  strange,  so  it  is  of  strange  docility,  and  apt  to  be  taught,  as  by  good 
experience  we  often  proved." 

The  weather  at  Cherry  Island  at  the  end  of  June,  was  reported  to  be 
calm  and  clear,  and  about  as  warm  as  in  England  at  the  same  time  of 
year.  Three  lead  mines  were  discovered;  and  in  1609  five  English  ships 
were  there  at  one  time,  with  crews  numbering  182  men,  all  loading  with 
furs,  oil  and  walrus  teeth. 

Meanwhile,  John  Knight  had  been  sent  out  by  the  Muscovy  Com- 
pany, April  18,  1606,  in  command  of  the  "  Hopewell"  of  40  tons,  to 
resume  the  search  for  the  Northwes^Passage.  He  had  previously  com- 
manded a  Danish  vessel  on  a  voyage  to  Greenland,  and  was  a  brave 
and  experienced  seaman.  Detained  for  a  fortnight  in  Pentland  Firth, 
he  struck  across  the  Atlantic  on  a  due  west  course.  May  12,  and  about 
the  middle  of  June  found  himself  on  tlie  coast  of  Labrador.  Here  he 
encountered  stormy  weather,  with  a  north  wind  which  brought  down 
upon  him  huge  masses  of  ice.  The  ship  was  soon  surrounded  with  it, 
and  her  rudder  was  carried  away.  Her  hull  also  had  been  severely 
nipped,  and  Capt.  Knight  was  fain  to  take  refuge  in  the  first  inlet,  to 
overhaul  his  ship  and  examine  the  stores  and  provisions. 

His  first  chance  not  proving  satisfactory,  he  crossed  the  inlet  on  the 
next  day,  the  26th  of  June,  with  his  brother  and  one  of  the  crew.  They 
were  seen  to  ascend  a  small  hill  not  far  from  the  shore,  and  before  passing 
to  the  other  side  they  waved  their  hats  as  a  parting  salutation.  Disappear- 
m-.r  on  the  other  side,  the  boatmen  waited  on  the  shore  for  their  return. 
The  day  wore  on,  the  sun  went  down,  and  evening  darkened  into  night 
without    bringing  any  sign  of  their    return.      The  men   fired  ofl'  their 


1 


ATTACKED  KT  SAVAGES. 


78 


muskets,  slKHitcd  long  and  loudly,  and  blew  their  trumpets,  but  no 
answer  came.  Disheartened  and  alarmed  they  pullai  back  to  the  ship 
with  the  sad  news  that  the  commander  and  his  companions  were  doubt- 
less lost.  To  add  to  their  mishap  the  night  grew  excessively  cold,  and 
ail  their  efforts  to  reach  the  shore  next  morning  proved  unavailing.  Ice 
hemmed  them  in  on  every  side,  and  despite  their  anxiety  to  go  to  the 
relief  of  the  missing,  the  most  sanguine  were  compelled  to  yield  to  the 
impossible,  and  leave  the  absent  to  their  own  resources.  After  two  days 
of  this  painful  uncertainty,  rendered  doubly  dreary  by  their  apprehen- 
sions for  the  safety  of  their  friends,  the  knowledge  of  their  fatn  came 
to  them. 

On   the    night  of  June  28   they    were    themselves   attacked  by  the 
savages,    to    the    number  of    perhaps    fifty,   who   appeared   determined 
to  make  them    share  the  same  fate.     They  were   only  eight,  but  they 
made  up  their   minds,  if  die  they  must,  to  sell  their  lives  dearly.     With 
a  large  mastiff,  the  companion  of  their  voyage,  in   front,  they  attacked 
the  fierce  savages,  and  soon  dispersed  them.     The  volley  of  musketry 
created  havoc  in  their  ranks  as  well   as  a  superstitious   dread,  and  they 
fled  to  their  canoes  and  made  off  in  hot  haste.     They  got   entangled  in 
the  ice-floe,  and  were  long  in  getting  beyond  range  of  the  muskets,  and 
as  volley  after -volley  from    the  weapons   of  the  besieged  struck  them, 
cries,  groans  and  lamentations  rent  the   .lir,  and    aade  the  night  hideous. 
They  were  small  of  stature,  of  a  tawny  color,  and  slightly  built,  with  lit- 
tle or  no  beard,  and  flat  noses.     Dreading  the  return   of  the   savages  in 
increased  numbers,  the  Englishmen  preferred  to  trust   their  lives   to  the 
ice-covered  sea  in  their  disabled  ship  rather  than  take  tlie  chances  of  a 
second  onslaught  from  the  barbarous  savages,  whom   they  suspected   of 
adding  cannibalism  to  their   other   atrocities.      Without  a  rudder,  and 
kept  constantly  at  the  pumps  for  three  weeks,  they  reached   the   island 
of    Fogo   on     the   northeast   coast  of   Newfoundland,   July  23,   aided 
chiefly  by  the  current  and  their  exertions  at  the   oars.     Here  they  were 
assisted  by  the'fishermen,  and  after  a  delay  of  four  weeks  spent  in  repair- 
ing the  vessel,  they  set  sail  for    England,  where   they  arrived  in  safety 
on  the  34th  of  September  of  the  same  year. 


I!    iO***  ^ 


i 


74 


VOr/.GE  Br  WAT  OF  NORTH  POLE  ATTEMPTED. 


VOYAGES  OF  HUDSON 


In  1607  Henry  Hudson  sailed  from  England  in  command  of  one 
small  vessel  with  ten  sailors,  furnished  by  some  merchants  of  London,  to 
search  once  more  for  a  route  to  China.  This  time  it  was  neither  the 
Northwest  nor  Northeast  Passage  that  was  to  be  sought,  but  an  entirely 
new  route  by  the  North  Pole.  This  was  therefore  the  first  poi.au 
VOYAGE,  properly  so  called;  and,  like  the  preceding  ones  by  the  other 
routes,  was  projected  in  the  interests  of  commerce.  The  plan  had  been 
suggested  eighty  years  before  by  Robert  Thorne,  who  may  therefore  be 

regarded  as  the  first  visionary 
who  indulged  in  uttered  dreams 
of  reaching  the  Pole.  It  remained 
in  abeyance  while  repeated  efforts 
were  put  forth  to  find  the  desired 
rente  through  more  southern  and 
less  forbidding  waters.  Whether 
now  revived  by  Hudson  or  his 
patrons  is  not  known,  but  he  was 
intrusted  willi  its  execution.  He 
soon  reached  latitude  73^  on  tlie 
east  c(jast  of  Greenland,  antl  pro- 
ceeded thence  to  the  nortliern 
point  of  vSpitzbergen,  in  latitude  So°.  Despite  his  most  strenuous  efforts 
to  ])ush  forward  to  the  Pole,  he  could  only  reach  Si'^  30',  his  further  pas- 
sage being  blocked  by  the  ice.  He  returned  to  England,  with  the  con- 
viction, often  shared  by  many  since  his  time,  that  the  passage  to  the  Pole 
was  forever  made  impassable  l\v  the  ice. 

In  1 60S  he  made  a  second  voyage,  followed  by  Barentz — an  internie- 
diiite  route  between  what  might  be  called  the  North  Passage  of  the  pre- 
ceding year,  and  the  Northeast  Passage  by  the  Straits  -of  Vaigats.  He 
reached  Nova  Zembla  and  went  as  high  as  72"  25',  but  was  again  driven 
back  by  the  ice.  In  1609,  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Com- 
pany, he  tried  the  Northeast  Passage  and  was  again  baffled  by  liie  ice. 


IIENHV    lllDSON. 


DISCOVERY  OF  MANHATTAN  ISLAND.  f^ 

He  gave  up  all  hope  that  that  route  could  ever  be  made  available  for  the 
purposes  of  commerce,  and  proceeded  at  once  in  the  opposite  direction, 
aiming  to  make  Davis'  Strait  and  search  for  the  Northwest  Passage' 
Striking  the  western  continent  in  the  region  of  Nova  Scotia,  he  sailed  to 


VIBW  ON   THE  HUDSON. 

the  south  and  explored  the  coast  to  Chesapeake  Bay,  hoping  perhaps  to 
find  a  West  Passage  to  the  Pacific.  Retracing  his  course,  he  had  the 
good  fortune  to  discover  the  island  of  Manhattan,  now  New  York,  and 
the  important  river  which  now  bears  his  name.     He   explored  the  Hud- 


I 


78 


KENNEBEC  COLON T. 


I         '!f 


son  almost  to  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Albany,  and  took   possession 
of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  Netherlands. 

THE    FOURTH   AND   LAST  VOYAGE  OF   HUDSON. 

Almost  simultaneously  with  Hudson's  lirsl  voyajife  of  discovery  to 
Arctic  seas,  in  1607,  under  tlie  auspices  of  the  Muscovy  Company,  two 
voyages  of  colonization  to  the  coasts  of  the  North  American  continent, 
were  undertaken  at  tlie  expense  of  two  other  English  companies,  the 
London  and  the  Plymouth,  May  13,  1607,  twelve  days  after  the  depart- 
ure of  Hudson,  a  squadron  of  three  vessels,  under  the  command  of 
Christopher  Newport,  was  sent  out  to  Virginia.  There  were  105  col- 
onists; and  these  founded  ainid  great  suffering  and  despite  much  disun- 
ion, the  first  permanent  English  settlement  in  America,  at  Jamestown. 
Among  them  were  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  who  had  sought  to  establish 
a  colony,  in  1602,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Cod,  but  failed;  and  John 
Smith,  who  explored  Virginia  ami  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  the  coast  of 
New  England,  some  years  later,  in  1614, 

The  second  English  colony  of  the  year  1607  was  the  Kennebec  col- 
ony, on  the  coast  of  Maine,  which  was  sent  out  under  the  command  of 
George  Popham,  three  months  later,  in  August.  They  were  forty-nine 
in  number,  and  failing  to  find  the  mines,  which  were  the  primary  object 
of  their  venture,  they  returned  to  England  in  1608.  The  French  also 
had  made  several  voyages  of  colonization,  and  in  160S  founded  Quebec. 
But  we  cannot  turn  aside  to  record  the  numerous  voyages  of  this  sort 
that  soon  became  an  almost  everyday  occurrence;  and  we  must  return  to 
our  subject.  On  the  17th  of  April,  1 610,  Hudson  left  London  for  his 
last  voyage.  His  ship  was  named  the  Discovery,  of  but  fifty-five  tons 
burden,  and  provisioned  for  only  six  months.  Li  all  but  the  skill,  cour- 
age and  experience  of  Hudson,  this  expedition  lacked  the  chief  elements 
of  success.  It  was  specially  unfortunate  in  the  crew  selected  who,  as  the 
sequel  showed,  were  utterly  unworthy  of  their  brave  commander. 
On  the  I  St  of  May  they  lef»  Harwich  on  the  southern  coast  of 
England,  and  sailed  for  the  Shetland  and  Faroe  Islands.  Leaving 
these     behind,     they     sighted     Iceland     on     the     nth,    and     bein<'-    en- 


HUDSON  BAY  DISCOVERED. 


rt 


velopcd    in    a    fog,  and    in   clanger  of  running  ..n  the    rocks,  they  cast 
anchor. 

When  tiie   fog   lifted  they   proceeded    along    the    .oast     until    they 
reached    VVestnianna    Islands.       They    saw    the   Jokull,    che    Snaefell 
and   grandest    of    all,   Hccla,    tlie   n..ted    volcano,    in    the    blaze    of    an' 
eruption,  and    landing    farther  o,.,  tiiey   bathed   in  one  of  the  outflows 
ot    the   great  geyser,    which    they   found    hot    enough    to    boil    a    fowl 
Leaving    Iceland,    tiiey     reached   the   east   coast    of   Greenland    in    foi„- 
days,    and    found    it    lined    with  a  barrier    of  ice.      "  This    <lay,"  says 
Hudson,   "we   saw    Greenland   perfectly,   over  the   ice;    and    this  night 
the  sun  went  down  due  north,  and  rose  north-northeast,  so  plvin-  the  fifth 
day,  we  were  in   65"."    Turning    Cape  Farewell,  and   running  toward 
DaN-s'  Strait,  they  encountered  a  large  number  of  whales  in  the  vicinity 
of  Cape  Desolation.     They  now  proceeded  west-northwest,  and  at  the 
end  of  June  discovered  Resolution  Island.    Proceeding  through  the  strait 
that  bears  his  name,  and  driven  by  turns  to  all  the  points  of  Ihe  compass 
to  escape  the  icebergs,  Hudson  discovered  and  named  several  islands  and 
capes.     Sailing   around,  buffeted  by  storms  and  ice  floe,  and  threatened 
with  destruction  from  icebergs  which  were  never  out  of  sight,  and  land- 
ing occasionally  on  an  island  or  promontory,  he  readied  the  entrance  to 
the  great   bay  that  was   destinCd-with   the    river   and  strait   previously 
d,scovered-to  preserve  his  name.    This  sea,  as  it  proved  to  b.,  he  called 
Michaelmas   Bay,  because  discovered   on  the  feast  of  St.  Michael,  the 
39th  of  September.     It   has  since  been    .lamed   Hudson,  in   his   honor 
With  equal  modesty  he  had  called  this  discovery  of  the  previous  year 
the  great  North  River,  through  which  he  had  vainly  hoped  to  reach'  the 
Pacific,  the  River  of  the  Mountains. 

Beclouded  by  fogs,  stranded  on  shoals,  <h-  lodged  on  shelving  rocks,  the 
ship  made  slow  progress,  and  was  fast  becoming  leaky  and  unsafe.  The 
nights  were  long  and  cold,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow.  Giv- 
nig  up  all  intention  of  retracing  his  course,  doubtless  in  the  hope  of  find- 
nig  the  coveted  No-thwest  Passage  in  the  spring,  Hudson  now  prepared 
to  go  mto  winter  quarters.  November  first  thev  found  a  suitable 
place  to  haul  the  vessel    ashore,  and   by  the   tenth   they  we-e    frozen   in 


78 


SUPPOSED    DISCOVERT  OF  SOUTH  SEA. 


i\ 


On  examination,  the  provisions  were  found  so  nearly  exhausted,  notwith- 
standing the  occasioita!  .light  assistance  derived  from  huiitin--,  that  it  be- 
c:imc  necessary  to  j  it  the  men  on  short  rations.  A  reward  for  every  ad- 
dition to  their  supplies  was  offered  bv  the  commander  in  the  hope  of  stim- 
ulatinji^  the  men  to  extraordinar\  ux-ruons  in  hunting.  The  alternative 
of  making  an  effort  to  escape  before  iliey  had  been  compietf^ly  hemmed 
in  seems  to  have  been  the  choice  of  the  greater  portion  of  his  crew,  and 
his  adverse  decision  irritated  them. 

About  the  middle  of  November  the  gunner  died,  and  the  mal- 
contents attnl)utcd  his  untimely  end  to  the  st  verity  of  the  commander. 
Being  filled  with  the  sublime  anticipation  that  in  this  broad,  expand(.d  sea, 
was  to  be  found  the  outlet  so  long  desired  and  so  patiently  sought  ff)r  more 
than  a  century  by  the  chief  navigators  of  Europe,  may  have  rendered  Hud- 
son somewhat  insensible  to  the  more  commonplace  aspirations  of  his  su- 
bordinates, who  in  the  midst  of  such  dreary  surroundings  could  not  help 
longing  for  the  sight  of  home.  And  they  felt  that  if  there  was  now  but 
little  chance  of  their  ever  enjoying  that  gratification,  it  was  all  due  to  the 
perverse  obstinacy  of  their  commander.  f  hey  might  ere  this  have  been 
safely  under  cover  of  their  respective  roofs  in  Merrie  England,  instead  of 
facing  death  by  starvation  on  the  dreary  shores  of  this  inhospitable  land,  had 
he  yielded  to  their  suggestions  four  months  earlic, 

When  they  had  passed  through  Hudson  Strait  and  entered  the 
great  sea  in  August,  most  of  them  believed  that  the  coveted  passage 
and  South  Sea  had  alike  been  found.  Three  months  were  wasted, 
as  they  felt,  in  explorations  which  should  have  been  left  for  the  next 
season's  work,  and  the  six  months  for  which  they  had  undertaken 
service  would  have  expired  by  the  time  tlicy  arrived  in  England. 
The  reasoning  was  specious,  but  defective.  It  ignored  the  funda- 
mental principle  of  associated  action.  Executive  authority  may  rightly 
be  counseled  or  even  remonstrated  with,  but  mr-tnot  be  contravened 
under  penalty  of  disaster.  The  smoldering  fires  of  discontent  burned 
secretly  through  the  winter,  ready  at  any  moment  to  break  -nto 
inextinguishable  flame  by  the  fanning  of  any  fresh  breeze  of  disaf- 
fection which  might   arise.       Meanwhile,  they  had  been  able  to  subsist 


"*!■ 

b 


BARTERING  WITH  SAVAGES. 


78 


fa.rl,-  well  on  .hdr  »ca„,  ..ore,  and  ,hc  proceed,  oi  ehoir  hunting.  They 
k.lcd  .nunnbero,  wild  fowU-.^  do^en  of  ••  white  p„,,ridgcs"alo„ei 
and  wctc  thei,.   „i„d,  „„.  dise.,,.-  hy  the  taint  „£  ,n„,i„y  ,hey  would 

ground.   ,...  h.  acfon.     Indeed,  it  i,  h.^hly  probable  that  he  hatl  hoped 

to  reaeh  the  ,en,al  elin.e  of  China  before  the  season  wa,  over;  and  when 

he  found  no  outlet  to  the  south  or  wes,  fron,  the  bay,  hn  nterely  resigned 

■mse  f   to  the    .evitable.      The  hope  of  success  ba.l  held   hi^,  captive 

unttl  ,.  was  ,„„  late  to  set  out.     It  w.as  an  untoward   ,nishap,  and  led  to 

.s  unt,„ely  .,„,  undeserved  fate-a„   error  'of  jt„l«,,.eut   for  which  he 

should  not  h;ivc  been  lield  responsible. 

In  the  sprin,.  they  were  visited  by  the  .savages  who  traded  valuable 
furs  for  kn.vcs^  buttons  and  trinkets,  but  who  unfo-  unately  had  no  surplus 
prov.s,ons  to  barter.  On  the  breakin,-up  of  the  ice  .".ht  -nen  were 
deta.led  to  eateh  T  .,  in  whieh  they  had  some  success,  affbniing  temporary 

but   precarious   relief.     It    i^     iinnn«Mrl  fV,^«-   *.u  • 

^  '^     ^jpposccl  that   the   consj  n-acy   against  the 

commander  was  distinctly   formulated   on   that    •ccasion.     He  took  an 
other  bo  t  and  attempted  to  open  communicatio       vith  the  natives  where 
be  had  seen  fires  occasionally  during  the  winter,  in  the  hope  of  rcplen- 
-sh.ng  his  stores  from   what  he  conceived  were  permanent   settlements 
But  he  l.nle<l  to  find  any,  and  determined  to  leave  James  Bay.     The  stock 
ofprovsions  was  almost  ex  hau.sted,  and  after  being  on  short  al  owance 
dunng  the  whole  wi.aer,  actual  starvation   now   threatened    them      On 
the  eve  of  resuming  th.   voyage  with  the  purpose   of  returning   to   Eng- 
lan<l  by  the  way  they  ha<l  come,  Hudson  doled    o       what  remained  of 
the  provsions  brought  from   home-a  loaf  of  bre.  ^   u.  ead.,  and    five 
cheeses,  equally  divided  among  them.     Eighty   s,  fis.cs   were  taken 

soon  after  ;  and  with  strict  self-denial  thev  might,  .t  ,,s  said,  have  lived 
on  these  short  rations  for  two  weeks.  How  short  they  ^vore  .s  sho^^  n 
by  the  statement  .a,  ^n  one  day  the  boatswain  consumed  his  whole  al 
1.-  ance,  with  the  usual  penalty  for  such  excess  when  followinu  on  th^> 
heels  of  continued  privation,  that  he  was  .  tor  several  "davs  in 
consequence. 

The    spring  had  passed,  and  they  had  fairly   entered  on  their  second 


■^'i* 


80 


ffUDSON  AND  CUE IV  r.OST. 


summer;  when,  on  the  Jlst  of  Jinie,  ihret.'  of  the  (lisiifFected  suddenly 
pounced  upon  Hudson  as  he  came  on  deck,  an<l  securely  hound  him. 
Witli  his  son  John,  and  the  sick,  si\  in  number,  and  the  ciU'penter,  sturdy 
John  Kin^,  whom  tliey  were  unahle  toenhst  in  their  wicked  seheme,  the 
jjaihmt  commander  of  thi'  "  Discovery,"  the  immortal  Hudson,  was  thrust 
into  the  ship's  hoat,  which  was  cut  adrift,  and  left  to  shift  for  itself  The 
mutineers  then  stood  to  sea,  steerin<x  to  the  eastward  tVoin  their  late 
winter  (juarters.  In  a  few  days  they  ran  into  the  iie  in  a  storm,  and 
were  held  fast  fourteen  days.  It  was  probably  in  this  storm  that  Hud- 
son and  his  companions  were  lost,  as  they  were  never  afterward  seen  or 
heard  from.  So  perished  toward  the  close  of  June,  i6i  i,  Henrv  Hud- 
son, one  of  the  most  able  and  distinjjuished  navifjators  of  any  aji^e 
With  very  inadequate  resources  his  fjreat  talents  secured  the  hiy;hest 
results.  One  after  another  he  tried  the  several  proposed  passajjes  to 
China,  and  his  clear  judijfment  pronounced  them  all  impracticable,  at  least 
for  commerce.  He  searched  the  Atlantic  coast  from  the  Chesapeake 
to  Greenland,  and  satisfied  himself  that  there  remained  but  one  chance 
for  reachin}^  the  Pacific  by  the  Northwest,  namely,  bv  the  open  sea 
south  of  Greenland.  He  probably  died  in  the  conviction  that  Hudson's 
Bay  was  not  the  openin;^^  soujjht,  and  had  he  not  been  cut  ofTby  the 
treachery  of  his  men,  he  mij.^ht  after  one  or  two  more  voya<ijes  have  an- 
ticipated McClure's  discovery  by  over  two  hundred  years. 

By  the  37th  of  July  the  ship  had  reached  the  entrance  of  the  Bay, 
and  on  the  3Sth  some  of  the  men  landed  to  shoot  fowl.  On  makinjj  the 
land  at  Cape  Dudley  Dij^^fs — so  named  Mie  year  before  bv  Hudson  in 
honor  of  one  of  the  patrons  of  the  expedition,  as  was  Cape  Wolsten- 
holme  for  another — they  encountered  some  natives  bound  on  the  same 
errand,  with  whom  they  trafficked  peaceably.  The  next  day,  however, 
when,  unsuspicious  of  danger  they  resu  iied  the  intercourse,  they  were 
attacked  liy  the  natives,  and  four  out  of  the  six  engaged  in  the  enter- 
prise were  either  killed  outright  or  died  within  a  few  days,  of  their 
wounds.  Others  of  the  mutineers  died  on  the  homeward  voyage,  and 
all  suflcred  dreadful  privations.  They  finally  reached  Bere  Haven,  in 
Bantry  Bay,  on  the  southwest  coast  of   Ireland,  whence,  with    the    help 


o 


7-//^  SUtiV/VORS  HE  AC//  ENG/.A/VD. 


81 


i.f  frcHh  seamen  t<,  work  the  ship,  they  were  e.mhlecl  to  reach  EiiKlaiul. 
Ilahl.akuk  I'ricket,  who  wrote  an  account  of  the  voya-e,  and  Robert 
IJillet  or  Hylot,  mate  and  acting'  master  ..f  the  vessel  on  her  arrival, 
were  the  only  ones  wh..  presented  themselves  before  the  auth.,rities,  the 
other  survivors  slinkin;,'  away  into  obscurity. 


'mm 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


VOYAGES  OF  POOLE BISCAYAN  WHALE  FISHERS BUTTON    IN    SEARCH 

OF      HUDSON hall's      VOYAGE      TO      GREENLAND COMMERCIAL 

voyage    under    baffin  fotherby bylot discovery    ok 

Baffin's  bay,, 

In  1610,  161 1,  and  1612,  Jonas  Poole,  in  the  emjjloy  of  the  Mus- 
covy Company,  made  three  distinct  voyages  to  the  Arctic  regions,  or 
Northern  Ocean.  Like  four  others  of  the  same  class  by  Steven  Bennct, 
1603-8,  they  were  all  divested  of  any  strong  claim  to  scientific  or 
geograjohical  voyages,  though  projected  in  part  for  that  purpose,  mainly, 
no  doubt,  by  the  forco  of  circumstances.  On  their  arrival  in  those  waters 
the  commanders  found  very  little  to  discover  or  explore.  Seeing  no 
avenue  to  new  discoveries  in  the  wide  waste  of  water  studded  with  ice- 
bergs instead  of  islands,  they  are  not  to  be  blamed,  if,  deeming  it  of  more 
advantage  to  return  laden  than  empty,  they  turned  their  attention  to  the 
hunting  of  seals  and  walruses  on  the  coasts  already  discovered,  especially 
on  Cherry  Island,  the  Bear  Island  of  Barentz,  of  which  the  Muscovy 
Company  took  formal  and  exclusive  possession  in  1609.  In  his  first 
voyage  as  commander,  in  1610,  Poole  went  as  high  as  78'-^  and  in  his 
report  emphasized  the  observation  of  some  of  his  predecessors  that  the 
climate  in  the  open  sea  toward  the  Pole  is  more  temperate  than  in  lower 
latitudes.  "  A  passage,"  he  says,  "  may  be  as  soon  attained  this  way  by 
the  Pole  as  any  unknown  way  whatsoever,  by  reason  the  sun  doth  give 
a  great  heat  in  this  climate,  and  the  ice  that  freezeth  hero  is  nothing  so 
huge  as  I  have  seen  in  73'." 

He  finally  reached  79'-'  50'  on  this  trip  whicli  was  iiiti  nded  not 
only  to  "catch  a  whale  or  two"  but  also  for  northern  discovery. 
These  were  his  instructions  :  "  Inasmuch  as  it  hath  pleased  Al- 
mighty God,  through  the  industry  of  yourself  and  others,  to  discover 


FIRST  VOrAGE  IN  SEARCH  OF  A  LOST  EXPLORER. 


83 


unto  our  nation  a  land  lying  in  eighty  degrees  toward  the  North 
Pole;  we  are  desirous  not  only  to  discover  farther  to  the  north- 
ward along  the  said  land,  to  fintl  whether  the  same  he  an  island  or 
a  main,  and  which  way  the  same  doth  trend,  either  to  the  eastward  or  to 
the  westward  of  the  pole;  as  also  whether  the  same  be  inhabited  by  any 
people,  or  whether  there  be  an  open  sea  farther  north  than  hath  been 
already  discovered,"  etc. 

In  1611  Poole  again  proceeded  to  the  Arctic  in  company  with 
the  first  English  ship  expressly  intended  for  whaling.  Si\  Biscayans  of 
experience  in  killing  whales  wore  added  to  the  crew.  Leaving  the 
whaler  at  work,  Poole  proceeded  northward  to  So*?,  and  then  crossing 
westward,  he  explored  the  east  coast  of  Greenland  to  a  point  about  two 
degrees  north  of  any  previously  reached,  or  at  least  noted  on  the  charts. 
On  liis  return  to  the  whaler,  he  found  that,  with  the  aid  of  the  Biscayan 
experts,  they  had  caught  thirteen,  and  they  proceeded  together  to 
England. 

In  his  voyage  of  1613-13,  Poole  found  no  less  than  twenty  whalers- 
six  of  tlieni  Englisli,  and  one  of  these  in  command  of  the  afterward  cele- 
l)rate(l  William  Bathn— in  the  sea  of  Spitzbergcn.  French,  Biscayan, 
Spanish  and  Dutch  were  all  represented;  and  all  quietly  submitted  to  the 
ordcir  of  the  English,  who  took  exclusive  possession  of  the  island  and 
contiguous  sea  for  the  cnnvn  of  England,  in  1613. 

BUTTON   IN   SEARCH   OF   HUDSON. 

The  first  voyage  in  search  of  a  lost  explorer  was  undertaken,  in  1612, 
by  Sir  Thomas  Button.  Ke  was  accompanied  by  Pricket,  the  historian 
of  Hudson's  last  voyage,  and  Bylot,  who  had  served  on  the  same  voy- 
age, as  mate.  Button  was  placed  in  command  of  two  vessels,  the  Reso- 
lution and  Discovery.  He  foUowt-d  tlie  route  pursued  by  Hudson 
through  the  strait  till  he  reached  Southampton  Island.  Sailing  west  he 
fell  in  with  tlie  main  land  at  60"  40',  to  which  part  of  the  west  coast  of 
Hudson's  Bay  lie  gave  the  name  of  Hopes  Checked.  He  then  sailed 
towartl  the  south  and  discovered  the  bay  called  after  his  name.  Farther 
south,  at  57"  10',  he  discovered   Nelson  River,  on  the    15th  of  August. 


i 


■M 


...^^ 


84 


VOTAGE  TO  GREENLAND. 


Here,  near  the  point  of  York  Factory,  lonef  the  chief  center  of  the 
Iludson's  Buy  Company's  fur  trade,  he  made  his  preparations 
to  winter.  Some:  of  the  crew  died  from  the  intensity  of  the  cold.  In 
spring  they  were  ahle  to  kill  a  plentiful  supply  of  game,  especially  of 
"white  partridge,"  of  which  no  less  than  iSoo  dozen  are  said  to  have 
been  taker,  and   consumed  liy  the  crews  of  the  two   vessels. 

In  April,  the  ice  disappearing  early,  he  sailed  northward  along  the  west 
coast,  discovering  what  are  now  called  Mansfield's  Islands,  in  65°.  He  then 
proceeded  homeward,  and  arrived  in  England  in  the  autumn,  in  thirteen 
days,  from  Cape  Chudlcigh,  without  having  found  any  trace  whatever 
of  the  lost  navigator.  He  carried  with  him  a  conviction,  hut  on  what 
based  is  not  stated,  that  the  Northwest  Passage  would  be  found  leading 
from  Hudson's  Bay.  The  iuHuence  of  his  name  did  much  toward  hold- 
ing his  countrvmen  in  the  trammels  of  this  error  for  generations.  As 
will  be  seen  presently,  a  navigator  of  more  experience;  birt  lc«s  influence, 
attempted  to  correct  the  mistake  a  few  year*  later;  but  p«*4ic  opinion 
was  swayed  by  tiie  authority  of  a  great  name,  and  England  chose  to  err 
witii  Button  rather  than  to  be  set  right  by  IJylot.  Such  things  happen 
yet,  and  in  Animca  as  well  as  elsewhere.  "  1  he  influential"  still  carry 
weight,  not  aidy  as  they  should  in  matters  of  which  they  are  fully  cog- 
nizant, and  (lualified  to  pronounce  upon,  but  also  in  matters  entirely  for- 
eign to  their  line  of  thought  and  experience.  Herein  lies  the  mistake  of 
the  public,  "  ravished  with  the  whistling  of  a  name."  The  world  has 
l)een  long  hekl  in  tl>  tiiraldoni  of  various  errors  by  the  authority  of 
"•reat  names,  for<retting  that  one  cannot  mention  a  single  delusion  in  the 
history  of  humanity  for  which  the  autiiority  of  some  great  man  may 
not  be  quote<l. 

HALL,  BAFFIN,  GIBBONS   AND   FOTHERBY. 

In  1612,  also,  Capt.  James  Hall,  with  William  Baflin  as  pilot,  in 
the  service  of  the  Muscovy  Company,  made  a  voyage  to  Greenland. 
Hall  had  previously  seived  as  pilot  to  a  Danish  exploring  expedition  of 
three  vessels,  which  had  been  sent  to  (rreenland  in  1605,  to  search  tor 
the  old  Norse  colonists  in  that  quarter.     On  that  occasion  he  hud  reached 


I 


COMMERCIAL   VOYAGE  OF  BAFFIN. 


85 


latitude  69%  Init  the  crews  refused  to  proceed  farther,  and  in  1606  he 
had  also  served  as  pilot  to  another  Danish  scpiadron  of  four  vessels, 
which  were  dispatched  in  search  of  gold  aiid  silver  mines  in  Greenland. 
At  Cunningham's  Ford  they  "  landed  to  see  the  silver  mine,  where  it 
was  decreed,"  says  Hall,  "we  should  take  in  as  much  as  we  could." 
They  kidnapped  live  natives  from  a  settlement  they  found  on  the  hanks 
of  the  river  in  66°  25',  and  took  them  to  Denmark.  In  1607  he  was 
compelled,  hy  a  mutiny  of  his  Danish  crew,  to  return,  unsuccessful,  from 
his  third  voyage  to  Greenland,  under  Danish  auspices.  He  then  seems 
to  have  returned  to  his  native  country,  but  did  not  come  into  notice  again 
as  an  Arctic  navigator  until  1G13.  On  that  ill  fated  voyage,  having 
landed  at  66"  35',  the  scene  of  the  kidnapping  venture  \\\  1606,  he  was 
recognized  hy  one  of  tlie  natives,  who  \V\\\  at  him  and  wounded  liim 
with  his  lance  before  he  could  defend  himself,  or  even  perceive  his 
danger.  He  died  soon  after;  and  all  intercourse  with  the  natives  having 
ceased  with  the  attack  upon  Hall,  HaiHn  anil  the  crew  returned  to  Eng- 
land. It  was  in  his  report  of  this  voyage  that  Bathn  first  indicated  the 
method  of  lliiding  tlie  position  of  a  vessel  at  sea  by  obser\ation  of  the 
heaveidy  Iwdies. 

In  161 3,  as  lias  been  stated,  William  Uallin  was  in  the  sea  of  Spitz- 
tft»f<fcn  with  ttvc  other  captams,  in  the  employ  of  the  Muscovy  Com- 
pany, Like  hii.  predecessors  in  that  line— IJennet  and  Poole— and  his 
cow^^y^^mfk  of  tlia«»  season — names  indcnown— Hallln  turned  the  vovage 
of  1613  ifXik-lU' into  a  commercial  \eiUure  for  his  employers.  It  was, 
liouever,  on  this  voyage  that  he  remarked  the  extraordinarv  refraction 
of  the  atmosphere  in  nortliern  latitudes,  and  deterniined  its  (piality  at  the 
horizon  to  be  twenty-sivc  miiiates.  He  modestly  lulds:  "  I  suppose  the 
refraction  is  more  or  less  according  as  tiie  air  is  thick  or  clear,  which  I 
leave  for  ])ettei-  scl-iolars  to  (fecuss."  He  also  entertained  the  hope,  based 
on  an  o])en  sea  l)etween  (jreenland  and  .Hpitzlu-rgen,  that  a  passage  to 
the  Pole  miglit  be  disc/wered.  lie  recommended  to  the  company  an  an- 
nual appropriation  of  $750  or  .^i,cx)o  for  th;rt  pur(X)se, deeming  a  small 
vessel  with  a  crew  of  ten  men  adeijuate  to  the  uiMlcrtaking.  He  meant 
l)erliaps    that    sucli   a   \essil    detaciie'l    from    the    whaling    ileet    for    an 


ARCTIC   VOTAGE  UNDER  BAFFIN. 


annual  experiment  might  in  some  favorable  season   achieve  the  desired 
result. 

In  1614,  Captain  ()il)l)ons,  a  rehitive  of  Sir  Thomas  Button,  and  a 
comixmion  in  tlie  search  voya-?e  of  1612,  proceeded  ro  Hudson  ]?ay  in 
search  of  the  Northwest  Passajjfc.  The  season  {jroved  very  different 
from  that  of  161 2.  lie  was  iiarassed  incessantly  by  high  winds,  floatin<j- 
ice,  dense  fogs  and  tlie  resulting  discouragement  of  the  men,  and  re- 
turned in  safety  without  accomplishing  anything. 

In  1614,  also,  Robert  Fotherby,  with  Willinm    HafTin   as  pilot,  made 
an  Arctic  voyage,  still  in  the  service  of  the  Muscovy  Company.     Reach- 
ing latitude  So'-'',  tliey  were  repulsed  by  the  ice  and   compelled  to   return. 
And  again,  in  1615,  Fotherby,  on  another  Arctic  voyage   and  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  same   company,  essayed    the    route   of  Hudson   in    1607,  and 
like  him  was  batlled  in  the  effort  to  proceed    beyond    Spitzber"-en.       He 
had  opportunity  to  correct  some  calculations  made  by  Hudson,  and  more 
definitely  establish  some  of  his  observations.      In  1615,  also,   Robert  Bv- 
lot,  in  company  with  BafKn,  maele  a  voyage  in  search  of  the    Nortliwest 
Passage.     They  proceeded  to  Ihulson's  Bay  and  searched  in  vain  for  an 
outlet  on  the  west  coast  of  that  great   interior   sea,  whicli    thev  iiad  sup- 
posed was  a  gulf  of  the  Pacific.        How  little  they  andd  have    imagined 
that  were  the  way  as  open  as  that  by  wiiich  they  had  come,  they   would 
yet  be  but  little  more  than  half  way  from  Enghuul  to   the  "  South  Sea" 
in  the   latitude  they   were   exploring.        All    analogy  pointed    the  other 
way;  sea  and  land  alternated  at  comparatively  short   distances.        There 
was   no   such    lireadtli  of  unbroken    continent  within   their   knowledge. 
Northern  Asia  presented  a  similar,  and  with  Northern  Europe,  a  broader 
continuity  uninterrupted  hy  ocean  or  sea,  but  tliose  regions  were  as  much 
unknown  to  the  men  of  tliat  age  as  the  recently  discovered  New  World. 
Captain    Bylot's    report    was    unfavorable    to   tlie    theory   based   on   Sir 
Thomas  Button's  opinion,  that  the  Nortluvest    Passage  was  lo  be  found 
leading  out  of  Hudson's    Bay. 

It  would  have  been  a  great  gain  had  Bylot's  opinion  prevailed 
instead  of  Button's,  and  had  Hudson's  IJay  been  thenceforth 
avoided    by    all    in    s>earch    of  the    long-sought    passage.     The     limits, 


BAFFIN'S  BA  T  DISCO  VERED. 


91 


one   might   say,  within    which   it  can  alone   be   found,   if  at    all,    are 
being  narrowed;  but  the  distance  is  long  and  the  way  lies  through  a  lab- 
yrinth of  straits  and  islands.     And  every  mile  of  tl\e  way  is  more  or  less 
liable  to  be  blocked  by  the  ice  according  to  the  changes  of  the  wind  and 
the  seasons.     Yet  the  isroblem  remains,  and   challenges  humanity  for  a 
solution;  and  so   generation  after  generation  of  heroic  navigators  nerve 
themselves  to  the  task.       Each  successive  aspirant  for  the  distinction  of 
discoverer  of  the  hidden  pathway,  dwells  on  the  difficulties,  ponders  over 
them  carefully,  studies  all  the  pros  and  cons  until  he  has  solved  the  puz- 
zle in  his     closet.      He  then    enlists   some    government  or  wealthy  in- 
dividaal  in  his  project;  inspires   them  with  a  share  of  his  enthusiasm  or 
magnetism,  and  the  outfit  is  provided.     Arriving  at  Greenland,  he  finds 
ice-floe    and  icebergs  utterly   impenetrable   to    enthusiasm,    and  almost 
equally  so  to  sails  and  oars  and    sledges.       And   thus  for  generations 
the  work  progresses.       Brave,  skillful  and  hardy  navigators  snatchmg  at 
the  risk  of  their  lives,  and  of  the  lives  of  men  under  their  charge,  here  a 
headland,  there  an  expanse  of  water;    again  an   island   or  a  river,  and 
ever  the  problem  remains  unsolved;  but  ever,  too,  the  possible  limits  are 
narrowing,  and    man   becomes  satisfied  that  if  to  be  solved  at  all,  he  is 
evermore  nearing  the  solution.     Such  problems  have  their  uses  in  the  in- 
crease of  knowledge  and  the  development  of  the  race. 

In  1616,  Bylot  and  Baffin,  giving  the  entrance  to  Hudson's  Bay  a 
wide  bertli,  pushed  northward  through  Davis'  Strait  und  discovered 
what  they  named  Baffin's  Bay,  and  thus  in  their  turn  gave  currency  to 
an  error  which  had  as  much  influence  as  that  of  Button,  in  retardiii"-  the 
actual  discovery  of  the  Northwest  Passage.  They  seemed  to  have  been 
deceived  by  the  western  trend  of  Greenland,  and  to  have  on  that  account 
concluded  that  the  broad  expanse  of  water  which  they  had  discovered, 
was  land-locked  on  the  north.  They  entered  Lancaster  Sound  as  well  as 
Jones'  and  Smith's  Sounds,  and  yet  did  not  doubt  the  correctness  of  their 
conclusion.  They  bclicvcl  all  three  to  be  inclosed  gulfs  or  inlets  to  the 
bay  ;  and  so,  lacking  c^.portunity  to  explore  them  more  thoroughly 
they  returned  to  England,  and  Bylot's  report  of  the  voyage  gave  cur- 
rency to  the  error.     Bylot  and   Baffin   had   earned    their  reputations  iis 


I 


! 


88 


'  I  i 


VOrAGE  OF  THE  DISCOVERr. 


to    II 


caiLful  and  experienced  navi{,':itors  ;  and  where  their  observations  could 
be  verified   they  were  found  to  be  exceptionally   correct.     What   more 
natural    than     not    to   suspect    the     fallacy    tiiat   had   deceived    them  ? 
Whether  Lancaster,  Jones  or  Smith  Sounds  were  straits,  or  gulfs,  was 
not  a  question  to  be  determined  by  conjectures  of  even  experienced  navi- 
gators, but    by  actual  exploration.     And  in  this  way  are   errors    often 
generated  and  perpetuated.     In   this  famous  voyage   the  crew    consisted 
of  only  fourteen  men  and    two  boys,  besides  Rylot  and  his  mate  or  pilot, 
Baffin.     The   vessel    was   the    Discovery,  the  same  that  had    so    often 
braved  the  dangers  of  tliose  seas.      They  saw  icebergs— fortunately  they 
did  not  meet  them  at  close  quarters— which  they  computed  to  reach  240 
feet  above  the  water,  and  to  be  probal^ly    in  all,  1680  feet  high.     In  the 
neighborhood  of  Resolution  Island,  Baffin  witnessed  the  phenomenon  of 
seeing  the  sun  and  the  moon  at  the  same  time,  and  availed  himself  of  the 
opportunity   to  compute  the   longitude.     He  adds  :  «  If  observations   of 
this  kind,  or  some  other,  were  made  of  places  far  remote,  as  at  the  Cape 
Bona  Speranza,  Bantam,  Japan,  Nova  Albion,  and  Magellan's  Straits, 
I    suppose  we  should  all  have  a  truer  geography  than  we    have."     Ob- 
serving the  tide  to  flow  from   the  northward  they  were  at   one  time  con- 
fident  of  success,  but   finding   the  water   shallow  in  the   inlets  they  had 
entered,  and  being  threatened   by  the  ice,  they  returned,  passing  Resolu- 
tion Island  in    the   l)cginning  of    August,    and    arriving    in    England    a 
month  later,  without  tlie  loss  of  a  man. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

VOYAGES  OF  DUTCH  UESUMKO  _  MANHATTAN  ISLAND  OCCUPIED- 
FIRST  VOYAGE  AUOUND  THK  HOUN-VOYAGE  OK  MUNK- CASKS 
nUUST    liY    EKOST— V0YA(;E    OK    THE    MAYFLOWER. 

The  defeat  ami  death  of  Sebastian  of  Portugal   by  the   Moors  at  Al- 
cazar-Kebir  in  1578,  and  the  extinction   of  the  old  line  of  soverei-ns,  hy 
the  death  of  his  uncle,  the  archbishop,   Kinjr  Henry,  in  15S0,  led^y'the 
union  of  that  kingdom  with  Spain,  and  the  decay  of  its  maritime  and  col- 
onial power.     The  Dutch    exerted  themselves,   with  success,  to  seize  the 
Portuguese  trr.de  with  the  East,  without,  however,  embarrassing   them- 
selves by  establishing  military  colonies  or  waging  wars  of  subjugation. 
The  trade,  not  the  territory,  was  what  they  sought,  and  this  they  adroit- 
ly slipped  into.     Their  late   sovereign,  Philip   H.,  who  had   just    imited 
the  crowns  of  Portugal  and  Spain,  had  exhausted  his  finances  in  the  long 
effort  to  subdue  them;    and  was  more  interested  in  quarrels  with  France 
and    England,    than    in     maintaining    the    maritime    supremacy    of  his 
dominions.     This  pre-occupation  furnished  the  enterprising  Dutch  with  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  prosecute  their  schemes  of  commercial  aggrand- 
izement.    They   soon  secured  a  virtual    m.mopoly  of  the  coasting^trade 
of  the  East.     Within    a    few    years    of  the  organization   of  theh-  great 
trading  corjooration,  known   as  the  East   India  Company,  in  1602,  "they 
had  established  central  entrepots,  for  revictualing  and    repairing,  as  well 
as  for  influencing  the  natives  and  controlling  their  trade,  at  the  Cape  of 
GoodHopeJava,  Sumatra,  Borneo,  and  the    Moluccas.     They  secured 
exclusive  control  of  the  spice  trade  with  these  last  named  islands. 

Meanwhile,  through  the  good  fortune  of  the  discovery,  in  1609,  by 
Hudson,  while  temporarily  in  their  employ,  of  tiie  Delaware  and  the 
Hudson,  or  as  they  called  them,  the  South  and  North  Rivers,  the  Dutch 
gained  a  foothold  in  North  America,  which  they  were  not  loner  in  mak- 

89 


I 


00 


V02'AGE  AROUND  CAPE  IIOHN. 


\\v^  use  of  ;is  a  center  of  trade  with  the  savajifcs  of  the  New  Worhl.  In 
1613  they  sent  out  a  mercantile  colony  to  occupy  Manhattan  Islaiul, 
now  New  ^'ork.  In  161  f  Adriacn  Block  explored  Lon<^  Islaiul  Sound, 
in  a  small  vessel  l)uilt  l)y  him  in  American  waters;  and  the  same  year 
Cornelius  Jacohsen  Mey  was  sent  out  from  Amsterdam  to  explore  the 
coast  north  from  the  Delaware.  The  (ixclusiveness  of  the  Dutch  I'^ast 
India  Company  in  relation  to  the  specially  j)rofitahle  spice  trade  of  the 
Moluccas,  led  to  an  important  maritime  discovery, 

FIRST  VOYAGE  AROUND   THE  HORN. 

The   States-General  of  the  Netherlands  were  sharers  in  the  profits  of 
the  trading  company  they  had  established,,  and   had  ordained  that  none 


CAPK    IIOKN. 


hut  tlie  servants  of  the  company  should  <^o  to  the  Spice  Islands.  As  an 
at'.leil  protection,  llie  routes  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  the  Straits 
of  Magellan  were  by  law  reserved  for  their  exclusive  use.  The  other 
merchants  might  traUk-  all  the  world  over  with  these  trilling  restrictions, 
but  to  ste(  r  their  barks  l)y  either  of  tliese  routes  entailed   the   penally   of 


■I 


A'        I 


I 


SCANDINAVIAN  VOYAGES.  91 

confiscation  of  the  vessels,  and  arrest  of  the  owners.  Schontcn,  a  navi- 
f^-ator  of  experience  and  ability,  conceived  the  project  of  (hulin-  a  passa<re 
south  of  the  Straits  of  Maf,a>llan.  Assisted  in  the  enterprise  by  Lemai^e, 
who  also  accompanied  him  as  snpercar<.o,  or  perhaps  as  captain  of  one  of 
tiie  vessels,  and  some  other  merchants  „f  Horn  in  Holland,  Schonten, 
i<.  1615,  Htted  out  two  vessels,  and  made  the  first  voya-e  by  way  of  the' 
American  Cape,  which  he  called  Hon,  in  honor  of  the  town  in  Holland 
where  the  expedition  had   been   or^janized. 

The    strait    between    Terra  del    Fue^^o    and    Staten  Island-that   is, 
.stand     of  the    States    of   Holland,  also    so     named     by     Schonten_he 
named    m    honor   of    bis    companion,    Lemaire,   who,    for   all    that     it 
appears    was    himself  its    actual  .liscoverer.       After    many    adventu'res 
and  discoveries   in    t],c    islands   of    the    Pacific,    they   arrived    "n  safety 
at   the    Moluccas,  in   sixteen   months  from   the  day  of  their  rleparture 
trom    the    Texel.        Their    vessels  were   confiscated    bv  the   East   India 
Company,    an,l    ofik-ers    and    erew    sent     home     for    trial.      Lemaire 
cl.sappomted  and  excessivel'y  cha.<.rinecl  at  such  a  reward  for  the  services 
rendered,  and  the  discoveries  nuule  by  himself  and  companion,  died   on 
'He  voya<^e  home,  at  Mauritius,  in    ,616.     Schontcn,    less  sensitive  than 
h.spatron,then.erchant,and,  as    an   experienced   captain,    more    accus- 
tomed to  tile  arbitrary    proceedings  of  the  officials  of  the    great  Dutch 
company,  lived  to  perform  several  routine  voyages  to  the  East,  and  died 
■n  ^(^^S.  "i  tlie  Hay  of  Antongil,  on  the  east  coast  of  Madagascar,  where 
he  liad  taken  refuge  from  tempestuous  weather  on  his  last  return  voya<^e 
-a  liero  of  maritime  exploration  not  so  celebrated  as  some,  but  wonhy 
ol   benig  rescued  from  olilivion. 

VOYAGE   OF  JENS   MUNK. 

Christian  IV.,  of  Denmark  and  Norway,made  an  advanta<aH,us 
peace  with  Custavus  Adolphus  in  .6,,^;  an.l  was  thus  enabled  to  turn 
Ins  attention  to  the  welfare  of  his  sul^jects.  Kc  strengthened  the  mari- 
tnnc  uuerests  and  power  of  his  kingdom,  a,ul  extende.l  its  commerce  to 
t'H'  I.ast  Indies,  where  be  was  the  first  sovereign  of  Denmark  to  gain 
possessions.      \\^-  curbing  the  encroachments  of  the   Ilause  towns  he  en- 


02 


STOJiES  DESTIiOVED  liV  I'liOST. 


lar<ijc(I  llii>  splicrc  of  inland  trade-  for  liis  snlijcct' .  I'^ioni  a  soverciijfn  of 
such  I)roa(I  ideas  and  niaj^uanimoiis  purposes  it  was  nnlnial  lo  seek  for 
cncouraj^L'incnt  in  nortlicni  exploration,  lie  had  anthoii/ed  a^  early  as 
1605  the  search  expedition  under  Admiral  Lindeinan,  with  the  Enj^lish- 
nian  James  Hall,  as  pilot,  and  tin;  other  (rreenland  voya'^es  of  that 
period,  wliieh  have  heen  previously  mentioned.  And  now,  in  1619,  an 
able  navijj^ator  named  Jens  Munk  was  sent  out  in  command  of  two  ves- 
sels,  one  with  tortv-eii^ht  seamen  and  tiie  other  with  oiUy  sixteen.  He 
left  Elsinore  on  the  iSth  of  Mav  and  maile  foi'  the  south  coast  of  (irecil- 
land.  He  pioceeded  from  Cape  Farewell  lo  HudsoiTs  IJav  directly 
throu<:fh  Iludsc^i's  Strait,  which  he  named  ChristiaiTs  Strait  in  honor  of 
his  sovereign.  The  new  name  was  not  retained.  DaiiiNli  voyai^ers  were 
too  few,  and  I^iiLi'lish  too  man\-  in  those  waters,  to  permit  it.  He  met  a 
yreat  deal  of  'ce,  and  on  the  7th  of  Septemhcr  entered  what  is  known 
as  Chesterlield  Inlet  on  the  northwest  coast  ol"  Hudson's  l>ay,  wiiere  he 
was  compelled  to  winter.  The  ice  closed  in  rapidly  around  him,  and 
he  l)e<,'an  at  once  to  erect  huts.  As  soon  as  these  wei'c  completed  they 
bet^'an  to  provide   winter  su[)plies  hy   lumtinLT. 

I'^ortunately  .i^ame  was  abundant.  Hears,  foxes,  hares,  parlridijjes, 
and  various  wild  fowls  were  made  available,  and  they  collected 
a  ;_;()odlv  store,  yet  not  enough  for  the  loni;-  winter.  With  the 
perversitv  born  of  superstition  thev  interpreted  some  unusual  appear- 
ances thev  noted  in  the  sun  and  moon  as  ill  omens.  And  when 
their  brandv,  wine,  and  beer,  expanded  by  the  frost,  hurst  the 
casks,  a  part  of  the  evil  pro])hec\-  was  fulillled  because  of^ 
their  ignorance.  They  consumed  these  to  excess  to  keep  them  from 
bein!4-  entirely  lost,  not  knowiuL;'  that  to  lose  them  wouKl  ha\e  piox-ed  a 
great  .Li^ain,  since  imprudence  in  their  use  rapidlv  lirouL^ht  on  disease, 
and  this  hastened  the  fuliUlment  of  their  wor>t  forebodinn-s.  The  rei^u- 
lar  supplies  of  food  were  rannin;^-  low,  and  the  scuiAy  and  other  diseases 
to  which  they  had  fallen  a  prey  throuijjh  over-indulLjence  in  spirituous 
and  malt  liquors,  untilted  them  for  replenishiuLf  their  stores.  Wild  fowl 
was  still  abundant,  but  they  could  not  kill  or  capture  them.  IJefore  the 
end  of  May,  1620,  sixty-two  out   of   the   sixty-lour   men  had  jierished  by 


ifi    . 


ENGLISH  VurAuE  OF  COLONIZATluN, 


9<I 


famine  an  iiscnsc,  ami  only  Munk  and  two  seamen  survived.  liy  su- 
l)crlii  \iitions  they  inana.i^ed  to  obtain  some  means  of  suhsiHtetice; 

"lid  l>  rajua;^  away  tlic  snow  icy  found  some  jjrasses,  roots,  and 
iierhs,        lii'     relieved  tl     in   o*"    the  -y.     They  crawled  to  a  nei;^h- 

1)1    inj,'  stream  and  cauj,'hl  fM  nod  by  this  healthful  food,  and 

free  fi  in  thi-  (hm^'er  of  :iK()hoiK  sli  nilants,  they  soon  were  able  to  kill 
birds  and  aiiiii  ds,  '''hey  now  proceeded  to  fit  the  smaller  vessel  for  the 
homeward  vc^  i^je,  I  actually  accomplished  the  feat,  arriving  in  Nor- 
way on  the  25th  of  ,Sepleml)er. 

COLONIZATION   VOYAGES. 


Amoii<r  the   vovai^es  of 
;^j    coloni/atioii    of  this  period, 
.:     '  "^^y    none    is    more    notew      thy 
-    -    than    that    of    the     "  May» 
flower,"  which  arrivetl  at  Cape  Cod, 
with   the  "  Pilgrim  ''  colonists   Nov. 
i.A.Nni.NG  01  tut:  MAvi'i.owKK.  2  1,    1620.       "^riierc     were     fortv-one 

adult  male-  besides  wunicu  and  children,  and  lormed    the  nucleus  of  the 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


& 


Jo 


/i         "^Md        /////     ^ 


t^ 


^ 


^< 


fA 


;/, 


1.0    Iria  IIM 


I.I 


11.25 


I^  1^    12.0 


1-4    llli  1.6 


FliotDgraphic 

Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


r^ 


..* 


^cT    C'? 


fA 


i 


i 


04 


NEWFOUNDLAND  COLONIZED. 


fill 


New  England  settlements.  These  first  arrivals  were  r.  branch  of  the 
Puritans,  and  had  souglit  refuge  in  Holland  from  the  persecutions  to 
which  they  were  subjected  in  England.  Not  finding  their  associations 
and  surroundings  congenial  in  Holland,  they  conceived  the  idea  of  set- 
tling in  America.  They  obtained  a  grant  from  the  southern  branch  of 
the  English  colonization  company,  known  as  the  London  or  Virginia 
Company,  but  haj.pened  to  land  on  the  domain  of  the  northern  or 
Plymouth  Company. 

In    1 62 1  a  colony  was  established  in  Newfoundland  by  Lord  Balti- 
more.    Several   other  colonization  voyages  to  various  points  along  the 
Atlantic  coast  of  America  were  inaugurated  under  English,  French  and 
Dutch  auspices,  in  the   time  which   intervened    between    the  northern 
exploring  voyage  of  Jens  Munk,  the  Dane,  and   the   next  one  of  the 
same  sort  which  merits  our  attention.     Some   of  these  were  to  foimd 
new  settlements,  and  some  to    strengthen  those  already  established;  but 
all   are  alike   foreign  to  the   scope   of  our  work,  and  though   full  of 
interest,  must  be  omitted. 


iijlH;.: 


\ 


CHAPTER    X. 


VOVAOES  OK  KOX  AND  JAMES-ENTrUPHISK  OK  BKISTOI.  .VKUCi.ANTS 
-MARVELOUS  ESCAPE  FROM  ICEBERGS-REACH  OPEN  V^ATKR- 
I^AND  ON  CHARLTON  ISLAND  _  THE  SHIP  SUNK -HUILDI.Vc;  A 
BOAT-SUFFERING  AND  DEATH-THE  BOAT  LAUNCHED-POEM 
OF  JAMES— THE    RETURN    VOYAGE. 

In  1631  Captain  Luke  Fox  was  given  command  of  cnc  of  the 
kmg's  ships,  to  search  for  a  Northwest  Passage.  On  taking  leave  the 
kmg  furnished  him  with  a  chart  exhibiting  all  his  predecessors^  discov- 
eries, a  letter  of  instructions,  and  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Emperor 
of  Japan.  Fox  says  "  he  had  been  itching  after  northern  discovery  ever 
smce  1606,  when  he  wished  to  have  gone  as  mate  to  John  Knight  "  In 
h.s  account  of  his  voyage,  he  warns  -'the  gentle  reader  not  to  expect 
here  any  flourishing  phrases  or  eloquent  terms;  for  this  child  of  mine 
begot  in  the  northwest's  cold  clime,  where  they  breed  no  scholars  is' 
not  able  to  digest  the  sweet  milk  of  rhetoric." 

In  Hudson's  Strait,  Fox  was  much  hampered  with  ice,  and  yet  the 
masses  he  met  were  "  seldom    bigger  than    a    church."     At    Salisbury 
Island,  in  Hudson's  Strait,  63°,  37',  he  observed  that  the  needle  became 
sluggish,  which  he  ascribed  to    "the    sharpness    of  the    air    interposed 
between  the  needle  and  the  attractive  point."     He  gave  the  name,  Sir 
Thomas   Roe's  Welcome,  to  an  island  on  the  northwest  coast  of  Hud- 
son's Bay,  but  the  channel  dividing  Southampton  Island  from  the  main- 
land ,s  now  known  by  that  name.     It  has  not  yet  been  definitely  ascer- 
tained  whether  Southampton    is   one  or  many  islands.     On  the  island 
discovered  by  Fox   was  found  a  burying-ground  of  the  natives;  and    it 
was  ascertained  that  they  had  deposited  with  the  dead,  bows,  arrows  and 
da.ts,  miny  of  them  with  iron  heads,  and  one  with  copper.     At  Nelson's 
River  he   fcund  the  cross  erected   by  Sir   Thomas  Button.     It  was  in 

96 


i  til 


W      I 


96 


BOAT  DESTROrED  IN  THE  ICE. 


this  neighborhood  that  he  met  Captain  James'  vessel  on  the  29th  of 
August,  which  he  visited  with  a  few  of  his  men.  He  seems  to  have 
sailed  directl\  homeward  after  that  interview,  for  he  arrived  in  Eno-. 
land  on  the  last  day  of  OcLober,  "  not  having  lost  one  man  or  boy,  nor 
any  manner  of  tackling,  having  been  forth  nearly  six  months;  all 
glory  be  to  God."  At  Roe's  Welcome  he  had  observed  the  tide  set 
in  from  the  north,  and  this,  together  with  the  great  number  of  whales 
met  there,  leil  him  to  think  he  was  near  the  Northwest  Passa<re.  or 
entrance  to  the  South  Sea.  He  contributed  to  keep  up  the  theory  that 
in  Hudson's  Bay  would  be  found  the  coveted  route  to  Japan. 

Bylot  and  Baffin  had  pronounced  against  it,  but  they  had  also  de- 
clared against  Baffin's  Bay,  and  public  opinion  in  England  was  divided, 
but  with  a  preference  for  the  former.  It  certainly  opened  far  to  the 
south  and  west,  which  was  as  certainly  the  direction  in  which  lay  the 
South  Sea.  What  is  more  natural  then  than  to  connect  the  two  in  im- 
agination, and  infer  their  connection  in  fact.? 

Not  to  be  outdone  by  the   London  merchants,    who  supplied   Fox's 
outfit,  those  of  Bristol  furnished  a  similar  exiDcditiou  on  the  same  errand, 
in  the  hope  of  winning  the  glory  of  the  coveted  discovery  for  the  good 
city  of  Bristol,  from  which  the  Cabots  had  sailed  five  generations  before. 
Their  sliip  was  intrusted  to   Captain   Thomas  James,    who    was  kindly 
furnished  liy  the  king  with  a  duplicate  of  the  documents  given  to  Fox. 
James  selected  a  crew  of  twenty-two  picked  men  for  his    vessel  of 
seventy  tons,  or  twice  as   many  as    were    absolutely    necessarv.     They 
were  all  active,  sober  young  men,  and  unmarried,  and  had  been  chosen 
from  a  body  of  seamen  who  had  never  made  a  voyage  to  those   regions. 
They  left  Milford  on  the  17th  of  May   and   sighted  Greenland  on    the 
4th  of  June.     One  of    the    boats    was    ripped    by    the    ice,    but    soon 
repaired,  the  ship  being  carefully  provided   with  all  things  necessary  to 
meet  such  accidents,  as  well  as  with  a  supply  of  provisions  for  eighteen 
months.     This  was  largely  due  to  the  wise  forethought  of    the  com- 
mander.    Around  icebergs  and  through  ice  hoes,  with  sails  and  cord- 
age frozen,  they  threaded  their  weary  way  to  Resolution  Island,  which 
they   reached  on  the  i8th.     For   five    days    they    hung   between    life 


!  S 


1^ 


i 


D/SCOVEIil' OF  yAMES  BAT.  qT 

and  death,  engaged  in    an    incessant    struggle    to  keep  tiie  ship  from 
being  crushed  by  the  icebergs,  which  somotimes  overhung    her    deck 
and  gratecl  her    sides.     In    gratitude    for    their  escape    from    destruc- 
tion they  named  the  place  the  »  Harbor  of  God's  Providence."      Cap- 
tain James,  with  great  exertion   and   at    great    risk,  found  a  sheltered 
cove  at  6i?24',to  which  they  now    succeeded    in   working    the  boat. 
The  rise  of  a  favorable  wind  on  the  next  day  induced  them  to  leave 
this  secure  refuge  and    renew  the    battle  with  the    ice  floes.     Not   an 
acre  of  open  sea  could  be  discerned  from  the    masthead,  and  the  ice- 
pack crunched  against  the  sides  of  the  ship  with    such    violence    that 
they  feared  it  would  tear  away  the  planks  and  break    her    to  pieces. 
It  was  the  6th  of  August  before  they  got  into  the    open  sea,  and  on 
the   nth  they  saw   land   on    the  western    shore  of    Hudson's    Bay,  in 
latitude   59%o'.     On    the  22d,  while  at  anchor,  tho   ship  was  dri'ven 
by  a  gale,  but  fortunately  the  anchor  again  caught,  while  the  sudden 
shock  nearly  proved  fatal  to  several  of  the  crew.     Eight    of  them  were 
hurled  from  the  capstan,  and  all  were  more  or   less   injured.     One,    the 
gunner's    mate,    had    bis    leg    so    crushed    that  it  became  necessary  to 
amputate  it. 

After  the  visit  from  Captain  Fox,  whom  they  entertained  on  board 
as  well  as  circumstances  would  permit,  on  the    29th    of  August,  some- 
where in  the  xicinity  of  Nelson   River,  they    continued    to    explore  the 
southern    coast,   moving    eastward.      On    the    3d   of   September    they 
sighted  the  cape  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay  which  has  been  called  James' 
Bay  in  honor  of  the  navigator.     This  headland  James  named  Cape  Hen- 
rietta, in  honor  of  the  Queen  of  England.     Proceeding  south,  he    next 
discovered  an  island,  in  latitude  52^'  45',  which  he  named  Lord  Weston's 
Island;  and  in  52^  10',  one  to  which   he  gave  the  name  of  his  patron. 
Sir  Thomas  Roe.    James  had  some  hope  of  finding  a   passage   to   the 
"  River  of  Canada,"  the  St.  Lawrence,  from  the  foot  of  the  bay.     They 
landed  on  several  small  islands  m  search  of  an   eligible  spot    for  winter 
quarters,  a^-  it  was  growing  late  in  the  season  and  their  ship  had  received 
some  injury  in  its  battles  with  the  ice,  rocks,  and  shoals.       On  the  2d 
ofOctober,^four  months  after  they  had   sighted    Greenland,  a  landing 


I 


1 


98 


■  'I  !  i 

J;' 

if;,. 

*•    !.■    1 


SCUTTLING  THE  SHIP. 


was  effected  on  a  well-wooded  coast  which  they  first  named  for  the  Earl 
of  Derby,  but  this  name  they  afterward  changed,  for  some  unexplained 
reason,  to  Charlton  Island.  From  its  highlands  they  could  see  nothn.. 
more  suitable  to  the  south,  tne  bottom  of  the  bay  being  studded  with 
rocks  and  shoals. 

They  now  cut  a   large  quantity  of  wood,  enough  at  least  for  three 
months'  fuel,  and  at  the   request  of  the  sick,  erected  a  hut  on  the  island 
They  explored  the  island  carefully,  among  other  objects  to  ascertain  if 
there  were  any  savages.  They  found  traces  of  them,  but  none  were  then 
on  the  island.      A  party  of  six  proceeded  into  the  interior  on  a  hunting 
expedition,  Oct.    14,     and      returned     the   next    day     with     one    deer 
which  they   had  brought  twelve  miles.       They   reported   havin^    seen' 
some  others.    A  few  days  later  another  p.irty  set  out  to  explore  thelsland 
and  returned  unsuccessful  and  disabled  by  the  cold.     They  lost  one  m.n 
who,  in  crossing  a  pond,  broke  through  the   ice   and  was  drawn  under 
They  dug  a  well  near  the   hut,  obtaining   drinkable  water   but  of    a  pe 
cuhar  taste.     On  r  he  12th  of  November  the  hut  took  fire,  but  they  were 
able  to  save  it.       Thenceforth  they  kept  up  a  regular  fire-watch;  for  as 
they  required  great    fires  to  protect  them  from  the  cold  it  was  necessary 
to  use  every  precaution  to  prevent  the  disaster  of  being  burned  out.    On 
the  32d  died  one   of  .heir  number  who  had   lost  a  leg  at  the  time   the 
eight  had  been  hurled  from  the  capstan. 

Not  finding  a  sheltered  spot  for  the  vessel,  she  lay  at  anchor  off  the 
.slar  J,  exposed  to  the  ice,  and  on  the  24th  she  was  driven  by  the  pressure 
toward  the  shore  and  stopped  a  mile  from   the    land   in   twelve   feet  of 
water.     Finally,   on  the  29th,  after  the  ship  had   been  forced  close  to 
the  shore  by  the  wind  and  ice,  they  scuttled  and  sunk  her.     They  saved 
most  of  the  provisions,  but   lost  their  clothes  and  the  medicine  chest 
The  seventeen  that  had  remained  now  joined  the  sick  in   the  hut,  and 
thawed  themselves  out  by  a  rousing  fire.     The  captain  encouraged  them 
to  hope  for  the  best,  reminding   them  that  if  the  worst  came  they  wei- 
as  near  to  heaven  there  as  in  England.     They  pledged  themselves  to  be 
faithful   to  one  another,  to  do  their  utmost  for  the  common  welfare,  and 
obey  their  commander  to  the  death.       Should  the  ship  prove  irrecovera- 


iil 


or  the  Earl 
nexplained 
ee  nothinj^ 
idded  with 

t  for  three 
the  island, 
iscertain  if 
were  then 
a  hunting 
one    deer, 
ving   seen 
the  island, 
:  one  man 
k^n  under. 
:  of    a  pe- 
thej^  were 
:h;  for  as 
necessary 
out.    On 
time   the 

r  off  the 
pressure 

s  feet  of 
close  to 

ey  saved 

le  chest. 

but,  and 

ed  them 

sy  were 

es  to  be 

are,  and 

icovera- 


BUILDING  A  BOAT.  jg 

ble  or  unseaworthy  in  the  spring,  they  would  build  a  boat  from  the  tim- 

bers  and  the  wood  on  the  island,  and  try  to  return  to  the  haunts  of  civil- 

ized  men,  if  not  to  England,  by  that  means. 

On  the  .oth  of  December  the  carpenter  began  to  work  on  the  new 

boat.       The  crew  were  busily  engaged  from  the  first  to  the  twenty-first 
of  the  month,   rescuing  goods  from  the  hold  of  the   vessel,  and  taking 
them  to  the  shore  with  great  difficulty.      The  well  had  frozen,  but  they 
found  a  spring  of  water  under  the  snow  at  a  short  distance,  which  served 
them  better.     They  constructed  three  more   huts,   one  of  which  was  to 
serve  as   a   kitchen.       The    snow  covered    their  houses,  adding  to  the 
warmth,  and  they  celebrated  Christmas  as  joyfully  as  could  be  expected 
Knowmg  nothing  of  Gulf  Stream   or  isothermal   lines,  they  were  at  a 
loss  to  understand  how  the  climate  could  be  so  much  more  severe  than 
in  the  corresponding  latitude  at  home.     They  were  about  on  a  line  with 
the  port  of  Harwich,  and  not  quite  one  degree  and  a  quarter  north  of  the 
latitude  of  London. 

By  the  end  of  January  the  ground  was  frozen  to  a  depth  of  ten  feef 
and  the  men  were  terribly  afflicted  by  disease,  accompanied  with  sores,' 
pams    and    swellings  ;  fully  two-thirds  being   ut.der  the  surgeon's  care. 
They  bore  up  manfully,  and  despite  their  privations  and  sufferings,  strug 
gled  bravely  for  their  common  safety.     With  feet  frost-bitten  and  shoe- 
less, and  wrapped  in  rags  as  a  substitute,  they    walked  into  the  forest    to 
gather  their   daily  supply    „f   u'ood.     And    so   thev    fought    the    battle 
through  February,  with  the  special  discouragement' of  thT>  illness  of  the 
carpenter,    around  whom    chiefly  clustered  their    hopes  c.f  seeing   their 
native  land    again,     l^ut    the    brave   carpenter  managed   to  make   some 
headway  with  his  boat  and  kept  at   Nvork  even  when  so  ill  as  to  require 
to  be  carried  to  it.     He  supplied  models  of   the  timbers  he   wanted,  and 
the  men  searched  for   suitable  trees  through   the  forest,  cut  them    down 
and  brought  them  to  him.     By   Easter,   April  ist,  he  was   entirely  dis- 
abled, with  four  others;  of  the  remainder  only  as  manv  more  retained 
strength  and  appetite  to  consume  their  daily  allowance  of  food.     The 
well  waited  on  the  sick,  the  sick  did  what  service  they  could,  and  so  they 
continued  to  fight  the  good  fight,  and  do  their  duty  one  to  another. 


I 


Il.'l 


100 


THE  NEW  VESSEL  LAUNCHED. 


101 


Di 


\r\wg  April  those  wlio  were   st 


am  in 


injjf    the    vessel,    trying'    to 


ronjTcst  busied  themselves   wit! 


h    ex- 


tiew  boat  was  about  half  built,  but  th 


ascertain    it"    she    was   seaworthy.      The 


both  f; 


le  car 


brok 


:ul  It  would  be  necessary  to  cross  to  the  mainland 


penter  was  dying,  and  should 


eup.     They  celebrated  the  last  ni<fht  o/ April, 


on  the  ice,  before  it 


the  eve  of  May-day, 


wuh  the  observances  customary  in  those  days  in  En,.land,  thus  trying  to 
keep   up   their  spirits  by  feignino-  a  jollity  they  .lid  not  feci,  and   uncon- 
sc.o.,sly  n^cogni^ing  a    law  of  human    liti-    that    cheerfulness  promotes 
health.     Ihe  uKuster's  n>ate  died  on    the  sixth,  and   the  carpenter  on  the 
eighteenth  of   May,  reducing   their  number  to  eighteen  besides  the  cap- 
tmn      Still  they  worked  at  the  ship,  and  to  their  industry  and  activity   is 
probably  to  be  ascribed  the  survival  of  so  large  a  proportion  of  them. 
The  captam  seemed  born  to  lead  under  adverse  circumstances.     And  he 
was  ably  seconded  by    his  men.     The  dying  carpenter  kept  at  his  work 
t.ll  the  last  moment,  and   left  the  boat  in  so  forward  a  state  that  the  men 
could  nnish   it,  should  the  ship   be  found  unfit  for  use.     All  honor  to  the 
memory  of  William  Cole,  one  of  the  earliest  heroes  of  Arctic  exploration' 
On  the  22d  they  succeeded   in  pumping  the  ship  almost  drv,  and  on  the 
24th  the  >ce  broke  all  along  the  bay  with  a  tremendous    noise      With 
then-  habitual  foresight  they  cleared  a  spot  for  vegetables  a  month  earlier 
and  these,  together  with  some  wild  vetches,  were  given  to  the  sick,  who 
were  much  benefited  thereby. 

By  the  Sth  of  June   they  had   pumped   the   ship  entirely  drv    and 
she  floatcl  in  the  dock  she  had   excavated   by   her  own   weight  "in    the 
sand.     On   the    nth  they  were  enabled  to  hang  the  rudder,  which  had 
been  lost  months  before  in  the  storm,   and  which  they  had    hunted  for 
with  great  labor  under  the  ice,  and  rescued  three  weeks  b  >fore      On  the 
16th  they  got  the   vessel   into  deep  water,  and  on    the    19th  ihev  saw   a 
considerable  expanse  of  open  sea,  and  towed  their  vessel  to  where  thev 
had   originally  anchored   her,  about  a   mile  fron.  the  shore.      They  now 
got  the  ballast  which  they  had  previously  thrown  overboard,  and  placed 
It  and  the  provisions  again  on  board.     June  21    Capt.    [ames  erected  a 
cross  on  which  he  inscribed   the  names  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Eng. 
land,  with  the  added  title  of  Sovereigns  of  Newfoundland,  and  of  ^these 


MP 


102 


POEM  OF  JAMBS. 


torntones  to    New  Albion,"  still    .....e.-  the   i.nprcssion   that    they  were 
near  Cah  ornia  arul  the  Sonth  Sea.     ()„  the   35th  he  built  a  Hre  on  the 
.snn.   n.the   hope  ..f  attracting   the   natives,   if  there  were  any  ..n    the 
■slancl,  and  had  ditHcuhy  in  escaping  nnharn.e.l.     TIk-  fire  spread  rapidly 
and  bnrned  the  honses  they  had   constrncted,  but  they   had  fortunately 
removed  everything  of  value  in  advance.     My  the  last  of  the  month  they 
a.l  the.r  sh.p  full  .,,,...,  an.l  everything,  in  order,  not   for^ettin,.   their 
dead  comrades,   over  whose   .raves  they  raised    n.emorial  cairns.     The 
body  o    the  one   buried  a,  sea  had  been  thrown  up   n.eanwhile,  an.l  was 
-n  erred  w.th   the   others.     July  the   ,irst  the  captain  n.ade   a   record    of 
what  ha<l  transpired  and  of  his  future  intentions,  and  left  it  at   the  cross 
he  had   erected.     They   paid   a    ,lna!    visit  to  the   to.nbs  of  their  dead, 
where  mormn,  and   evenin,  prayers  were  read,  and  the   last  meals  on 
and  were  prepare.l  an<I  eaten.     The   captain,  with   characteristic  ^ood 
feelm-,  composed  the  following  lines: 

I  were  unkind,  unless  that  I  did  shed 
Hoiorc  I  j,art,  some  tears  „pon  our  dead ; 

And  when  my  eyes  he  dry,  I  uiH  „ot  cease 

In  Iioart  to  pray  their  i,ones  may  rest  in  ,>eacc. 

'I'heir  better  parts,  good  souls,  I  know  wcmo  -iven 

With  the  intent  that  they  return  to  Heaven. 

'i'hcir  lives  they  spent  to  the  last  drop  of  hlood, 

•Seekin-  (Jod's  glory  and  their  eo  mtry's  good  ;' 

And  as  a  valiant  soldier  rather  dies 

Tha.i  yield  his  courage  to  his  enemies, 

And  stops  their  way  with  his  hew'd  tlesh,  when  death 

Hath  quite  dei^rived  him  of  his  strength  and  breath ; 

■So  have  they  spent  themselves,  an<i  here  they  lie, 

A  famous  mark  of  our  discoverv. 

We  that  survive,  perehanee  may  end  our  ilays 

In  some  employment  meriting  no  praise; 

They  have  outlived  this  fear,  and  their  brave  ends 

Will  ever  be  an  honor  to  their  friends. 

Why  drop  you  .so,  .nine  cyes.^     Nay,  rather  pour 

My  sad  departure  in  a  solemn  shower. 

The  winter's  eold  that  lately  froze  our  blood, 


loe 


DANGER  FROM  STORM. 

Now.  were  it  so  extre.no,  ,ni«ht  do  this  «ood 
Ah  make  these  tears  bright  pearls,  wnica  r  w'ouid  lay 
rombMsatelv  with  vou.  til,  d..o,...s  ratal  da,;  ' 

rhat  .n  this  solit^try  place,  where  none 

VV.ll  ever  eon.e  to  breathe  a  siKh  or  ,,roa„. 
^o.„e  remnant  nu^.u  be  extant  of  the  true 

And  faithiul  love  i  eve,  tender-d  you. 

On!  rest  in  peace,  dear  friends,  and-let  it  be 
No  Prule  to  s„y_the  sometime  part  of  ,ne. 
What  pain  and  anj,nush  doth  artliet  the  head 
1  he  heart  and  ston.aeh,  when  the  li„,hs  are  dead  ^ 

i>o  grieved  I  kiss  vour  m-.-e.    „  . 

-  """^  K''i'  es,  and  vow  to  die 

A  foster-father  to  your  n,emoryr 

/■pi 

Wind  and  icebergs  in  rrmes'  1^'!"".'  '^"^"^"''  ^'"'  '^'"'■''  '''''■'-'"  "bout  by 
.hey  pa.cd  Cape  il.i..::„  ''  ^j'^^  ''^  """'^  -""'•  <■"■■  "-..h 
it  on  eho  30th.     On  the  d^hth  of  A  u^^  ""''  "^"^"^  ''"'""  ""«» 

'-l^ing  ,h.ee  week,,  ..Le-a  .:"!    ,f  ■?"■,    ;''• '-'-  —"» 
grea.  danger  a,  ever,  for  the  ship   fcLcl'  si,   In       7  ""'"  "'"'  "'  " 

were  they  ,e.  free  of  .heir  p  rsi,    „.    „        '    T'^'  •'^'""""  '-•     ^or 

.n«:"hesai<,.ohavebee,/„e  HetTo^r  '"  '""  '^'"^■"  '^^^ 
'he  .7.h,  .hey  go.  clear  of  .he  ice  nd  I  .h  7  '"'"'*'•  ^'■"""^'  "" 
-«  'wodays,a.eri„  63"    30'    ibo  '  Th  "' "^"  "' "^^ °  -'• 

«"  ie.  .hey  „igh.  he  e!™p' ed' .„  rl ^  Lr";'"  "'  ""*^"''  ''"^• 
energy  .0  p„.  .,,e„  fo„h  hj^|  ,,;„    '  '~"  "'"'^"  """  "'e 

».°™  arose  o„  .he  .,.h  ,„        ,    ,  7"°" ''™'"  "^= '''^'-"  "-« 

'we„.y.fo„r  hours.     To  a  d         h     ■','°        """'"  '"'   ""-'-1'   '- 

>'~eo„ch,dod  .0  .urnti:::"  r  ."•",  ''^  ■"-  '->'• 

eo„.i„„ed  .0  warra„.„„.  ......her  effo,,,    't  e,  ,        "'"  ""'"  """""» 

1'he  year  had  been  exce„.io„,„  /       ''""°" '""'='" '"'"'^'i''"^- 

--red  on  .he  ,6.h  .^Z'Z:;^"'  """   '"^^   """  '^'-""^ 
When  .his    resolution  was   .akenTl    ,^     "^  ""'  '"  '"«'■'"<■■ '^5°  30', 

taken,  .,nd  s„II  among  icebergs  which  over. 


104 


ARRIVE  AT  liRlsroi. 


topped  the  mast.hca.l.  In  :.  week  dw-y  reached  Resolution  Island,  at 
the  mouth  of  Hudson's  Strait,  and  it  was  not  until  Oct.  2Z,  ,6»,  that 
they  reached  Bristol,  harassed  to  the  very  last  by  adverse  win.ls,  after 
.n  absence  of  seventeen  months  and  five  days,  or  very  nearly  the  period 
for  vvh.ch   Capt.  James   had  provided   .tores  a,  d  supplies  in  .-..Ivance 


Gl'I.I.V, 


CHAPTER   XI. 

AN  mTKKVAL  ..KTVVKKX  AKCU  VOV  A<;ks  _  wrXTKnrNr.  ,X  T„K 
ARCTIC  UEOION-nHATH  OK  M  A  V  KN-.nHKU  DITCH  VOV  Xc;ks_. 
CAPTAIN  ,:aVEN  U,SES  ,ns  .S,n,._,.HUTAMTV  «,.  A  m  cu 
CAPTAIN—WIllcit    IS    TIIK    WAV    TO    INDIA? 

A  \onir  interval  in  Arctic  voyaj^cs  of  exploration  now  eusuai.    The 
labors  of  Capuuns  Fox  and  Janu-s  had  increased  the  probability  that  the 
Northwest  Passa,a.  shonld  he  so.:,ht  elsewhe.e.     Th.  one  had  failed  to 
nnd  ,t  n,  the  extreme  north,  the  other  in  the  extrcn.e  south,  and   they 
and  the.r  predecessors,  in  the  west  of  Hudson's  Hay.     And,  as  we   have 
seen,  Baffin's  Bay  had  been  declared   against  by  its  discoverers.     Public 
opmion  ceased  to  be  occupied  with   the  question,  and  in  England  it  was 
very  earnestly  engaged   in  discussing  the  great    religious  an.l  political 
questions  of  the  day.     The  persecution  of  the  Puritans,  the  beheadin..  of 
Charles  I.,  the  rise  and  fall  of  Cromwell,  the  restoration  of  diaries  H 
the  revolution  and  expulsion  of  James  n.,with  the  turmoil  and  confusion' 
and  pre-occupation  incidental  to  these  various  changes,  left  little  leisure 
for  outs,de  enterprises.     "The  tight  little  island"  itself  supplied  an  ample 
field  for  the  enterprise  and  daring  of  her  most  adventurous   sons.     It  is 
only  m  tunes  of  peace   that  man   occupies   himself   with    discovery,    or 
makes  any  important  advance  in  the  arts  of  hfe.     The   art  of  w^r  is  . 
deadly  avs  and  all  its  tendencies  are   to  destruction.     It  may  sometimes 
be  necessary,  but  even  then  is  only  a  choice  of  evils. 

In  France,  "  the  wars  of  the  Fronde,"  the  struggles  of  the  parlia- 
ment and  of  the  nobility  ..gainst  the  encroachments  of  the  crown,  the 
burdens  of  taxation  and  administration,  and  later  on  the  militarv  erup- 
tions of  the  "  great  monarch,"  with  the  attendant  glory,  produced  the 
same  results  as  in  England,  in  relation  to  voyages  of  exploration. 
Meanwhile,  the   -Phirty    Years'  War,"   1618-48,    had    embroiled     all 

105 


106 


FROZEN   UP. 


Europe.     And   so  the    remainder    of  the  seventeenth   century,  stormy 
enough  on  land,  was  marked  by  a  complete  lull  in  maritime  exploration. 
Such  voyacres  as  were  undertaken  to  America  had  colonization,  not  dis- 
covery,  for  their   object;  and    in   them  were  engaged   some  of  the  most 
enterprising  spirits  among  the  English,  French  and    Dutch  of  that    age. 
But  commerce,  besides  supplying  the  wants  of  the  belligerent  hosts  con- 
tending on  almost  every  battlefield  of  Europe,  was  not  unmindful  of  the 
peculiar  riches  of  Arctic    seas.      Accordingly  we  find  that   Dutch  and 
English  whaling  voyages  continued   uninterruptedly,  and   from    among 
the-i  a  few   have  been  selected  as  most  noteworthy  for  the  stirring  ad- 
ventures, hairbreadth  escapes  and   tragic  endings  which    characterized 
them.     Through   such  experiences,  in  great  measure,  has  been  slowly 
and    painfully  gathered  a  knowledge   of  the    methods  and  precautions 
neLC.-nry   to  tlie  preservation  of  human  life  in  those  northern  latitudes. 

WINTERING   IN  THE  ARCTIC. 

The  Dutch  had  offered  prizes  to  such   as  would  volunteer  to  spend 
a  winter  on  Mayen  Island,   the  headquarters  of  the  whale  fishery.  This 
island  had  been  discovered  and  taken  possession  of  for  the  States  of  Hol- 
land, in    i6ii,bythe  captain  of  one   of  their  whalers,  Jan   Mayen,  for 
whom  it  was  named.     In  the  summer  of   1633,  before   the  return  of  the 
whaling  fleet,  seven  men  volunteered  to  winter  there,  in  latitude  71°,  not 
quite  midway  from  Iceland  to  Spitzbergen.     Their  sojourn   began  with 
the  26th  of  August,  and  they  sulTered  no  inconvenience   until  the  8th  of 
October,  when  a  fire  first  became  necessary  to  their  comfort.     After  that 
date  the  winter  approached  rapidly,  and  on  the    19th   ice   began  to  form 
on  the  shore.       The  cold  and  ice  grew  in  severity  until  the  19th  of  No- 
vcnber,   when  the  sea   became  frozen   as   far   as  the  eye   could   reach. 
Afterward  the  weather  grew  mild  for  about  three  weeks,  but  on  the  8th 
of  December    the  cold   set   in  with  renewed  severity,  and  they  confined 
themselves  to  the  luit  for  nearly  four  months,  idle  and    inactive.     They 
had    lived    meanwhile,  on   salt   meat,  and  had  killed  but  few  bears,  and 
their   supply   of  beer   and  brandy   was,  perhaps,  too    liberal    for   their 
welfare. 


DEATH  FROM  SCURVr.  107 

About    the  middle  of  January   they   succeeded   in  killing  a   single 
bear,  the  flesh  of  whicli  aflfbrded  a  healthful  change  in  their  diet.     It  was 
the  middle  of  March  before  they  killed  another;  but  scurvy  had  set  in 
and  taken  such  hold  by  that  time  that  the  relief  derived  was  only  pallia- 
tive, not  preventive  nor  curative.     On   the   3d  of  April  only  two  of  the 
seven  could  stand   erect;  and  on  the  i6th  one  of  them  died.     This  entry 
was  made  on  the  record  a  few  days  later:      «  We  are  now  reduced  to  so 
sad   a  state  that  none  of  my  comrades  can    help  themselves,  and   the 
whole  burden,  therefore,  lies  on  my  shoulders.     I  shall  perform  my  duty 
as  long  as  I  am  able,  and   it  pleases  God   to  give  me   strength.     I   am 
now  about  to  assist  our  commander   out  of  his  cabin;  he   thinks   it  will 
relieve  his  pain;  he  is  struggling  with  death.    The  night  is  dark,  and  the 
wind  blows  from  the  south."     On  the  23d  he  died;  and  on  the  26th  they 
killed  their  dog,  a  poor  substitute  for  bear's  meat.       On  the  2Sth  the  ice 
left  the  bay,  and  on  the  30th  the  sun  shone  brilliantly.     But  it  was  yet 
thirty-five  days  before  the  whaling  fleet  appeared,  and  when  at  last  it  had 
arrived  none  of  the  seven   were  found  alive,  and   the  record  of  April 
30th  was  the  last  made.     A  little  of  the  energy  and  forethought  of  Capt. 
James  and  his  crew  in  James'  Bay,  two  years  before,  would  have  saved 
them  all,  for  though  they  were  almo.t  twenty  degrees  forther  north,  the 
winter  was  comparatively  mild,  and  the  genial   breath  of  spring  visited 
tliem  early.     It  is   now   understood   that  the   chief  danger  from   Arctic 
winters  does  not  arise  from  the  high   latitude,  but   from  the  neglect  of 
proper  precautions.     This  principle  is  enforced  by  the  result  of  a  similar 
experiment  farther  north,  the  same  year. 

Seven  other  Dutchmen  had  volunteered  to  winter  in  North  Bay  on 
the  north  coast  of  Spitsbergen,  latitude  So?,  and  began  their  trial  four 
days  later  than  those  on  Muyen  Island.  No  sooner  had  the  fleet  left 
than  they  set  to  work  to  collect  fresh  provisions  to  last  them  until  the 
return  of  the  fleet  in  1634.  They  hunted  the  reindeer  and  caught  wild 
fowls,  and  gathered  herbs.  They  killed  whales  and  narwals,  or  sea- 
unicorns,  and  thus  secured  both  food  and  exercise.  When  the  sea  began 
to  freeze  in  October,  they  broke  throu-h  the  ice  and  let  down  their  nets 
to  catch  fish.     And  when  toward  the  close  of  October  the  cold  had  be- 


108 


CONTINUED  HARDSHIPS. 


it 


come  so  intense  and  the  ice  so  thick  that  they    could    no    lon-er   fish   or 
even  go  abroad,  they  exercised  themselves  as  actively  as  they  could  in- 
doors.    And  so   they   passed  throu<.h    the  winter    without  a  death,  or 
even  serious  illness;  and  o.,  May  27,  ,634,  only  eight  days  earlier  than  the 
arrival   of  the  fleet  at   Mayen   Island,  they  were  taken  aboard  safe  and 
sound,  after  a  sojourn  of  nine  months,  lacking  five  days,  in  latitude  80^. 
If  further  illustration  of  the  principle  referred  to  be  desire.!,   it    may 
be  obtained  from  the  annals  of  the   same   people.     Before   the    fleet   re- 
turned to  Holland  in  1634,  seven  otlier  men  were  left   at   North   Bay  to 
renew  the  experiment.     They  were  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  salt 
provisions,  liquors  and  medicines, and  began  their  sojourn  on  the  nth  of 
September.     Either  because  they  were  of  the  indolent  disposition  of  the 
men  left  on  Mayen  Island,  or  because  of  the  eleven  days'  later  advent,  or 
possibly  because  the  denizens  of  the  forest,  anticipating  a  keener  winter, 
withdrew  earlier  to  their  winter  quarters,  they  failed  to  provide  a  store  of 
fresh  provisioi  s.     They  soon  became  victims  of  the  scurvy,  which  they 
tried  to  guard  against  by  eating  separately,   and  avoiding  contact    with 
each  other,  foolishly  supposing  it   was  caught  by   infection  instead  of 
recognizing  that  its  fruitful  source  was   the  salt   provisions,   which  they 
had   not  the  energy  to  vary  with  the  fruits  of  the   chase.      On  Jan.   14 
one  died,  and   on   the    17th  another,  and  soon  a  third  followed.     The 
surviving  four  busied  themselves  in  making  coffins  for  their  dead  com- 
rades—an unprofitable  industry    which   showed    their  good  feeling,  but 
not  their  good  sense.     In  the  early  part  of  February  they  killed  a  single 
fox;  and  bears  prowled  around  for  whom  they  should  have  made  living 
coffins  in  their  stomachs.     On  the  22d   of  February   only  one  was  in  a 
condition  to  feed  the  fire;  and  on  tiie  date  <.f  the  last  record  made,  four 
days  later,  the  four  were  still  alive,  but  the  fire-tender  had  succumbed 
with    the   others.     «  We    cannot    long    survive,"    writes    the    penman, 
"without  food  or  firing;  we  are  unable  to  render  each  other  the  least 
assistance,  and  each  must  bear  his  own    burden."     On  the    arrival  of 
the  whalers  for  the  season   of    1635  they  were  dead,    not  one   having 
survived,  thus  completely  reversing  the  record  of  their  predecessors  on 
the  same  spot. 


BRUTALirr  OJ^^  A  DUTCH  CAPTAIN. 


109 

- ;-  s„„„ .....  „  .M:::::i:rr:it:T7T'"' 

Enghshmsn  were  rescued  fr„,„    ,he  fee  bv  C  ,  ,  '"'''° 

Mu„:.e„,  after  ..e,  „.,  Been  e.polltur.:   it  "  xr^r,?" 
a  deep  hole  in  the  iee  and  piled  block,  of  ice      r  '  "^     '    ''"" 

ficm  the  weather.    They  had  for  "         ,  '"°'""'  '"  """""='  '^"" 

the  time  of  year  was  ,  «/?"""'  ""■""™"'  """  '■""».'«<' 
year  was  not  unfavorable,  beincr  the  enri   «r  a/t 

.beg.nning  of  June.     Bu,  three  died  in  a  few      "      i     [       '  "' 

^c=,':n..tern:::;;t  ';;r;i~:^^^^^^^^^^^^  7- ..  - 

less  than  fourteen  Dutch  whalers  Z  1.  u  ^"  '^^5  not 

Be.en.     Capt.  Corneliustl'e'ri:  Zr  onbi!;:;'"-''  ""  '""■ 
saved  after  being  tossed  about  for  fourteen  dl,    „  '  ""'"'  ""■■= 

years  before.     This  ,ear  his  ship  „„d       ot     fh    n!'"  ""'"       "'  '°™' 
to  the  border  of  the  in,Benetrahle      i  ^        """'P-'"^  ''°'^ 

breaking  loose  of  the  iX;,  "    "  '^^'  ""■=  =^"^'^"'  "^  "  -"'^- 

The  crews  ra.anaged  to  scramble  on  to  the  ice  before  the 
entirelv  submerged,  and  they  .aved  the  bo,ts  and  ""' 

Bille,  with  a  few  of  the  mor'e  enterpri^:    Vthe  coX:""""  ''''"■ 
persons,  took  two  of  thf>l,n..f.       ^  «     ^  tne  combined  crews,  sixty 

ten    da;  those    w  ,o    h    1       '  T'"  ""''  "^  °*"^'-  "''••""^-     ^f- 

w.est,:,d  they:t  t: '  "r  rxir  rr  ^--^^  "^^  '^^ 

wbaler,  and  were  humanely  taken  a Wtl.     E   d^  f'",l  ""^  "    '""''' 
to  trespass  on  tho  F.v..,  t  .  "  ^'''-"'"  "°^  wishing 

overcro:dc::id:;r;:t!:::::urr'"*^^" 

"'™^->-  ">^ '■-a.  capt. etWed     :  ;:'        r::;;;^^"";    ,^-'"='^ 

compelled  to  t.ake  refuge  on  the  ice      Thl  '  "         "•'  ""= 

der  the  shelter  of  a  saif,  within  sil ht  of     "       '  """"  ""^  """"  ""• 

was  a.  anchor.     Owin.to  the  em      ,  <^'>""">">en  whose  ves.,e, 

.        w,n„  to  the  remonstrance  of  his  men,  or  dreading  that 


1 


no 


THE  OLD  QUESTION. 


!l 


I       \ 


his  misconduct  might  be  reported  at  home,  the  surly  captain  relented  so 
far  as  to  permit  his  shipwrecked  countrymen  to  sleep  on  board.     A  few 
days  later,  while  on  the  ice,  he  weighed   anchor,   leaving  them  behind. 
They  pursued  in  their  boat,  and  were  at  last   taken   on   board  another 
vessel.      In    1676  a  fleet  of  Dutcli   whalers  was  suddenly  caught  by  the 
ice   in  Vaigats  Strait  on  the  eve  of  their  return,  and  were  saved  by  the 
resolution  and  jMesence  of  mind   of  Capt.  Kees,  who  allayed  the  panic. 
After  a  detention  of  nineteen  days,  the  weather  grew  mild,  a  thaw  set  in, 
and  ihey  found  themselves  free  as  suddenly  as  they  were  previously  locked 
up.     Coolness  and  courage,   patience  and  energy,  a  keen  insight,  good 
judgment,  and  tjuick  execution,  together  with  abundance  of  fresh  whole- 
some food— which   the  canning  process  has  .now   made  easy— are  the 
chief  requisites  to  success  in   Arctic  voyages.     But  the  examples  given 
also  show  tliat   while  these  precautions  reduce  the   risk  to  a  minimum 
there  is  always  gr^-at  danger,  which  only  the  best  trained   and  hardiest 
can  hope  to  cope  with  successfully.     Arctic  explorers  should  be  selected 
with  great  care;  and  no  unfit  volunteer  should  be  permitted  to  endanger 
the  lives  of  others  and  his  own. 

AGAIN,  WHICH  IS  THE  WAY  TO    INDIA? 

It    was    now    nearly   seventy   years  since    Hudson   liad    pronounced 
against  the  availability  for  commercial  purposes  of  a  northeast   route  to 
China  and  India,  and   exactly  one   hundred    years  since   Frobisher  had 
tried  in  vain  to   accomplish  » the    only  great  thing    left    undone   in  the 
world,"  a  Northwest  Passage  to  1'      same   countries.       Many  attempts 
had  been  made  in  both  directions,   some   new  geographical   information 
had  been  gleaned  at  infinite  cost   and  labor,  but  the  problem   remained 
unsolved.     The  latest  trials  had  been  made  in   the  west,  and    there  too, 
they  were  resumed.  Baffled  and  disappointed,  but  not  entirely  cast  down,' 
civilized  man  would  not  give  it  up  and  rest  content.     The  ocean  should 
yet  be  made  to  surrender  its  seci  :ts  to  the  lord  of  creation.       This  was 
more  than  a  hundred  years  before  Byron  sang,  '^  Man   marks  the  earth 
with  ruin;  his  control  stops  with  the  shore,"— a  dictum  which  man  will 
not  accept.     Man's  control  of  the  sea  is  different,  but  it  is  also  very  real; 


THE 


ENTERPRISE   OF  MARINERS. 


"  Britannia  rules  the  waves  • " 

:-:;:;:j::;t;;rr;r::r:;;:: fr- 


CHAPTER  XII. 


NORTHWEST  VOYAGE  OK  (;iLLAM ALLEGED    DISCOVERY  OK    A    NORTH- 
WEST   PASSAGE    —  Hudson's     hay    company     chartered a 

pilot's  story  ok  the   north   pole — voyage  ok  wood — wreck 

OK      wood's      ship— JAMES     KNIGHT REPORT     OK     INDIANS      CON- 
CERNING    MINES. 

A  generation  had  passed  away  since  the  voyages  of  Fox  and  James, 
and  Hudson  Bay  iiad  begun  to  pass  into  oblivion,  as  no  other  than  a 
dreary  and  dangerous  waste  of  water  in  the  midst  of  inhospitable  and 
uninhabited  landi,,  when  in  1669  ^^^^  attention  of  England  was  again 
turned  to  it. 

The  fur  traders  of  New  France  had  penetrated  through  the  forests  of 
Canada  in  every  direction  in  pursuit  of  that  very  profitable  branch  of 
commerce.  One  of  these  enterprising  adventurers,  Grosselier,  reached 
the  shore  of  Hudson's  Bay.  Believing  he  had  made  an  important  orig- 
inal discoveiy,  he  returned  to  France  to  lay  it  at  the  feet  of  his  sovereign. 
But  t\-\Q  grand  monarque — Louis  XIV — was  more  concerned  about  ex- 
tending his  home  dominion  to  the  Rhine  than  his  transatlantic  domains  to 
the  Hudson  Bay  or  elsewhere.  So  Grosselier's  story  fell  on  deaf  ears, 
until  it  reached  those  of  the  English  ambassador,  who  encouraged  him 
to  try  the  Court  of  .St,  James,  and  gave  him  a  letter  to  Prince  Rupert, 
cousin  of  Charles  II.,  who  had  been  admiral  in  the  war  of  the  Restora- 
tion, and  a  few  years  later  against  the  Dutch.  He  was  favorably  re- 
ceived, and  intrusted  with  one  of  the  king's  ships,  for  the  purpose  of 
founding  a  colony  on  the  shore  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  searching  for  the 
Northwest  Passage.  Henry  Oldenburg,  first  secretary  of  the  Royal 
Historical  Society,  established  in  1662,  and  correspondent  of  Milton  and 
Boyle,  thus  wrote  to  the  latter  in  relation  to  this  voyage: 

♦'  Surely  I  need  not  tell  you  from  hence  what  is  said  here  with  great 


FORT  CHARLES. 


118 


joy  of  the  discovery  of  a  Northwest  Passa-e  made  by  two  English  and 
one  Frenchman,  lately  represented  by  them  to  His  Majesty  at  Oxford  and 
answered  by  the  royal  <,nant  of  a  vessel  to  sail  into  Hudson's  Bay  and 
thence  into  the  South  Sea;  these  men  affi^minf,^  as  I  heard,  that  with  a 
boat  they  went  out  of  a  lake  in  Canada  into  a  river  which  discharged 
Itself  northwest  into  the  South  Sea,  into  which  they  went  and  returned 
northeast  into  Hudson's  Bay." 

In  .670  the  king -ranted  a   liberal  patent,  or  charter,   to  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  which  consisted  of  his  cousin   Rupert,  and  a  few 
specified  associates.     The  company  was  actually  invested  with   absolute 
proprietorship    and    a    real    though    subordinate  sovereignty,    and    the 
exclusive  traffic  of  a  territory  of  unknown  extent,  loosely  described   as  ' 
Rupert's  Land,  and  ordained  to  coverall  that  had   been  discovered   or 
might  yet  be  discovered    within    the  entrance    to    Hudson's    Strait-a 
magnificent   grant,  truly ;  there  was  nothing  mean  about  Charles      •'  I„ 
consideration,"  says  he,  "of  their  having  undertaken,  at  their  own  cost 
and  charges,  an  expedition  to  Hudson's  Bay  for  the  discoverv  of  a  new 
passage  into  the  South  Sea,  and  for  the  finding  of  some  trade  in   furs 
minerals  and  other  commodities,  whereby  great  advantage  mi.^ht  prob' 
ably  arise  to  the  king  and  his  dominions,  His  Majesty,  for  better  pro- 
moting  their  endeavors  for  the  good  of  his  people,  was  pleased  to  confer 
on  them    exclusively    all    the   lands    and  territories    in    Hudson's  Bay 
together  with  all  the  trade  thereof,  and  all  others  which  they  should 
acquire,"  etc. 

Though  discovery  was  one  of  the  primary  objects  of  this  princely 
endowment,  Capt.  Zachariah   Gillam,  who  was  placed  in  command   of 
the  expedition,  seems  to  have  added  but  little  to  the  geographical  knowl- 
edge of  the   regions  of  Hudson's  Bay.     He  wintered  at  the  mouth  of 
what  he  named  Rupert's  River,  in  honor  of  his  patron,  and  built  a  small 
stone  fort  at  its  mouth,  which  he  named  Fort  Charles,  in  honor  of  the 
king.     This  was  the  first  English  settlement  in  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany's  territory;  and  for  about  a  century  they  confined  themselves  to  the 
coast,  and  are   not  known  to  have  made  a  single  eftbrt  at  additional  dis- 
covery.    The  indisposition  of  monopolists  to  diminish  their  dividends  by 
8  ' 


114 


STOJi}'  OF  A   GREENLAND  PILOT. 


ill 


unprofitable  expenditures,  acconnts  for  the  omission.  I„  1770  they 
explored  tiie  basin  of  tiie  Coppermine,  and  toward  the  close  of  the  cen- 
tury, that  of  the  Mackenzie.  In  the  first  half  of  the  present  century 
they  patronized  two  or  three  overland  expeditions,  all  of  which  will 
receive  attention  in.  .lue  tin.e.  In  .S69  the  company  was  finally  bou^^ht 
out  by  the  British  <,^ovcrnment  for  $1,500,000,  and  its  territory  formrily 
incorporated  with  the  Dominion  of  Canada  in  1S70,  on  payment  of  the 
same  amount. 

Capt.  Gillam  spent  a  more  tolerable  winter,  owing  probably  to  its 

bemg  a  .nilder  season,  than  his  predecessor,  James,  had  done  on  Charl- 

^ton  Island,  in  nearly  the  same  latitude,  and   returned   to  E.igland  with- 

out  havin-  received  any  clue  from  his  supercarj^o,    Grosselier,  or  any 

one  else. 

THE   NORTHEAST  VOYAGE   OF  WOOD. 

Turn  we  now  to  the  eastward  to  see  what  the  navigators  were  able 
to  achieve  in  that  direction.    Joseph  Moxon  (1637-1700)  hydrographer 
to  Charles  II.,  and  manufacturer  of  globes  and  maps,  as  well  as  writer 
on    mathcr.uitics   and    navigation,   and  Fellow    of  the    Royal   Society 
theorized  about  the  Northeast  Passage   to  China  until  he  satisfied   him'- 
self  and  some  others  that  i:  was  feasible,  and  a  new  interest  was  awak- 
ened.    He  adduced  many  arguments,  mainly   from  his  inner  conscious- 
ness, as  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  and  not  to  any  large  extent  from 
demonstrable   facts,  which  is  the  modern  and  scientific  method.      He 
added  the   following  story,  which  doubtless  proved  convincing,  but  it 
lacks  one  clement  of  persuasion  with  even  the  most  incredulous-truth 
He  relates  that  the  pilot  of  a  Greenlander,  or  whaler  in  Greenland  seas' 
declared  to  him  that  he  sailed  to  the  North  Pole,  and  continues  thus: 

"Whereupon,  his  relation  being  novel  to  me,  I  entered  into  dis- 
course with  him,  and  seemed  to  question  the  truth  of  what  he  said-  but 
he  did  assure  me  that  it  was  true,  and  that  the  ship  was  then  at  Am'stcr- 
dam,  and  many  of  the  men  belonging  to  her  could  justify  the  truth  of 
It;  and  told  me,  moreover,  that  they  had  sailed  two  degrees  beyond  the 
Pole.    I  asked  him  if  they  found  no  land  or  islands  about  the  Pole.    He 


CAPTAIN  yoiIX  WOOD. 
replied,  «No;  it  was  a  free,  onen  sei '     r  n  i     .  i  •      .. 

wha.  wche,.  ,he,  h,„,  „„,'  ',J   '  "'T.:''"  ""  ''■'■      '  ^-'-'  '""■ 

LcnKini   111  the  simmer  tune,  aiui  as  hof '"     tm 
lonj,aM-  he  anv  .l.,ul,t.      The  hirdv  nil   ^  .  '"  "*"'''  "^ 

.  ho„',  c«..  "'"■"  "'"■""'  ""»  -■""""  ^'  l>-l  "»  I--.-  as 

orsans.     In  ,6„  „e  „„„  .,„  „  ,„„„„,,„,  ,„  ,|,^  ^ 

RU,„c  e.pecea.ton,  „f  .,u,™<„a,.!„g  all  .lilHcul.ie,      U   ,W.    ,  ,' 

,,<..,.c.l  that  h„  p,cdocos,„r,,  ,„ay  liav.  missel  the  proper  „■,.,-,  J    H 

^  l™.  a,u,  hi.  ,„.otho.  the  D„.e  „f  Yo,-,,  .he  fat,,  e  ,   I  \ 

^™.-.  ea^:  :rr;zr  ,:;:;:::::::■  ^f^:- ---■- 

1         .  V  ^""'  loute.     1  roinment  inoinh-inf. 

and  .,av,ga.o,,  were  eo,.„,te„  h,  .he  Ui„g,  hut  the  „eh,»i„,.  ,  .      ':  ^ 
tl'em  a,  well  as  Moxon  „„.l  w„„,l.     [t  w.:-  i„  the    ,i,-    III- 
..iarhat  foolish  enterprises  hefore  a„„  since.     T^Z^::'  """i 
.i^e  .in,.s  Shi,.,  w.s  plaee.l  at  h,s  .lisposal,  an,,  Htte.i  ^      iTl.  :;: 
,lockya,<ls  at  Deptford,  at  .he  Idn..',  exoense      .<1,  ' 

»..  ..e  hes.  ,^„ianees  of  the  peri^,  an^ r^h::,::  Z  ^  :" 
e..ht  ,„e„.     The  Dake  of  York  a„,l  seven  associates  fl.te,,  Z  I 

expense  a  s.naller  vessel  of  ,  ,o  tons,  na.ned  .he  "P,o,„e,„„s  "    „     ,1 
paiiy  the  "  Si)ecdwell  "      «l,..  .        "°'1"-"»'N    t"  accom- 

J  opecuwell.        bhe  was  raanne,!  by  eishtce,,    mc„        Mom 

-  »aj„  hkely  ,o  find  a  ,eu,ly  ,„arke.  in  Japan.     Capt.  Fla,„es 


IH 

^11 

^^^^■j  1 

Hi 

i^^^^^^^^^Hj 

^^^H^^^^^ra 

Hh 

luniniyKBiH^^BE  ^ 

'IMHI^^^BH  j 

HVii 

Hill 

HI 

^^^^^^Hk|  pB 

116 


WRECK  OF  WOOD'S  Sl/fP. 


took  a.mma.ul  „f  the  "Prosperous";  an.I  it  was  agreed  between  the 
comiiiaiulers  that  they  should  direct  their  course  hctvveeu  Nova  Zembla 
and  S,,it/.her-en.  '«  My  idea  was,"  says  Wood,  « to  follow  exactly  thl 
track  of  Marcnt/,  a.ul  proceed  <h.c>  ....rthcast  after  reachin-  the  North 
Cape,  in  order  to  get  between  Greenland."  Spitzbergen  was  then  sup- 
l)osed  to  be  a  part  of  CJrcciiland. 

May  3S,  1676,  the  vessels  left  the  Nore,  and  on  the   2,1  of  June  took 
refuge  from  a  northwest  gale  in  IJrassa  Soun.l  in  the  Shetlands.    On  the 
tenth  they  weighed  anchor,  and   on  the  23d  had   rounde.l   North   Cape, 
whence   they   sailed  northeast  and   immediately  encountered  the  ice  in 
latitude  76  =  .     For  five  days  they  skirted   this  great  mass  of  ice   vainly 
seeking    an   opening.     Wood  conclude<l    it   was  one    vast    ice  continent 
stretching  from   Nova   Zembla  to  ''Greenland,"  and    that    IJarentz   and 
others  were  mistaken  in  the  opinion  that  there  was  lanil  to  the  north  of 
Soo .     On  the  29th  of  June  he  changed  his  course  to  the  west,  abandon- 
ing  his  cherished  theories.     They  had  jn-occeded   but  a    little  way  when 
the  "Speedwell"    struck   upon'  so.ne    hidden   rocks,    the    extensio.i    of 
which,  in  sarcastic  contrast  with  tiie  name  of  his  ship,  he  named  Point 
Speedill,  in   74'  30',  the  most  western  promontory   of  Nova  Zembla. 
The  ship  lay  heating  on  the  rocks  for  several  hcnn-s,  the  crew  lalK.ring 
in  vain  to  save  her.     The  weather  clearing  a  little,  they  were  amazed  to 
find  land  right  un.Ier  their  stern.     A  boat  was  sent  to  ascertain  if  a  land- 
ing could  be  elfected,  but  it  returned  unsuccessful.     The  fog  lifting  more 
completely,  the  captain  descried  a  clear  stretcii  of   beach,  which  the  long 
boat  with  twenty  men  was  enabled  to  reach.     The  boat  returned.    Some 
provisions  and  supplies  were  now  put  aboard  the  small    boat,   but  she 
was  upset,  and  her  cargo,  including  the  captain's   papers  and    money, 
and  one  of  the  crew,  were  lost.     Another  seaman  was  left  aboard  so  ill 
that  he  could   not  be  removed.     All   the  others  were  taken  ashore  by 
the   long  boat,  and  a  tent  was  erected  and  a  fire  built.     On  the  30th 
the  ship  began  to  go  to  pieces   and   much  of  the   wreck    Hoated  to   the 
shore,  supplying  them  with  material  for  huts  and  firewood.     The  next 
two  days  they  secured  some  provisions  that  were  washed  ashore  from 
the  wreck.      Finally  on  the  eighth  their  more  fortunate  companion  who 


Kfipo/rrs  OF  A  cophEit  mine.  wn 

had  cs-..pe.l  the  shoals  on  the  39th  of  June  and  jrono  out  to  sea,  returned 
in  se-  rch  of  her  consort,  and  took  the  survivors  s.fely  on  hoard.  After 
thi^  great  misfortune  and  fortunate  deliverance;  Capt.  Wood  almndoncd 
the  pursuit  of  the  success  of  which  he  had  heen  so  sanfruine  a  few  nionths 
before,  and  on  the  very  next  day  the  "Prosperous"  sailed  for  England, 
where  she  arrived  on  the  23d  of  Auj^'ust. 

KNIGHT,  BARLOW  AND  VAUGHAN. 

The  fate   of  Wood's  expedition  in    1676  very   naturally    dampened 
not  only  his  own  ardor  hut  that  of  the  English  people  for  the  discovery 
of  the  Northeast   Passage;  and  indeed,  his  was  the  last    attempt    under 
Enghsh   auspices   in  that  direction.      The    burden  of  searching   for  the 
Northwest  Passage  had  been  officially  laid  on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany  in  their  charter   of    ,670,  and   the  rest  of  England    was  virtually 
debarred  from   trespassing.      After  the  manner  of  monopolists,  the  com- 
pany  seem  to  have  interpreted    their  charter  stringently  as  to  privileges, 
and  loosely  as  to  obligations.      In   ,719   the    governor  of   their  trading 
colony  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson  River  was  James  Knight.     He  was 
almost  e.ghty  years  of  age,  or  old  enough    to  have   gone  out  with    their 
first  colony  in  1670.     He  was  now  at  least  al  the   head  of  affairs,  and  ap- 
parently had  been  in  those  regions  some  years.     He  had   learned   from 
the  nafves  that  at  some  distance  to  the  north  and  on  the  bank  of  a  navi- 
gable  river  was  to  be  found  a  rich  mine  of  copper.     This  inforn.ation 
stnnulated  him  to  undertake  a  voyage   of  discovery,  .„d   he  applic-d   to 
the   Company  for  the    use  of  two  ships  for  that  purpose.     Preferring 
the  ddigent  prosecution  of  the  fur  trade,  they  .leclined;  but  Knight,  who 
apparently  had  been  awakened  to  a  sense  of  duty   by  bis  desire  to  Hnd 
copper,  now  reminded  them  of  the  obligation  imposed  by  their  char- 
ter   to  u^stituce    voyages    of    discovery,     and     to    n.ake     the     reminder 
effective,  threatened  an  appeal  to  the  kings  ministers. 

The  company  finally  yielded  to  Knight's  peculiar  powers  of  persua- 
sion, and  fitted  out  two  vessels  which  were  placed  at  his  disposal.  They 
were  called  the  "Albany"  and  "  Discovery,"  and  were  respectively  under 
the    nnmediate    command    of    George    Barlow    and    David    Vaughan 


P 


.^^1 


:P 


m 


II 


118 


/.OSS  OF  hWKtllT  AMD  PARTY. 


Knii;J,t,  witl.  his  captains  an<l  crewn,  ««ilc,l  in  the  summer  „r  autumn  of 
l7'9."l>y(io.|'s  pc-nnission  t..  Hml  ,.ut   the  Straits  of  Ainan,  in  order 
to  .hscover  jroi.l   an.!  other    valuahle    commo.nties  to   the    northward  " 
Havn.jr  won  i,i.  point.  Kni^jht  seen,s  to  have  eared   as   htth-  about  the 
Northwest  l'a,ssaKe  as   his  c-.nploycrs.     The  ships  never    returned.      In 
•7-!^  the  "Whalehone"  was  dispatched  umler   Capt.  S,toj,.jjs   to  seareh 
for  K..iKht  an.l  his  companions.     They  saile.l  from    Churchill  River    in 
l^'tton's    May,   to  the  northwani;  hut   in  his   report   Scro^^j^s   ,««,,,,   no 
.nent.on  of   havin-  instituted   any  search  whatever  for   the   lost   navi^fa- 
tors  or  tor  the  Northwest   i-assa^'e.     Hnt  he  hrou^^ht  hack  confirn,ation 
of  the  reports  ahout  copper.     He  .'  had  seen  two  northern  Indians,  who 
told  l.Mu  of  a  rich  copper  mine  somewhere  in  that   country,    upon  the 
shore,  near  the  surface  of  the   earth;  and    they  could  direct  the  sloop  so 
near  as  to  lay  her  side   to   it   and    he  soon    loaded.     They  had   hroujjht 
some  pieces  of  copper  to  Churchill  that  made  it  evident  that  there  was  a 
mn.c   tiK.rcah,.uts.      They  had  sketched   out   the  country    with  charcoal 
before  they  left  Churchill,  and  so  far  as  they  went,  it  a.need  very  well  " 
Nothin,,^  was    heard  of  Kni,,Hu   or  his  comrades  until  the  overl.nd 
explorn,,.  expedition  of  Samuel  Hearne,  tnuler  the  auspices  of  ,he  I  Ind 
son    W.y   Company,    in    .769,  just    lifty  years    after  they    ha.l    set   out 
Ilearne  oleaned  the  following  account  of  them  from  the    Esquimaux  o*' 
Marble  Island: 

"  When  the  vessels  arrived   at  this  place,  it  was  very  late  in  the    fdl 
(of    .719),  an<l  in    ..retting  them   into  the    harbor,    ,he    largest   received 
much  ,lamage;  but  on   being  fairly   i„,  the   English    began    to    build    a 
house,  then-  number  at  ti.u  time   seeming  to  be  about  fifty.     As  soon  as 
the  ,ce  pennitted    in  ,1.  fV.llowing  summer  (  .7,0),  the    Escpmnaux  paid 
then,  another  visit.  In-  which  time  the  nun.be,  of  (he    English  was  verv 
^vatly  rclnced,    and    those    that   we,e    living    seenu-d    very  unhealthy. 
Acconhng   to   the    account  given    by    the    Esquimaux,   ,hey   were        ' 
n.s,ly  en,pIoye<l,  but  about  what   they  could  not  easily  describe;  proli 
b ly  n.  lengthening  the  long   boat,  fbr  at  a  little  <listance  fVon,  the  house 
there  was  now  (.769)  lying  a   ..eat  quantity  of  oak   chips,  winch    most 
assuredly  had  been  made  by  carp- ,;,''.,«. 


LAST  SUliVIVOJiS. 


110 


"A  Hickness  ami  famitie  occasioned  such  havoc  nmonj?  the  EnjrliHh 
that  by  the  settmjr  in  „r  the  second   winter,   1730,  some  of  the   Esqui- 
maux took  up  their  abode  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbor  to  that  on 
which  the  EnKdish  had  buiU   their  houses,  ,   ul  fie<iuently  supplied  them 
with  such  provisions  as  they   had,   which  chielly   consisted    of  whale's 
bhd)ber,  and  seal's  flesli  anil  train  oil.      When   the  sprinj,'  advanced,  the 
Esquimaux  went  to  the  continent;  and  on  their  visitinjr  Marble   Island 
again,  in  the  summer  of  1721,  they  found  only  five  of  the  En<,'lisli  alive, 
and  those  were  in  such  distress  for  provisions  that  they  ca^jerly  ate  the 
seal's  flesh,  and   whale's  blul)ber  (piite  raw  as  they  purchased  it    from 
the  natives.     This  disordered  them  so  much  that   three  of  them  died  in 
a  few  A:iy<,;  and  the  other  two,  thou<,'h   s(.   very    weak,  made  a  shift  to 
bury  them.     Those   two  survived   many    days  after    the    rest,  and   fre- 
quently went  to  the  top  of  an  adjacent  rock,  and  earnestly  looked  to  the 
south  and  east,  as  if  in  expectation    of  some    vessels  comin;^'  to    their 
relief.     After  continuinjj  there  a  consiilerable  time  to«rcther,  and  nothin*,' 
appearin«r  in  sij^ht,  they  sat  down  close  tojjrcther  and  wept  bitterly.     At 
lenjjth  one  of  the  two  died,  and  the  other's  strength  was  so  far  exhausted 
that  he  fell   down  and  died  also,  in    attempting  to  dig  a  grave  for    his 
companion.     The  skulls  and   other  large  bones   of   these  two   men    are 
now  (1769)  lying  above  ground,  close  to  the  house.     The  longest   liver 
was,  according  to  the  Esquimaux'  account,  always  employed  in  working 
iron  into  implements  for  them;  probably  he  was  the  armorer  or  smith." 


If 


ill 


M. 


]i-  -I 


CHAPTER  Xlir. 

ARCTIC  VOYAGES  OF  THE  HUSSIANS  _  VOVAGK  OF  THE  COSSACK 
DESHNIEV-CONQUEST  OF  KAMCHATKA-ATTEMPTED  REDUCTION 
OF    THE    TCHUKTCHIS. 

The  solution  of  the  question  that  iiad  so  Ion-  pressed  on  the  minds 
Of  the  natives  of  Western   Europe   would    have   been  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  Russia,  if  that  state  had  been  in  a  condition  to  enga-e  in  the 
commerce  of  the  East.     But  the  Northeast  Passage  was  too  big  a  ques- 
tion,  and  its  discovery  too  great   an   enterprise  for  the   feeble   Russia  of 
three  centuries   ago.     She  did    not  even  feel  an   interest  in  maritime  ex- 
peditions   until    the  advent  of  Chancellor,  in  1554,  showed  her  a  way  to 
obtam  West  European  goods  without  having   to   receive  them  through 
her  rivals  and  enemies,  the  Poles.     Even  as  late  as  the  begi.ming  of  the 
seventeenth  century  nothing  was  known  of  the  Arctic  regions  of^Siberia 
east  of  the  Yenisei  River.       The   country   beyond    had   doubtless   been 
often  traversed  by  companies  of  Russians  analagous  to  what  the  French 
in  Canada  had  named  forest  couriers  or  wood  rangers,  that  is,  private  ad- 
venturers in  search  of  furs  and  game.     But  such   information  as   these 
were  able  toglea.)  remained  scattered,  and  had  never  been  collected  so  as 
to  be  made  available  to  the  public,  or  serve  the  interests  of  geography  or 
commerce. 

It  was  in  1646  that  the  first   Russian  voyage  of  exploration   in  the 

Arctic  was  n.ade,  and  that  was  simply  a  coasting  voyage,  eastward  from 

Kolyma,  by  private  adventurers.     They  found  a  clear  channel  between 

the  land  and  the  ice,  which  was  firmly  grounded  on  the  shelving,  coast 

leavmg  room  for  their  small  vessel  to  ply  along  under  sail.     After  sailing 

two  days  they  anchored  in  a  bay  and  became  acc,uainted   with  a   native 

tnbcthe    Tchuktchis    (Chookchecs),  a  branch  of  the   Esquimaux  race 

Neither  party  understood  the  language  of  the  other;  but  they  be-an  to 

120  " 


EXPEDITION  OF  THE   COSSACK  DESHNIEV. 


121 


traffic  after  the  manner  described  by  Herodotus  in  relation  to  the  barba- 
reus  tribes  of  Africa.  The  Russians  displayed  their  wares  upon  the 
strand,  and  withdrew ;  the  Tchuktchis  took  what  they  wanted,  leaving 
sea-horse  teeth,  carved  and  whole,  in  exchange.  These  the  Russians 
gathered  up  and  returned  home. 

In  1648  seven  vessels  left  the  Kolyma,  under  the  command  of  Semoen 
Deshniev,  a  Cossack,  to  discover  the  river  Anadir.     Four  of  the  seven 
vessels  were  soon  lost,  but  one  or  more  of  the  others  went  throusrh  what 
is  now  Behring's  Strait,  or  more  probably  were  hauled  across  the  pro- 
montory,  for  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the   Anadir,  in   the   gulf  of  the 
same  name,    south  of  Behring  Strait,  on  the  Asiatic  side.     Deshniev's 
narrative  begins  with  the  great  cape  of  the   Tchuktchis,  which   is  sup- 
posed to  be  Cape  East  in  Behring  Strait.     « It  is  situated, "  says   Desh- 
niev, «  between  the  north  and  northeast,  and  turns  circularly  to-vard  the 
river  Anadir.     Over  against  the  cape  are  two  islands,  upon  which   were 
seen  some  men  of  the  Tchuktchi  nation,  who  had  holes  pierced  in  their 
lips,  through  which  were  stuck  pieces  of  the  teeth  of  the  sea-horse  "— 
evidently  American  Esquimaux.     Two  of  the  three   remaining  vessels 
were  either  lost  in  making  the  voyage  or  lefl  behind  before  getting  to  the 
strait,  for   Deshniev  arrived  with  only  one,  and  this  was  wrecked  a  little 
south  of  the  river's  mouth.     The  crew  of  his  vessel  consisted  of  twenty- 
five  men,  and  they  now  proceeded  to  return  overland.     They  wandered 
ten  weeks  through  a  woodless  and  uninhabited  country,  until  they  came 
to  a  river  on  the  banks  of  which  they  encountered  a  small  tribe  called 
Anauli,  whom  they,  notwithstanding  their  own  desolate  condition,  did 
not  hesitate  to  exterminate— a  piece  of  wanton  cruelty  which  very  de- 
servedly added  to  their  own  distress.     This  discovery  led  to  considerable 
traffic  with  the  barbarous  tribes  north  of  Kamchatka,  which,  however 
was  mostly  carried  on  through  the  interior. 

In  1696  these  Russian  or  Cossack  adventurers  penetrated  south  to  the 
Kamchatka  River,  plundering  the  native  villages  under  the  pretext  of  col- 
lecting  tribute;  and  in  1697  Vladimir  Atlassov,  a  Cossack  officer,  un- 
dertook the  conquest  of  Kamchatka.  He  traveled  overland  from 
Irkoutsk  to  the  Anadir,  but  states  from  hearsay  or  observation  that  be- 


'■ 


m 


CONQUEST  OF.h'AMTKCf/ATKA.  jgg 

tween  the  Kolyma  and    Ana.lir  there   are  two  ..eat  eapes,  the  west  of 
vvh.ch,  probal>ly  what  is  eallecl  Cape  North,  coul.l   never  l,e  douhh-.l  l,y 
any  vessel,  beeause  of  the  quantity  of  ice  that  lines  its  shores  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year.     The  Kamchadales  were  easily  eonquerecl,  and  before    ,706 
the  more  warlike  Tehuktehis  shared  the  same  fate.     The  former  are  cle- 
-nbnl    as   smaller  than  the   latter,  with   small   faees  hut  ^reat  beards. 
Ihey  hved  .mder.nound  in  winter,  and  in  cabins  raised  from  the  <.rotmd 
on    post.,  n,  summer.     These  cabins  were   reache.l  l,v  la.l.lers.  ^Thev 
lnn-.ed  their  n.eats   in  the  earth,  wrappe<l   in    leaves,  until  it  was  quite 
putnd.     For  cooking  it,  they  use.l  earthen  or  wooden    pots,  heatin<r   the 
water  by  throwing  into  it  stones  which  thev  had  ma.le    red-hot      "  Their 
cookery  smelt  so  strong,"  says  Atlassor,  »  that  a  Russian  could  not  sup- 
port  the  odor  of  it,  " 

The  next  Russian  navigator  to  the  Arctics  was  Taras  Staduchin, 
who  eft  the  Kolyma  a  few  years  later,  to  explore  the  (ireat  Cape  of  the 
IchuktchKs,  which,  however,  he  was  unable  to  reach  by  water.  Aban- 
<  onn.g  his  vessel,  he  crossed  the  Isthnu.s  at  its  narrowest  point,  leavin-. 
•he  land  to  the  north  and  east,  as  f^.r  as  Behring  Strait,  tn.expIorecL 
Rnss.an  activity  was  now  uKiinly  directed  in  those  northeastern  re-nons 
to  overhaul  military  expeditions  for  the  more  complete  subjugation  of 
the  rude  tribes  in  that  section  of  Siberia. 

In  171 1  a  Russian  embassy  was  sent  to  the  Tehuktehis  to  demand 
hostages,  which  were  refused,  and  it  was  not  tmtil  ,7,8  that  they  for- 
mally  made  their  submission  at  the  Russian  fort,  which  ha<l  been  erected 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Anadir.  The  chief  of  the  embassy  of  17, ,,  I>eter 
S.n  Topov,  a  Cossack,  gave  a  description  of  the  people,  their  American 
neighbors  and  the  country,  of  which  the  following  is  an  abstract- 

The  Tchuktchi  «  Nos"  or  Cape,  is  destitute  of  trees.      On  the  shores 
near    the    Nos    were    fotmd    sea-horse    teeth    in    great    ntn),bers.       The 
Tchuktchi,  in  their  solenn,  engagements,  invoked   the   sun  to  guarantee 
their  performances.       Some   among   them  had  flocks  of  tamc^reindeer 
which  obliged  them  often  to  change  their  place  of  residence;    but  those' 


wlio  had  no  reindeer  inhabited  the 


banks  where  the   sea-horses  were   wont  t( 


eoasts  on  both  sides  of  the   N 


OS,  near 
eomc,  on   which   with   fish 


184 


TCHUKTCIII  IDEA   OF  AMERICANS. 


they   mostly  subsisted.      They   had    habitations  hollowed  in  the  earth. 
Opposite  to  the  Nos,  they  said,  an  island  mi<rht  be  seen  at  a  great  dis- 
tancc,  whieh  they  called  the  Great  Country,  and  which  unquestionably 
meant  America.     The  inhabitants   of    that  land   pierced   holes   throu<rh 
then-  cheeks,  in  which  they  inserted  large  ornaments  made  of  pieces  cut 
from  the  teeth  of  the  sea-horse.     These  people  had  a  diflerent  language 
from  the  Tchuktchi,  with  whom  they  had  been   at   war   from   time  im- 
memorial.    They  used  bows  and  arrows,  as  do  the  Tchuktchi.      Popov 
saw  ten  men  of  that  country,  with  their  cheeks  jiierced  as  described,  who 
were  prisoners  with  the  Tchuktchi.      In  summer  they  could  reach  that 
land  in  one  day  in  their  boats  or  canoes,  which  are  made  of  wh.-lebone, 
covered  with  sealskins;    in  winter  also  in  one  day,  with   good   reindeer, 
and  no  obstruction  or  r.ccident  to  their  sledges  or  teams.      At   the  Cape 
were  to  be  seen  no  wild  land  animals  but  wolves  and  red  foxes;   but  on 
the  other  land,  that  is,  in  America,   there   were    many   more,  as  sables, 
martens,  bears,  otters,* and  many  kinds  of  foxes;  and  the  inhabitants  had 
large  herds  of  tame  deer.    Popov  computed  both  classes  of  the  Tchuktchi 
at  over  2,000  adult  males,  and  the  Americans  from  what  he  learned,  at 
about  6,000.     The  Tchuktchi  reckoned  the  journey  from   the   Cape  to 
Anadir  at  ten  weeks  with  laden  leindeer,  provided  no  storm  of  wind  or 
snow  should  arise.     They  mentioned  also  a  smaller  island  about  hj-.lfway 
between  the  Cape  and  the  Great  Country— probably  St.  Lawrence  or 
Clark  Island— from  which  the  Great  Country  might  be  seen  on  a  clear 
day. 


'•m 


Wfe^. 


! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

VOYAGES    OK    REHRING START    FOR    KAMCHATKA    RIVER DISCOVERY 

OF  HKHRINg's  STRAIT REACH  LAND  ON  AMERICAN  SIDE IN- 
VESTIGATIONS OK  STELLER-^KRIGHT  OK  A  NATIVE  AT  THE 
TASTE    OF    HKANDY— REDUCED    HY    SICKNESS — REHRING     BECOMES 

DISABLED  THE       SHIPs'       COMPANY       DIVIDED  A       STRANDED 

WHALK DEATH    OK    REHRING. 

It  is  clear  that  the  Russians  were  in  a  fair  way  to  reach  America  by 
sea  or  land,  as  the  case  might  prove  to  be,  in  the  neighborhood  of  what 
soon  became  known  as  Behring  Strait.  Just  before  his  death  in  1725, 
the  greatest  of  the  Russian  monarchs,  Peter  the  Great,  occupied  himself 
with  the  details  of  an  Arctic  voyage  of  discovery,  the  chief  object  of 
which  was  to  ascertain  definitely  whether  or  not  America  and  Asia  were 
divided  by  water  at  the  extreme  north.     His  instructions  were  these: 

1.  That  one  or  two  ships  should  be  built  at  Kamchatka,  or  elsewhere 
on  the  Eastern  Ocean. 

2.  That  when  constructed  and  fitted  out  they  should  proceed  north- 
ward and  ascertain  if  there  was  a  waterway  between  the  continents. 

3.  To  ascertain  if  there  were  in  those  jiarts  any  harbors  or  trading- 
posts  belonging  to  Europeans. 

4.  That  another  exioedition  should  proceed  from  Archangel  to  the 
Arctic  Sea,  and  move  eastward  to  meet,  if  practicable,  the  one  movino- 
north  from  the  coast  of  Kamchatka. 

5.  To  keep  a  record  of  what  should  be  discovered,  which  was  to  be 
brought  by  the  commander  to  St.  Petersburg  at  the  close!  .pf  the  voyage. 

The  expedition  from  Archangel  proved  unfruitful.  Qfie  of  the  two 
ships  was  soon  hemmed  in  by  the  ice,  and  was  unable  to  advance.  The 
other  started  on  the  voyage  but  was  lost  among  the  Jlce,  and  was 
never  heard  ot. 

135 


120 


6'TAA'T  FOIi  KAMTKCHATKA   HI V Eli. 


The  Eastern  expedition,  which  w.s  n.-t  re.-ulv  mUil  .  72S,  w.-,s  ,n.t 
""''^''-  '"nnn.-u-.I  ..f  \'i„„  Hdiring,  .  !):,„.  hv  i.irth,  l,u(  for  sonu.  yc-rs 
■H  the  service  ..f  Russ.a,  where  he  ha.i  risen  ,0  ,he  rank  of  conHn...lore. 
A  Russ.an,  Alexis  Tchirikov,  was  imrn.tnl  with  ,W-  n.nunan.l  of  one  of 
the  vessels.  Three  years  were  cons.nne.l  in  preparation.  Mdnin-,  with 
h.s  oIlK-ers,  crews  an.l  ship-hu,l,icrs,  proceeded  overland  lo  Okhotsk 
'"""'  '"•  ''^■•^'■•""•■'^>'l  •"  '».ild  one  of  the  vessels,  i,,  which  to  c  ,nvey  thJ 
Mien  and  snppli.s  to  Kamchatka,  where  he  was  to  h.nld  the  other     " 

(>■•  July   ,,,  .7.S,every!hin^    hen,^    in    rea.liness   ,hev  set    sail    iVom 
Kamchatka  River.     Ahout  the   ,th  of  Au,,n.s,,  when  in  latitnde  6,     30' 
c.i^ht     rch,d<tchis    approached    in    one  of   thdr    leather    hoals,   and    sent 
(orwanl  one  of  their  nMnil,er,  on  sealskins  filled  with  air,  ,0  demand  who 
they    were,  whither  they   were    ^oinj,,  an<l   what   they    wanted.      They 
ponUed  ont  to  the  Russians  the  island  which   these   afterward   calle.i   the 
Isle  of   St.  Lawrence,  and  which   has  since  heen    name.l   Clark's   Island 
Sat.sfying  his  cmestioners  that  his  designs  were  pacific,  Hehrin^  proceede.l 
on    h.s   voya,^e   and    reached    67'    kS  '    without   obstruction,  "whence    he 
nghtly  nd-erred  that  the  continents   were  divided   hv   water,  hecause   no 
lan,l  was  visible  to  the  north  or  east.      He  had  sailed   thron-h  the  strait 
which  was   afterward  called  after  his  name.      lie  ukuIc  a  second   vova^^e 
in  .7.9,  m   the  same  waters,  hut  without  obtainin,^.  anv   additional    inf.'n-- 
m.fon.     He  does  not  seem  to  have  seen  the  coast  of  An.erica  on   either 
voya-rc. 

In  .73r  a  vessel  was  .lispatched   und  r   Krupishev  from    Kamchatka 

R.ver  to  co-operate  with  a  land  force  for  the  subju-^ation  of  the  Tchuk- 

tch.s.     A  ,.ale  of   wind   forced   the  ship  fron.   the  point  of  land  where 

Behnn.s  voyage  had   terminated;    and    bein^    driven    east,   Krupishev 

^-nnd  an  .sland,  and  afterward  a  country  of  ^reat  extent.      A    uku,  c  nne 

aboanl  fron,  the  shore  in  a  canoe,  whon>  they  understood  ,0  sav   that   he 

bclom^ed  to  a  great  country  abomulin,,.  in  wild  animals  and  forests     The 

Russians  coasted  it  for  two  days,  wben  another  storm  comin-,  on,  they 

cl.rected  their  course  hon.eward  to   Kamchatka.      This    vova<.e  left   no 

doubt  of  the  discovery  by  Behrin^  of  the  strait  <lividin.  th^  ^ntinents. 

Hniiself  and  officers  received  many  rjisiinctions 


> 

c 


and 


several   exijloring 


l:v'7 


i 


128 


n  Ell  RING  REACHES   THE  CONTINENT. 


ill 


V 


expeditions  were  projected.  As  before,  the  more  important  were  two: 
The  Western  was  from  Arclian-el  alonj^  the  northern  coast  to  the  east- 
ward; hnt  this  an<i  many  successive  attempts  in  tiie  same  direction  failed, 
manily  because  the  promontory  and  cape  called  Taimur,  exten.linjr  to  78" 
and  encompassed  by  an  immense  ice  barrier,  constituted  an  insunn(,unt. 
able  obstacle.  The  other,  which  was  intrusted  to  Ik-hrino,  was  the 
continuance  of  his  former  enterprise,  with  the  specific  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  distance  from  Kamchatka  to  America  in  the  same 
parallel. 

All  preparations   bein-  duly  made,  IJehrinj?  an.l   his  former  Heuten- 
ant,  Tchirikov,  set  sail  in   the  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  from  Avatcha  Bay 
in  Kamchatka,  June  4,  174,.     Sixteen  days  later   the    St.  Paul,  under 
Captain   Tchirikov,  was  separated  from   the  Commodore's  vessel  in  a 
gale,  and  a  fo-  arisinor  soon  after,  they  entirely  lost  sight  of  each  other 
for  the  whole  season.    July  the    15th   Tchirikov  found  himself  near  the 
mamlandon   the  American   side,  in    latitude  55  O  36'.     He  cast  anchor 
and  sent  out  the   long  boat  with   orders   to  make  a  landinj.  where  they 
could  on  the  rock-bound  shore.     Several   days   having  elapsed  without 
then-  return,  he   grew  alarmed   and   sent  his  other  boat  in  search.     But 
the  same  fate  doubtless   awaited   both-probably  destruction   by  the  na- 
tives.    Neither  was  ever  heard  from,  and  Tchirikov  lost  seventeen  men 
and   both   his  boats.     Some   Americans  made  from  the   shore  in  their 
canoes  some  days  later  an<l  siu-veyed  the  ship  from  a   distance;  but  they 
did  not  dare  approach  her.     Had  they  been  kindly  disposed  thev  proba- 
bly would  not  have  held  aloof.     It  is  almost  certain  that  they  had  killr-J 
or  taken  captive  the  seventeen   Russians.     Tchirikov  now  held  a  council 
of  his  remaining  officers,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  to   return.     The 
St.  Paul  was  headed  for  Kamchatka,  where  she  arrived  in  safety  early  in 
October.     Here  the  thoughtful    Tchirikov   made   preparations  for  the 
reception  of  Behring  and  his  crew,  should  disaster  overtake  them. 

Meanwhile  Behring's  ship  had  fallen  in  with  the  continent  in  lati- 
tude 58  o  38',  on  the  iSth  of  July.  The  prospect  v.as  grand,  but 
gloomy.  Ilijrh  mountain  ranges,  ndge  beyond  ridcrc,  covered  with 
snow,  stretched  away  to  the   utmost  limit  of  vision.     Towerin-  over  all 


•tl 


/NVEST/GATfONS  OF  STELLER,  jgg 

15,000  feet  hijrh,  rose  the   lofty  peak  which  George  William  Steller,  the 
German    naturalist   and  physican  of  the  expedition,  named    Mo.u.t  St 
Ehas,  by  which  it   is  still  known.     On  the  .9th  they  anchored  in  a  safe 
bay  near  the  small  island  of  Kaiak,  in  what  is  called  Behrinj;  Bay,  ahot.t 
latitude  59O   ^5'.     The  capes  on  either  hand  they  named  St.  Elias  and 
Hermogenes. 

July  20  a   boat   was  sent  ashore  for  fresh   water,   and  Steller  with 
d.fticulty  obtained    permission  to  accompany  the  crew    with  his  Cossack 
attendant.     On  landing,  Steller  struck  boldly  into  the  interior,  an.l  at  the 
distance  of    a  mile  he  discovered  the  hollowed    trunk  <,f  a  tree    in  which 
the  natives  had   but  a  few  hours   before  cooked  some   meat  with    r.,1  hot 
•stones,  after  the   manner  of  the   Kamchadales,  whence   he   inferre.i  that 
they  were  probably  of  the  san.e  stock,  an.i  that  the  two  continents  nn.st 
nccessardy  approacii    each  other  to   the   north,  as  the  frail    canoes  of   the 
natives  were   not  fit  to   traverse  a  wi.le   expanse  of  water.     At  the  dis- 
tance of  another   mile  he  found  a  cache  or  cellar,   which    he  t„,covered 
and  found  full  of    smoked   f.sh,  and  a  few    bundles  <.f  the   inner   l>ark  of 
the  larch,  which  in   case  of  necessity  serves  as  food  throughout  all  Sibe- 
na.     There  were  also  some  arrows,  carefully  s.noothcd  and  .V^   black 
which  were    superior  to   those  of  the   Kamchadales.     Steller   now   se.it 
back  his  servant  to  obtain  an  extension  of  time  and  a  small  escort  to  con- 
tinue his  exploration.     In  his  absence  he  ascende.l  a  hill  and  saw  smoke 
ns.ng  in  the  distance,  which  satisfied    him  that  some   natives  could  soon 
he  lound.     lint  Hehring  was   inexorable  for  his  return,  and  Steller  couhl 
only  obey,  under  penalty  of  being  left  behind.      In    the  bitterness  of   his 
disappointment   he   was  excusable  for  giving    utterance  to  the   sarcasm 
that  the  Russians  traveled  a  great   way  at  great  expense  to  carry  a  little 
American  water  to  Asia.     Steller   took  away  samples  of  what   he   had 
lound,  leaving  some  knive.' 


On  the  2 1  St,  Behr 


inkcts  and  tobacco  in  exch 


insre 


cabin  through  illness,  appeared  on  decl 


ing,  who  had   hitherto  almost   constantly  kept   his 


and  return  as  < 


nn.ess,  appeared  on  <lcck,  gave   orders   to  weigh    anchor, 
lirectly  as  might  be  to  Kamchatka.     They  soon  found  that 


the  coast  trended  southwest,  and 


they 


it  was   with   the   utmost  difficulty   that 


were  able  to  extricate  the  ship  fn,m  the  labyrinth  of  islands  which 


'A 
il 


s  I 


180       ArA7Vr,2s   FIUCIITENED  AT  THE  TASTE  OF  BRANDT. 

line  the  peninsula  ..f  Alaska.     Six  weeks  later,  <,n  the  3,1  „f  September, 
they  ha.I  an  a.lven'.nv  with  a  few  natives.     Seeinj.  nine  of  them    f.shinc. 
on  an  ■slan.l-pn,»,ahly  ..ne  of  the  smaller  ontlyinj.  islands  of  the  Aleutian 
Kinup-they    ,M.,lertook    to  ope.,  communication  with  them.     Hy  si<rns 
each  partv  invile.l  the  other  to  approach;  finally  three  Russians,  ..ith  the 
Kanak  nncrpreter,  rowed  ashore,  but  the  North-Siberian    found    himself 
amonj,r,st,,,n.irerstohis  lan,tiuajre,  and   could  render   no  assistance.     The 
Americans,  however,  seemed  t<,  like  their  Asiatic  brother,  evidently    rec- 
oj,Mn.n>jr  i„  hi,,  ,  „,,,,,  ,,,,tionship  than  in  his    European  companions. 
1  he  leader  of  the  abori,i,nnes  was  invi.e.i  aboard   the  Russian  boat,  and  as 
^.  token  of  confi.IcMce  complied.      The  hospitable    Russians   now    handed 
h-.n  a  oh.ss  of  ]„,..,Kly,  the  taste  of  which  so  appalled  the  unsophisticated 
.K.Uvc,  that  he  exhibited  the  ^n-eatest  alarm  and  an  evident  anxiety  to  be 
pi.t  ashore  anu,n.,.  his  fellows.     This  w.as  done  in  all  haste;  and  the  Rus- 
s.ans  .Ireadinj,^  the  spread  of  the  ,,anic  among  his  companions,  rowed  for 
the  ship,  leaving  the  Kariak  among  his  new-found  friends.     He,    how- 
ever,  set  up  such  a  lamentation  and    made   such   piteous  signs  not  to  be 
abandoned,  tliat  the  Russians  concluded  to  have  recourse  to  a  stratagem 
for  his  recovery.     They  fired  two  shots  in  the  air,  which,  reverberadn.r 
from  the  Inlls,  so  affected  the  imaginations  of  the  astonished   natives,  that 
they  ofTercd  no  hindrance  to  the  departure  of  the  interpreter,  who,  h.nsten- 
ing  to  tiie  shore,  was  soon  alioard  the  vessel.     The  next  day  the   natives 
presented  themselves  in  their  canoes  at  the  side  of  the  vessel,  bearin-  the 
ohve  branch  of  peace,  that  is,  a  rod  ornamented  with  feathers,  and  hlart- 
ily  cheered  the  departing  strangers,  who  ha.l   already  weighed   anchor, 
and  were  being  rapidly  borne  away  on  the  freshening  breeze. 

r.nvard  the  close  of  September,  they  encountered  one  of  those  fierce 
storms,  exceptional  even  in  northern  latitudes,  lasting  seventeen  days 
and  surpassing  i,i  violence  anything  their  pilot  had  ever  seen.  He  had 
been  at  sea,  boy  and  man,  for  fifty  years,  and  of  all  the  storms  he  had 
w.tnesse,l,this  was  the  worst;  an.l  very  severe  it  proved  to  Rehring  and 
h.s  crew.  They  were  <lr,ven  south  to  about  the  latitude  of  the  no.thern 
l.ne  of  what  is  now  the  United  States,  exclusive  of  Alaska.  They  dis 
cusse<i  among  themselves  whether  to  seek  refuge  on  the  American  coast 


THE  CREW  BECOME  DESPERATE. 


181 

or  ».,.,„,,,  ,„  „,„„,  ,„  K,,„«h,,.k.n.    The  l„„„  c„„r,c  w.„  .Icermmo ,. 

Mcanwh,  c  »„,„.,  ,,,„  ,,„„, ,  „^„„^,  „,^  ,^^,,_  ^__^  ^^^^     ^^_^^^,  ^ 

.he    „e  ,„  ,al,  ,„„vi,i„„„  „„„  „|„„,,|  ,.,   „,„  ^.^^^.^^,^.^,  ^ 

wc...  he,..     Ahn,,..  eve,.y  ,,,.,  .hey  l.,s.  „„e  ,„  „..  ,,,.„,  ,„  „J,„ 

Ily  ."...«      „e,.e    left    i„    he.l.h    ,„  „.,„„e    the   vessel.      ,.ehH„, 

■  «IK  n..„».e,„e„l  „r  ,he  vessel.  The  I.ehns,,.,,,  was  ,„  liek 
"at  -e  ,e,,u,n,,l  ,„  he  su,,|,„,-,e,l  ,„  his  ,,„„;  .,,,,1  ,vhe„  „„  |„„,a.r 
able     .,    s„.e,.    he    „as   .-elieve.l  ,,v    „„e    nea,!,   as    weak    a,    hhnsdr. 

en  .,.e„  a.  the  ^e.y  „r  .„e  „.,„„.     The  ,„en  l„s.  e ,,,e  a„,l  ,at  .hen,! 

-Ive:.,  „„  .„,|cspai,..     The  „i,h.,  ,rew  l„„«e,  l,„.  ,he   „.,„e   i„„„i„e„. 
Wca,„e.he,r<lan,a.,-,,he  ,,„„.  helpless  a,„l   hopeles.  I,eea..e  the  ere„ 

When  ■e.ineste.l  t ,hei,-,l„ty,  .hey  were  seareely  able  t„  nn.lcnake  i. 

""":; ..''-"'^  "-<'  '"-    l'-^"-     They   p,,,„„nnee.l  I.   in.posslhle  il 

save  ,he  ,h,p  ,„.  .he^selves;  ,n,.l  severity  „f  ,|iseip,ine  was  of  n„  avail,  f.,,- 
.h  .vpreferre,  even  .lea.h  ,„  .he  sffleri,,,.  they  e„.l„re,l.  The  „mce,-s 
of  he  sh„.  wh„n,  the  necessities  „r  petpetna,  „ve,si,ht   ha,l   kept  l,.„y 

;".<■  achve  escape,  .lisease vere  n,.w  the  „„ly    hope  „f  s  Ivation' 

rhey  ,n.,e<l  the   ess  .,espai,,n„  „f  the  crew   to  fnrnish  snch  assistance  as 
they  con    ,  „„.,„„.»  ,,„,  ,„„  ,„.  ,  „,,  „,  ^,^^.  ^^^^  ^^^^^^  ,,.,,,,^..,,y.., 
F.nally  „„  the  fonrth  of  >J„vc„,l,er,  in  al,„„t  la.itn.le  55",  a,  ei.^ht 

o  clock  „.  the  ntornin,,  h ,ove ,h,,  l,„t  at  a  consi.lera.,.:  .list,,; 

lor  they  conl.1  only  see  the  »„„„.e,a,l  n.o.n.tains.     They  stecre,!  ,„r  th-' 

,nhosp,tal,le  shore  all  .lay,  an.l  at  night  hel.l  back  to  avoW  bein,  wreckcl' 

)..    he  tnorni,,,.  of  the  llfth,  a  .rea.  wave  threw  the  ship  over  a  reef  an,l' 

lamlcl  her,  ,lisahle<l,  in  s „th  water,  after  they  ha.l  lost  two  anchors  in 

a  .c;n,ptn,,  to  .save  her  front  r,.„„i„,,  „„  .„„  ,„,,,  „^^ 

.hen.. h,r.l  anchor,  a„.l. he  sha..ere,l  ship  ro.le  at  ease  in  the  sheltered 

of  VV  '■™  ""'""7'  "'"'  "■^■'■'-  ■"'"<  ■''•l'--.-™t  ashore  nn.ler  the  c„n„„an,l 

Wasall,  on  whon,  ,|,c  .lirec.ion  of  .he  ship  an.l  crew  ha.l  .lcvolve.1, 

•■"    tchtn,,  h..con,i,„.  entirely  .lisable.l.     They  fenn.l  the  cnn.ry  barren 

an,l  eovercl  w,tb  snow;  bn.  had  the  goo<l  fortnne  to  discover  a  stream 


las 


SEA   OTTERS  CAPTURED. 


of  .xcc-llc.U  wa.cr.     Hous.,  hut,  or  sl,dtc-r  of  any   kimi,  coul.l   not    he 
fouM.I,  c-xc-cpt  san.l  hol.s,..vcr  which  ihc-y  .sp,Ta.l  s,„nc-  sails  to  make  them 
I'-'l'.tMl.le  lor  the  sick.      ()„   the  eij,H,th  sume   were    InwU-.l,  an.l    ..„    ,he 
■  H-M  .lay  Mc.hrin^r  ,vas  lake,,  ashore  a„.I   ,,n,vi,ie.l   lor   with   special   care 
'..  ..Me  of  ihe  excavatc.l  san.l  holes.     Six  .lays  later  all  were  provide.!  for 
o"  lan.i  as  well  as  circumstances  would  permit.     The  interior  of  the  Ian,! 
swarme.1  with  hh.e  an.l  white  foxes,  which  were  so  hold  as  to  convince  the 
Uussians  that  they  had  fallen  on  an  nninhahited  rejrion.    Sea  otters  were 
also  seen,  which  proved  they  were  not  .,n  the  cast  of  Ka.ucha.ka,  from 
wh.ch  these  animals  had  disappeare.l.     Killinjr  some  of  these  they  found 
the  flesh  tonsil  and  unpalatahle,  l.n.  Steller,  the  physician,  ,n-ed  its  con- 
sn,npti.,n,  however  tn.pleasant,  as  an  anti.lote  to  the  scurvy;    and  nearly 
all  llic  crew,  except  those  who  were  sick  on   landinj,s  were  saved  fn.ni 
disease  l,y  his  persistence.     M  )n   all   sides."  says   Steller,  .lescrihino    the 
experiences  after  landin-,  u  „othin-  was  t..  he  seen   hnt   misery.      Before 
thc.lea.l  conl.l   he   ...nie.l,   they   were  man-led   l,y   the   f..xes,  who  even 
vcnt.ncl  to  approach  the  helpless  invalids  who  were  lyin^  without  cover 
on  the  heach.     Some  of  these  wretched  sufTerers  complained  hitterly  of 
the    col.l,    others    of    hun-er  and    thirst-for   many   had  their  -urns  so 
swollen  an.l  ulcerated  with  the  scurvy  as  to  he  unahle  t.,  cat. 

"On  November  the  13th,  I  went  out  huntin-  for  the  Ihst  time  with 
Mcssiem-s  Plenisner  and   J5et.^a-;    we   killed   four  sea  otters,  an.l  .li.l   „ot 
return  before  ni.L,rht.     We  ate  their  Hesh  thankfully,  and  praved  to  (iod 
that  he  mi-lu  co.itinue  to  provide  us  with  this  excellent  food.'  The  costly 
skins,  on  the  other  han.l,  were  of  no  value  in  our  eyes;    the  onlv  objects 
wh.ch   we    now  esteemed   were    knives,   needles,  thread,  ropes,'  etc.,  on 
which  before  we  ha.l  not  bestowed  a  thought.      We  all  saw  that  rank, 
science,  and  other  s.,cial  distinctions  were  of  no  avail,  and   coul.l  n..t  in' 
any  way  contribute  to  our  preservation;    we   therefore    resolved,  before 
wc  were  fbrced  to  do  so  by  necessity,  to  set  to  work  at  once.      \V^>  in- 
troducc.l  amono-  us  five  a  comm.mity  of  <roods,  an.l  re-nlated  our  house- 
keeping  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  l,e  in  want  betbre  the   winter   was 
over.     Our  three  Cossacks  were  oblicred  to  obey   orders,  when    we   had 
decided  upon  something  in  common;  but  we  began   t..  treat   them   with 


'1   STiiANDED    WIIALK 


ia<) 


grcatcT  poliu-uoHs,  calIin},Mln-.n  hv  ll 
floon  found  th.it  IV-tiT  M 


H'ir  iiiiiiu-s   ;iii(|   snriia 


formerly  I'ftruclia  |  IV.tcrkin|. 


ixiiiKivitch  siTvt'd 


nu's,  ami   we 
tis    with    iiK.iv  alacrity   ihau 


N. 


>v 


thr 


vmhcr   the-    I  ,th  till-   whole   sh 


ce  parties.      Tlu.  ,„,^.  |,;„i  , 


<>   CO 


^liip;  thesccondhmi.^rht  wood;   the  thini 
"<l  niyself,  remained  at  home— the  f 


ips  company   was   ronned   into 

iivey  the  sick   and   provisions   fioin   tl 

,  coiisistinu-   of  ;,    i;i,nc   s.iilor 


ie 


I 


acted 


as  cook 


ormer  busy  makin.--  a  s| 


U  our 


parly  was  the  first   t 


•'•<:^,'e,  while 


also  iH-rforiiud  ilu-  diKv  ..f  I 
"Mlil  tlu-v  had  so  I 


)rin'nii-r  war 


<)   or^raiii/c  a   hoiisdioM,  I 
in   soup   to   some   of   our   sick 


•arracks  hiincr  this  d 


H-  recovered  as  to  he  al.le   to    help  ihunscl 


trail 


th 


!iy  ready  to  receive  'the  sici 


ves. 


'he 


sported  under  roof;  hut  I 


Iv,   inaiiv    ( 


.f    (1 


le  ^'roiiiid 


'or  want  of  room,  iIh-v   I 


lem    Were 


otiier,  and  iiothin<r 


,  covered   with   ra-s  aiul    clothes.       N 


ly   cvervwh 


ere    on 


afToi 


was  heard   hut   I 


o   one   could    assist   the 


(hnjj  so  wix-tched 


:imcntati()iis   and    curses— -tl 


:i  Ni;,'ht,  as  to  mal, 


eoura<re. 


c  even    the   sli 


lie   whole 
<>n;^M;st    la-art    lose 


'On  Xovemher  15th  all  the  sic! 


one  o 


f  tl 


H-m  named  IJaris  Sand  into  our  I 


k  were  at    len-th    landed.       We   took 


covered  within  thre 


e  months.     The  foil 


liiit,  and    hy    (iod's   help    h 


as  the  mcsscii^a-rs  we  liad  M-iit  out   1 
were  on  a  desert  island,  witi 


owin^r  d;,ys  added  t 


I'    re- 


o  oiir   misers 


"■'H'-ht    tis   the    intelliircnce    that 


we 


,   witliout   any    communical 


vVe  were  also  in  constant  fear  that  tl 
sliil)  ""1  I"  sea,  and  alon-  with  ,t  all  our  prov 


'"11    wiih    Kamchatk 


a. 


le  stormy  weather   mi"lit   d 


ri\e   our 


ever  leturniiio-  ( 


isior.s,   ;^nd    ev 


crv    ho 


o  our  homes. 


vessel  tor  several  d 


"•onietinies  it  was  ini 


I  pi'    of 


:i\s  to'jfethe 


possil 


)lc  to  <.et  I,,  t 


le 


r,  so 


ten 


or  twelve  men,  who  had  hitherto  been   al.l 


boisterous  was  the  sui' 


^';    and    about 


"•      Want,  nakedness,  1 


c    to    wor 


now 


fi 


our  daily  companion-. 


,  Irost,  ram,  illness,  impat 


ience,  and   despair,   were 


AmoiiL!-  the 


was  a  dead    whale   t 


provisions  on   which   they  ha.l    to   rel 


witi 


irowii  on    the  coast  of   the    island 


}'  111    emer'^-eucics 


1  t,'rim   jocularity  thev  called    th 


9th  -of   Deccmhe 


cir  maLraziiie, 


r,  exactiv  four 


111  a  storm.      This 
J5ehrin<r   died  ,,i,  the 


almost  he  said  that  1 


weeks    after    bein^-    landed.      It 


hous! 


the  1 


le  was  buried  alive.      In  ij 


mitr 


ht 


oose  s.inc 


c  sandpit  in  which  he  was 


liadually  piled    up  around    hii 


11  until  he  was 


i  I 


DEATH  OF  li  EI  Hi  INC. 


i;r). 


more  than  lialf  covcm-chI,  lie  would  not  allow  it  to  he  romovcd,  hut  kept 
tifatluTiuL;-  it  u|),  uiuicr  the  fonvictiou  that  it  helped  to  keep  him  warm 
and  prolon,!^-  life.  When  he  died  it  heeame  necessary  to  uiieartii  him 
hel.  le  he  eonld  hi'  deeenlly  hu^'  'd.  lie  was  respectl'ully  interred  on  the 
island  and  in  sioht  of  the  sea,  which  were  thencelorth  to  hear  his  name. 
lie  was  only  in  his  sixty-second  year,  and  mij^iil  have  survived  the  shi|)- 
wreck  had  hi-  not  heen  enteehled  hy  disease  arising-  from  exjiosure  and 
till'  want  ol"  fresh  proxisions.  He  had  heen  thirtv-six  years  in  the  Rus- 
sian navy,  which  he  entc'red  in  1703.  In  1 707  he  had  heen  made  lieu- 
tiaian!,  and  in  i7if)  captain.  His  last  expedition  failed  of  satisfactory  le- 
suhs,  no  donht  throunh  his  lon<4  continued  illness.  Beyond  his  piime  man 
lacks  that  \ital  powci-  wliich  enahles  him  to  withstand  tlie  hardships  of 
such  adventures.  Three  weeks  later  the  St.  Peter  was  wrecked  in  si^rlu 
ol  the  survivors.  Her  cahle  <j^ave  way  in  a  violent  storm,  and  she  was 
driven  on  the  rocks.  There  was  no  lou'^er  anv  ho|)e  of  usin;^-  hei'  on  the 
voyage  to  Kamchatka  in  tlie  s])rin<;-,  and  to  add  to  their  misfortune  a  con- 
siderahle  ])ait  of  their  provisions  were  spoiled  hy  the  sea  water. 

In  March,  174^,  tlu  sea  otters  disappeared  from  those  waters,  Thev 
liad  killed  900  of  them  and  sa\e(l  the  skins.  Of  these  ahoul  300  eventu- 
ally came  into  the  possession  oi' Steller,  hy  harter  and  through  the  i;ener- 
osily  of  tlie  sick,  who  felt  deeply  indehted  to  him  for  his  services  so  dis- 
interestedly renderi'd  in  their  hour  of  need.  Thirty  of  the  crew  died  on 
thi'  island;  hut  nearly  all  had  heen  sick  hefore  landini;-.  l''ort\-live 
survived.  Seals,  sea  lions  and  sea  horses  now  took  the  place  of  sea  otters 
on  the  coast  of  Uehring's  Island,  and  their  ilesh  was  much  more  palata- 
hle.  A  walrus  w  i.^hiiiL,'-  Soo  pounds  was  found  sufficient  tor  a  lort- 
ui;j;ht's  consumption.  The  ilesli  resemhles  heef,  and  that  of  the  yonnj^-  is 
as  tinder  as  veal.  The  health  of  the  men  now  improsed  rapidh',  and 
their  i^ieat  concern  was  to  s^row  stroni^-  enough  tor  the  work  of  deliver- 
ance   which  they  were  to  undertake  in  the  summer. 

VVaxall  now  he^an  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  task  of  '^ettint^ 
ready.  This  he  did  with  connnendahle  discretion,  A  virtual  dcmocracv 
had  sprunt;-  fiom  their  necessities,  and  one  had  as  -jjood  riL;ht  to  iiis  opin- 
ion as  another.    Their  projects  tor  escape  were  of  coin-se  xarions,  hut  they 


*l 


186 


RETURN  TO  KAMTKCIIATKA. 


were  gradually  induce.,  to  concur  in  Waxall's  ,,esi,.n  of  breaking  up  the 
oV\  sh.p  and  c-ons.-uctin.  a  new  hut  sn.aller   one  Horn  her  timhers,  In^- 

The  .nonth  of  April  was  consu.ne.l  in  preparations;  and  on  the 
s.xth  of  May  they  began  to  l,uild  the  new  boat  or  ship.  Hv  the  first  of 
June  the  tin.hers  were  ready  for  the  planks.  She  was  fbrty  bv  thir- 
teen feet;  had  but  one  mast,  and  one  deck. 

"On     the     ,4th,    in     the     morning,"     says     Steller,    » we     weighe.l 
anchor,    and    steered  out    of    tl,e    bay.      The    weather    being   beautiful, 
and    the     .-uul     favorable,    we    were    all    in    good   spirits,    and    as    wJ 
sade,l     along    the    islan<l,    we   pointed     out     to    each    other    the    well- 
known    mountains    and    valleys    which    we    had    frequently    visited    m 
quest  ot  game,  or  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitering.      TowanI    evenin.. 
we     ^vere    opposite    the    furthest    point     of     the     island,    and     o„     the 
i5tH,    nu>    wind    continuing    favorable,  we    steered    <lirect    towanl    the 
-y  ot  Avatcha.     About  midnight,   however,  we  perceived  to  our  .^reat 
cLsmay,  that  the  vessel  began  to  fill  with  water   from  an  unknown  leak 
wh.ch  n>  consecp.ence  of  the   crowded  au.l  overloaded  state  of  the  vessel' 
;t    was    extremely  diificult    to    find    out.      At   length,  after  the  lighten' 
>ng  of  the  sh.p,  the   carpenter   succeeded  in   slopping  the   leak,  and  thus 
we  were  once  more  saved  from  imminent  danger." 

On  (he  .5th  they  sighted  the  longed-for  Kamchatka,  entered  the  ^-.y 
"(  Avatcha  on  the  36th,  and  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Petropanlovsky 
-  the  .7ti,  where  they  fbund  that  provision  had  been  kiudlv  UKule  L 
then-  anfe.pated  wants  through  the  forethought  of  Capt.  Tchi'rikov 

Russian  expeditions  to  Arctic  seas  now  fell  into  the  han.ls  of  merclruUs 
-Hi  a.lventurers;  and  were  prosecuted  f^on,  Archangel  as  whalin..  voy- 
ages, and  in  the  east,  fron.  Petropaulovsky  and  Okhotsk,  as  ventm-es  in 
the  lur-trade,  in  svhich  they  built  up  a  profitable  con.n.eree  with  China 
and  Japan. 


SWATNK    STARTS    FROM 


ARCTIC    KXl'I 


CHAPTER   XV. 

IMiri.ADKLPHIA— EXPLORATION- 


ORATION    l!V   IIKARN'K IN 


liV   WIXD— MAI.TRKATMKX 


OK     I.AIiRADOR 


STRir.MKNTS     I)|.;STI!()^•  I   I) 


I"    f)K    KSQUIMAUX- 


IMIIPPS RKACIIKS    SI'irziSK 


-AirtTIl-    \-OYA(;i.;   oi.- 


R(JK\, 


del  pi 


In  the  sprin-  of  i  754  Capt.    Charles  S 


waine 


lia,  ill  Pennsvlvania,  t^ 


jft  th 


>  search  for  the  Nortl 


e   port  of  Phil; 


in  command  of  the  schooner   A 


hwest  Passaire.     II 


e  was 


Farewell  in  Ji 


r.Ljo;  and    (Irst  encountered 


line.      Leavinji;-    the   caster 


ice   off  Cai)e 


western  ice  in  latitude  sS 


■n   ice    he   i\<^n]n    fell   in    with   tl 


it,  hut  could  not;  it   th 
ward  he  met  two  Danish 
up  Davis'  Strait,  which  had  1 


5^%  and  cruised  to  the  northward  to  6  ^  c 
len   extended   to   the  eastward.      R 


to 


le 


clear 


eturnin<r   south- 


vessels  hoim.l  to  Ball  River  an;l    Disco    Island 


K'en  ni  the  ice  fourteen  davs  off  C 


wel 


aiK 


th 


1  had  then  stood  to  the    westward.      Th 
e  ice  was  fast  to  the  shore  all  above  Hudson's   S 


ipe    I"a re- 


forty  leajjfues  out,  and  that  there  had  not  1 


ey  assured  Swaine   that 
trait  to  the  distance  of 


ast,  these  twenty-four  years   that  thev   had   1 


>een  such  a  severe  winter  as  the 


)een  eii,t,r:i,n^ed  in   that   trade. 


1  hey  were  then  nine  weeks  from  Copenha.^.en.  The  An^.o,  (Indin-.  she 
could  not  ,,.et  around  tiie  ice,  pressed  through  it  au.l  .-ol  to  the  mouth  of 
Hndson's  Strait  on  the  26th  of  June.  She  reached  Resolution  IsPuul 
l.tit  was  forced  hack  by  vast  <,nantities  of  .hiving  ice,  an.l  <,ot  into  clear 
sea  onjuly  ,st.  Cru.sin,,  alon^  the  border  of  the  ice,  seeking  an  open- 
ni,Mo.,.et  throu<,h  it,  she  met  on  the  14th  four  vessels  of  Ih.dson  B-,y 
endeavorm,^.  to  .^^et  in,  and  continued  with  them  till  the  ,yth,  when  they 
P=n-te,i  in  thick  weather,  in  latitude  62  O  3,,'.  The  thick  weather  lasted 
t'll  An.nist  7.  The  Hudson's  Bay  men  before  thev  were  separated 
tn.m  the  Arj^o  computed  the  distance  to  the  western  coast  ,.f  Ihulson's 
Bay  .It  forty  lea<ifues. 

The   Artro    ran    down    the    ice    from    about    63  0    t<,  57  O    3,,'^  .,„^j 

137 


I 


m 

llii 


m 


.11 


138 


S/:.IM//  FOli   NORTHWEST  PASSACR. 


aftc-r    n-]H\-ik'(l     ;ittc 


C'lMll'MXOr. 


mpts    to    oiitcT    the    Straits    relinquished    the 


Ih'    moiv   as  (he  season   C,,,-  niai^in'j-  disc 


em  side  oC  tht'  h 


(>\riv   on    the 


vain 
west- 


'.ly  woidd    he    over    l)efore    ihev  eould  I 


Swaiiie  now  direeted  his  vessel  to  lit 


lopi'  lo    reach   it. 


<■•  coast  of  Lai 


pert 


eeliy  lo  iatitiidt"  ^i  |.  O 


11 


hi'  lliorouniily  expiori'd,  nia 

certainin-  all  he  could  of  the  soil,  proihue,  and 


nadoi-,  and  I'xplored   it 
c  found  no  less  than  six  Inlets,  all  of  whieh 


kin^-  an  excelli-nt  charl  of 


he   coast,   an( 


as- 


thought  it  much  like  .\ 


I  H'ople  (> 


f   1. 


alirador, 


He 


orwav,  and  satisi 


f<l  linnsc 


thei 


\\a\'  aiross  it   to   \\m\ 


i'    \Nas    no   waleV' 


son's    |5av.      It    had    I 


route  could  he  lonnd,  hut  S\v 


found 


heie  was  a  hii^h  mount 


teen  K-njectured    that    sueh   a 
line's  careful  sinviw  settled  thai  point.      He 


north  to  south,  alxuit  liftv  1 
foiuid  a  deserted  w 


lad  heen  I  mi  It 


:iiii  ran^e    whieh   tiavcrsed    t 


ic   land   from 


ca-nes  inland.      In  one  ofthese    harhois   th, 


ooilen  liouse  with  a 


line 


'V  ICn.t^Iishmen,  as   ajjpeared    evid 


•y 

chimney  which  they  jiuh'-ed 


left  hehind.      Afterward  in  another  of  tl 
a  i)ark  or  snow      so  called  from  the  L()w-( 
London.      He  informed  them    (hat   the    s 
175,:;,  and  had  landed  some  Mor 
inteiidiuL;-  (o  remain  there.      Ihil  t 


ent  fiom   sundry   relies 
u-  Inlets  they  met  Captain  (iofl'  in 


xerman    snau,  or 


:nne    vessel    had    I 


snout — from 
cen    there    in 


artfully  coaxed  awav  hv  the  nat 
tance  in  their  hoat,  and 


avian  brethren   who  had  huilt  the  house. 
H-  captain  and  six  of  his  n 


ives  under  pretence  of  trail 


icn  had   heen 
Ic,  to  some  dis- 


nnarmed 


Af 


cr  wailiu'-'  tlieii'  reti 


(lays  ni  \ani,  the  1 


l)v  the  Morav 


emainder  concluded  to   sail    for  lOn-land 


urn  for  sixteen 


lans,  who  were  necessary  to  work  the  vessel    and 


,  accompanied 


coura_i;ed  in  their  benevolent  nndertal 
the  natives.      Part  of  (JofPs  1 


were    dis- 


kni' 


by  the  unexpected  treachery  of 


what  he  could  of  the    fate   of  th 


)usiness  on  this  voya-e,  he  said,  was  to  I 


earn 


icse   men 


S 


vva 


me's  M()o(l  fortune,  who  seei 


a     pleasant    addition    (( 


his  si 


ns  not  to  ha\e  lost  a  m 


lips   equipment,    he  discovered   a    line    llshinu-bank   al 


111  or  any  pari   of 


miles  od'shoie  and  stretching-  57  o    to  ^\^  0  .      \' 
safety  at  Philadelphia  about  t 


'out  twenty 


cssel  and  crew  ariived 


m 


le  middle  of 


111  I  77-'  the  b 


.  vox'ember. 


/  / 


D 


S'cntlemen  of  X'ir'dnia  ti 


)ii.L!:  l>>iii,i,'ciice   was  dispatched  1 


pi 


search   for  the  Northwest    P 


n-   a  company  of  piiv.ate 


iced   in  charge  of  C 


as^  a''e. 


S, 


but 


iptain  Wilder,  who  followed  tl 


ic  was 


uicceeded  in  enterin-  Hudson's  Bay,  th 


ic  route  of  Swainc, 
e  season  beiny  more    favora- 


>3il 


EXPEDiriON  OF  HEARNE.  ,gy 

l)lc'.  Tin.  I)ili<rcncc  plied  al....it  the  l.roMd  expanse  of  the  -.-eat  hay,  es- 
pcrially  t..  the  north  an.l  west,  ulml,  were  now  the  accreclite.l  point's  cf 
sc-a.eh  (or  the  Northwest  Passa-^e.  They  were  (Inallv  driven  haek  l>y 
>'"•  ircan.l  retreated  ll.ron.uh  1  In.lson's  Strait  to  Davis'Strait,  whieh  they 
.•.sr..ndc.d  to  ,he  latilnde  of  Diseo  l.land  in  UjO  ,  ,',  whence  they  ret,n,>e,l 
to  Virginia. 


ARCTIC  EXPLORATION  BY  HEARNE. 

Samnel  I  learne  had  entered    the    ICn.^lish    navy  as   a    midshipman   in 
Captain  1  lood's  vessel,  at  the  a-e  of  eieve.,.      At  the  eh.se  of  the  I'^reneh 
war   in    1763,    he    took    serviee    .n,d..r    the    1  Indson's    P.av   Company   as 
•in.rlennaste,-,  at    Iw.r,  Chnrehiil.      I„    ,  ^r.S  ]„.  ,,vi„ee,I  special  ahilitv  in 
ins  exploration  of  the  northern  coast  of  llu.ison's  iJay,  and  the  improve- 
"Knt  of  the  fisheries  in  thai  ,,uarter.      The  same   year    the    Indian   story 
of  copper  nn-nes  to  the  north,  which  had   Inred    Kni.^ht  to  destruction   in 
.7'9,  Mn<l  which  ha<l  heen  repeated  toCaptain  Scro<,rj.s   in  1722,  was  put 
l-yondall    (p.estion    hy  .some    rich    specin.ens  of  ore    hronoht   hv  Indian 
".adersto    Fort    Churchill.       Hearne    was   now  sent   out  with  a  "twofold 
con.nnssion,  to    search  for  tlie   Northwest  Passao-e  and  the  n.ines  of  cop- 
IHT.      He  left    V.n    Churchill   Novemher   6,  1769,  accompanied   by  two 
wh.le    n,en    and    son.e    hxlians.       When    he    had    proceeds    about   two 
Innxire.l  miles  his  provisions  beoan  to  fail,  and  the  native  guides  deserted 
Inm,  when   he  was   obline.I  to   return.      In   the    beginning  of  February, 
I77<',  I'^'ing^   again    ready  to   start,  he    resumed    his  jouruev,  taking  with 
l.iin  no  white  men  an.l  only  five  Indians.     He  had  found  that  the  natives 
ridic.ded  his  two  white  companions   because  of  their  inabilitv  to  endure 
the  hardships  of  the  trip  .as  well  as  they  could.       Some  white   men  have 
been  known   to  pride  themselves   on   similar  qualifications.      When  they 
had    gone   about    live    hundrc.l    miles   they  began  to  sulFer   great  distress 
iVon,    exposure    to    the    severity    of    the    weather,   and    thc^  scarcity    of 
pio\isions. 

Mtwas,"  says  Ilearne,  "  either  all  feasting  or  all  famine;  some- 
tunes  we  ha.l  too  much;  seldom  just  enough;  freciuently  too  little;  and 
«-''-"  "one  at  all.      It  would  bo  only  necessary  to  say  that  we  have  fasted, 


140 


FIGHT  BETWEEN  ESQUIMAUX  AND  INDIANS. 


I<^ 


w 


''i-/ 


\\\ 


many  times,  two  M-hoIc  days  ami   ni^jhts;  twice,  upwanl   c.f  three  clays 
and  once,near  seven  clays,  clurinj.  which  we  tastc.l  not  a  niouthCJ  ofanv- 
thm^^  except  a   few  cranherries,  naler,  scraps  „f  ..1,1   leather,  an,!   hurnt 
bones."      Finally,   in  Angust,  he  arrived   amon^r   ,,   t,ihe  „f  frien,liv  In- 
clK.ns,  in  latitnde  (.^'  ,o'  and  longitu.le  ,o"4o'  west  fron,  J^.rt  Churchill 
where  i,e  proposed  to   winter.      One  day  a  <cust   of  wi.ul  upset  his  ,jua.l- 
r■^^n^.  breaking  it  to  pieces,  and  the   hrave  explorer   pickcl  up   his  efleCs 
and  started  hack  to  the  English  settlement,  notwithstanding    .i  ,•-.  ,.,iva- 
tion  he  ha,l  .nulergone  on   the  way   out.     Eqnippe.l    one-   „  l^,,t 

Churchill,  he   set  out  on  the  7th  of  Decemher,  accompanied    ...non..   the 
rest  by  an    intelligent    Indian   named   Motannahi.      Thev   procecied  this 
tmie  m  a  less  northerly  direction,  an,l  in  latitnde  6o».     After  ha^■in.^  tr-.v 
eled  about  600   miles,  they  came  to  a  lake;  here   thev  built  a  cuJc    ..„>.l 
pushed  northward,  by  a  chain  of  lakes  an,l  streams,  tn.til,   on  the  ,3,h  of 
July,  177',  they  struck  the    Coppermine   River,  which    he  ,lescen,le,l.o 
>ts  month   in   the  Arctic  Ocean,  or  rather  in   Coronation   (n.if,  one  of  its 
.nlets,in   latitnde   68"   30'.     Meanwhile,  llearne's   ban,l  of  In,iians   had 
been  n.creased  by  the  accession  of  some   tra-    ,s  of  the  forest,  frien,lh   to 
each  other,  but  all  hostile  to  the  Ks,,ui,„anx.    Seeing  a  sn.all  encan,pn;ent 
of   then-  ,leteste,l   enemies  on    the    bank  of  the   great    river,  ihcv  attacked 
then,,  on  tl,e  ,7th  of  July,     u  pj,,,- ,g  all  the   Esquin,aux   .jui^t   in  their 
tents,"    says   I learne,  »  they  rushed  n.rth   fi-om    their  ambnsca,le,  an,l  .ell 
on  the  ].oor,  unsuspecting  creatures,  unperceivcl  till  clos.  to  ihe   eaves  of 
then-  tents,  when    they  soon    began    the    bloo.lv  massacre,  while    1    stoo,I 
neuter  in  the  rear."      They  spare.l  neither  age  nor  sex,  an,l  of  the  twen.v 
or  n.ore   nu.ates  of  ,he    hut,  but    few  escape,!.      An    ol,I    won,au    whon, 
tluy  toun.l    peacettdly  fishing    was  to.t.ne,!    bv  having  her  eves    ph.ckcl 
out  before  she  receive,!  iu.-  .leath  blow.      A  y.,ung    girl    s..u,ht  the  pro- 
lect,on  of  Ilearne,  which  he  was  powerless   to  give;   an,l    the  n.iscrean.s 
soon  attertheir  horri,!  work  of  slaughter,  "  sat  down,"  savs  Hearn,.    u,,,, 
made    a    goo,l    ,neal    of  t^-esh    salmon,"    the    fruits,    perhaps,    of   the    ol.l 
woman  s  uKlustry.      The  "  Arctic    Ocean,"  as  ,lescribe,l   bv  Ilearne    uas 
full  of  islan,ls  and  shoals,  as  f^n-  as  he  could  discern  with  a  g.>o.!  teles;:op;.. 
On    the   30th    of  June,    ,773,   after   an    absence   of  o„e    vear   an,l   s.-ven 


ill 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  THE  ENGLISH  NA  VT.  hj 

months  lacking,  one  week,  Hearne  arrived  in  safety  at  Fort  Churchill,  of 
vvh,ch  ho   was   ,nade  Governor,  in    .775.     Q,,  its  capture  l,y  a  French 
-l-<<->,   ""<le.-   Pcrouse,in    ,783,  he   returned    to   England,  where   he 
^I.cd  ten  years  later,  in  his  forty-eighth  year.     His  "  Voyage  to  the  Cop- 
permine River,"  was  published  in  1795.  ^ 

ARCTIC   VOYAGE   OF   PHIPPS. 

Since   the  loss  of    Knight  in  .7.9,  there  had  been  by  common  con- 
sent a  vn-tual  abandonment  of  voyages  of  exploration  in  the  Northwest 
At  mtervals  some  slight   revival  of  interest  arose,  but  only  to  be  damp- 
ened by  repeated  failures.     In    ,743  Captain  Middleton  discovered  Wa- 
ge. "R.ver"„r   Bay,  opening   westward  from   Rowe's   Welcome    md 
for  a  tm,e  he   n.ust    have  fancied  he  had  made  the  great  discovery,  but  it 
was  soon  found  to  be  a  land-locked  inlet  into  an  uninhabited  wilderness 
A  few  years  later,  in  ,746,   Moore  and   Smith,  after  a  fruitless  search  in 
the  same  direction,  pronounced  the  quest  of  «  a  Northwest  Passac^e  as 
chnnerical    as    Don   Quixote's    projects."       But    now    the    success^    i^f 
Captam    Cook    and    the    growing    power    of    England    gave    a    fresh 
.mpetus    to   voyages  of  discovery  on  a    scale    commensurate    with    her 
greatness.      It  has    not   escaped   the   notice  of  our    reader    how    insig- 
nificant  and   paltry  were  the  outfits  of  the   early   English    navigators. 
He  has  also  doululess   divined  the   reason.     While  under  more  arbitrary 
governments  such  enterprises  were  usually  controlled   bv  the  state    and 
niaugurated  with   the  eclat  and  fullness  of  equipment  which  are  wont  to 
characterize  government  ventures,  in  England  they  were  almost  entirely 
"1   the  hands  of  private  merchants.     Occasionally  the  use  of  one  of  the 
King's  ships  was  obtained,  but  even  then  the  equipment  was  supplied  by 
private  persons.     This  was  in  accordance  with  the  genius  of  free  institu- 
tions and  constitutional   liberty;  and  the  Englishman  felt   more  pride  in 
the  growth  of  freedom    than  in   big  ships.     The  necessities  of  war  had 
just  brought  the  crown   a  navy  worthy  of  the  name,   and  the  succeedino- 
epoch  of  peace  left  it  at  fhe  disposal  of  the  ministers  for  the  furtherance 
of  tile  pursuits  of  science  and  commerce.     The  British  government,  full 
of  anticipation  of  the  glory  to  be  achieved  among  the  nations  of  the  earth 


142 


VOTAGE   OF  PH/PPS. 


?  J 


by  the  discovery  of  the  Northwest  Passage,  the  dream  of  her  .ncrchants 
for  nearly  three  eenturies,  proceeded  first  to  dispatch  an  expedition  ,h<e 
north  to  nivestigate  the  possihilities  of  that  ronte. 

On  the  35th  of   May,   ,773,  Captain    Constantine    John  Phipps,  who 
wasra.sed.o   the   peera<,e  as  Lord  Mul^^rave   in    17S4,   received  formal 
.nstrncfons  for  a  voyage  to  the   North  Pole,  or  as  far  toward  it  as  possi- 
ble.    He  was  to  prosecute  the  voyage  as  nearly  as  ice  and  other  ohsta- 
cles  would  permit,  on  a  meridian.     His  observations  were  to  h.  .uch  as 
■night  prove  useful  to  navigation,  and  promote  science.    Should  he  reach 
the  Pole  and  find  open  sea  beyond  he  was  not  to  suffer  himself  to  .n.  on 
but  was  to  get  back  to  the  Nare  before  winter.    A  discretionary  clause  was' 
added,  empowering  him  to  follow  his  best  ju.lgment  in  such  unforeseen 
cn-cim.stances  as   might   arise.     He  was  to  command  the  Racei.orse,  and 
to  her   ^vas  joined  the  Carcass  under  Capt.    Lutwidge,   who   was  sub- 
ject  to  h.s  orders,  with  the   proviso  that  should  evil  befall  the  Racehorse 
he  was  to  assume  command  of  the  Carcass. 

They  got  fairly  under   way  on  Jime  4,  and   anchored  in  a  small   bay 
between  Magdalena  and  Hamburgher  Bays,  off  Spitzbergen,  on  July  4 
On   the   9th  they  were   as    high   as   80^  36',   and    were   caught 'in    the 
ice  on   tiie  31st.     They  forced    their    way  southward    through  the  ice 
reachmg   Seven  Islands'  Bay,  on  the    northwest  coast  of  Spitzber<.en' 
Aug.  6,  and  the  Nare  on  Sept.  34.     In  1774  Captain  Phipps  published  I 
dctadcd   account  .,f  this  Arctic  expedition  under  the  title  of  a  "Journal 
o[  a  Voyage  Toward  the  North  Pole." 


ill 

'it ' ''  ■ 

i'fi 

<ii|:' 
f 

i 


iu;' 


CIIAl'TRR    \vi. 

COOK'S  ,.:vr,.:,„.,„s„  ,.„„  ,„sc.n-,,,„.„  ^„„,„„,,,,,,  ,.,,„,„_,  ,„^^^.,,^ 
.■.v„o„.n.-K.xn.v.,v„    „.„,,„   ,,,,„   ,,,,,„„_„„,;"; 
«.v-vK„    ,s,,..„_,„,„„,, ,,, ,„^„^^j;'^ 

z^rr """ "'"'""  °'-'""  «-"-.°.-'-m;„k..,. 

iUI{S    IX    CANTON. 

Phipp.' fi„h„.  ,„,.  „„,,„  ,,1    „„.  exti„,„i,h  tlu.h„po„,    n„„i„„a 
>".    f."  n  the  A,I„,„.c  ,„  ,„,.  ,>,,ifi,  i„  ,„^.  ,  = 

Cap.,,,,,  Cook  ,™,   ..vo„  fr«h  ,,„„,,.  ,„  „,„„,,„„„,  „  " 

..cc...  awanled  .ho  Cop.oy  „,o„,.,  fo,-  ,„  .,eccs»  I„  p..e,,e..vi  ^.H       o 

o  „s  .„o„  .„„.,„,  „,  ,.„„„,  „,.„„„„  ,„^  ^^„_.,^,  ;^.  ^„,„;   ^^^^    '' 

CO,,,,,..,  ,1.     „„  „„„,,e.,„,„  „,,,  ,„  p„^^^,j  ,^  ^,^^  ^ 
co,,,,„e„ce  „„  ».„,,,,  „„  .ho  „o,,„we..  coas.  of  A,.e,ic.  i„  ,a,.„.,o  6  '  " 

-H„  .ho   »„„„.,„„„„  ,„„„,„„„„    ^,„^,,^,._  ^_,^^^^^._^    ^,^^^^^ 

.  A„c,o,,o„  co,„pa„,o„.  of  ,„«  f„,,,,,  ,„^„^,^_  ^,^^^„^       .  ■    • 

a.s.,-ono„,oi  a,i,l  „a.,iialis.. 

J"l.v  .3  ,776,  Captai,,  Cook  loft  I'ly,„o„.l,,  EnRla,,.!,  a„<l  was 
.,™.K..,  hy  Cap.ai,.  C,o,.ko  l„  Tahio  ,.,y,  „..„•  .ho  Cape  of  g;o<,  Ho^ 
»o.no  vvock,s  la.er.  I.  was  ,ho  las.  .lay  of  Novo„,l,o..  bcfo,.  .hoy  lof .  .he 
Capo  who„oe  .hoy  pn,ooo.lo.l  oastwaM  through  tho  I„.lia„  Oooa.,,  pa.,- 
a.K'  n.,oo  E<lwa,,l-,s  ,.la„.l  Doco.nho,-  ,3,  a,..l  .oaohi,,,  Ko,.„!olo„ 
U,Klo,.tho.,.h.  ,,0,0  Cook  ,.oo.ifio.l  .1,0  ,.«ako  „,  tho  .liso^co,- 
Kors,,olo„  hy  asoortai„i„s  il  .o  ho  an  i.la,,.,,  „ot  .,  co„.i„o„.,  a.,.l  cha,ao- 
tc,.zod  ..  a.  ,ho  ,,,la.,.l  of  licsok.tio...     l.-„,  „„.„,  |,„,„|,,,|  ,  ^,^,^^ 


144  ' 


COOK  DISCOVERS  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 


Kcrjjuelcn  flicy  were  s„  beset  by  io^  that  it  was  necessary   t..  fire  signal 
{?uns  to  avoid  jrettinp  separate,!  in  the  ,lark.     They  arrived  at  Adventure 
Hay  on  the  south  coast  of  Van   Diemen's    Lan.l,  now  Tasmania,  on  the 
36th  of  January,  ,777,  and  in  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound,  New  Zealand,  on 
the  i.th  of  February.     On  the  35th  they  proceeded  north war.l,  reaching 
Manga.a  and  Atioo,  two  of  the  Cook  Islands  or  Ilervey  Archipelago,  on 
the  .9th  of  March.     The  season  was  now   considere.l    too  far  advanced 
to  venture  into  unknown  seas  with   the  prospect   of  achieving   anything 
nnportant,    and    Captain   Cook  deci.led   on   further  exploration    in   the 
tropics,  postponing  his  northwanl  trip  until    the   following  yc-ar.     They 
spent  nearly  three  months  in  peaceable   interco,n-se  with   the   natives  of 
the  Tonga  and  Fecjee  groups,  to  which  Cook  gave  the   collective  name 
of  Friendly  Islands.     On  the  .2th  of  August  they   arrived  at   Tahiti   or 
Otaheite,  one  of  the   Society    Islands,   to    the  southeast  of  the  Friendly 
Islands.     On  the  Nth  of  December  they  again  directed  their  com-.se  to  the 
northward  from  liolabola,  the  most  northern  of  the  Society  group;  arid 
on  the  iSth  of  January,  1778,  they  discovered  the  islands  of  the  IlavJaiian 
Archipelago.     Cook  named  these  the  Sandwich   Islands,  in  honor  of  the 
first  lord  of  the  British  admiralty,  John  Montague,  Earl  of  Sandwich,  the 
chief  promoter  of  the  voyage  in  which  he  was  now  engaged. 

After  a  stay  of  several  weeks  Cook  now  directed  his" course   for  the 
mainland  of  America,  reaching  the  New  Albion  of  Drake,  in  latitufle  44'- 
33',  on  March  7.    Coasting  north,  they  arrived  at  Nootka  Sound  in  lati- 
tude 49"  35 '  •     The  inhabitants  were  found  clad  in  furs,  which  they  offered 
for  sale,  and  were  civil  to  the  strangers.     They  evinced  an  almost  En-, 
lisii  appreciation  of  the  rights  of  property,  expecting  pay  for  everythin^g 
that  was  taken,  even  the  wood  and  water  necessary  for  the  ships.     They 
were  acquainted  with  iron,  but  preferred  brass,  whence  it   came  to  pass 
that  the  sailors  bartered  all  their  buttons  for  furs.      In    latitude   59°  the 
natives  were  found  to  resemble  the  Esquimaux  of  Hudson's  Bay    in  Ian- 
guage  as  well  as  in  physical  appearance;    and   were   not  so   graspin-in 
their  dealings.     In  what  has  since  been  named  Cook's  Inlet  they  thought 
to  have  found  a  passage  to  the  Northern  Ocean,  but  found   it   penetra'^ed 
only  about  200  miles.     Cook  then  sailed  westward,  and   on   the   9th   of 


COOK-  SU/iVErs  UAH^A/f. 
Aug.  ,t   ,„a,lc.  Che  c«,a„c  n„r.lnvostcm   „„i,„  ,  r   A        • 
i"^  Bavu  ,1,0  „™„  <,f  cpe  ,vi„„  ,  ,■  W  ""■'"•  '"   *""'^'' 

.  On  .Ho  ,..„,.  A,,,,,,,  ,„  ,,„;,!:  r;:";;'-;  -'  "-■  --'- 
' '-""..  for ,.  »o J:    :;;;:;;::t  ,^'>«''^'-  '"■^■' " ' 

'«laM,ls.     On  tho  .6th  „f  N„vo,„l,o  ''""'""  '"'  ""■'  «""""''^'' 

-•> o..  .ho 3o.h .ho  ,a.«o  ,-.,..,r:; : ;:: ::':;•■■" ':."''""^- --'o'- 

»l-n.  sovon  wooks  i„  circu™,«vi,.„i„.,    , , ,  ""'"'  ""'="  ^'""'' 

woro  v,s,lod  hy  cn,wd,  of  „„,ivo,      ri,      T  -'"""aOS  •  779.  ""U 

ofoiviHzod  Enjrlisl, a,ul  somi  hnh '         i!''  '  '  "'  ''"''"'■''  "'"'  ^'i-'i."!. 

"-"« ooo„™,  .„  r::::;::  :;:::::-'-'-■'«: 

"pin,on,s  formo.l  by  ouch  „,rlv  „f  h         .                     '".orcourso;    „„,|    ,ho 
-  weeks  of  „c.,„i.,„„:.'„,;""'^:  '""  "'"'^   ^^'  «--">'^'. 

failuro  to  pe„e.,.a.o  .ho  Nonhorn  f  Vo  "■"''  '"-'"^  '■^■"  "»'  'h" 

hy  .ho  ,n.ovory  „f  .„o»o ::;:  ""rvrrT  ""■"  ^'"""^■"""'"'  ^^ 

"we  owed  our  having  i.  |n  our  powo,-  .o  vi  1  th' s"'";""?""'"  "^'  '"• 

f=..;.can.h„n,hou..H::.— ;:;:::r:.'^^^^^^^^^^^ 

'"""".y  of  P".k  for  soa  ,.„:,      F  ;*  "T  ""'"  """"''"'  "'  """'"  " 

-chor„„.ho  ,.ho£    .o,.en,bo...     iiu.      ^.I  ^  '  "™""'  ™''   '^'"'^'^-^ 
10  '   ''  ^^°""  ^"-"se  soon  after,  which 


ni 


110 


Ml! tin  Eli  OF  COOK. 


scrioiisly  sprim^r  the-  mainmast  of  the  Resolution,  and  Ihcy  re-entered  the 
harhor  for  neeessary  repairs.  In  the  short  interval  that  had  elapsed,  the 
better  disposeil  of  the  native  population,  with  most  of  their  lea<!ers  or 
chiefs,  had  withdrawn  into  the  interior.  The  erews  now  eame  in  con- 
tact witii  the  more  thievish  and  nnprincipled  of  the  Ilawaiians,  and  (piar- 
rels  became  almost  incessant.  A  serious  feud  arose  throujrh  the  theft  ot 
a  p;iir  of  tonj^s  from  the  fori,a-  of  the  ship's  smith  by  an  nnprincipled  na- 
tive.  The  En<?lish  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  thief  were  rou<jhly  handled  by 
a  mob,  and  on  the  heels  of  this  redoubled  ()utra<,'e  followed  the  theft  of 
one  of  the  ship's  boats.  Captain  Co»)k  hereupon  determined  to  seize  the 
kin«,s  Tcrceoboo,  and  hold  him  as  a  hostage  for  the  good  behavior  of  his 
people,  and  the  return  of  the  stolen  property. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1779,  he  landed  with  a  body  of  armed  ma- 
rines to  carry  out  this  resolution.    The  king  ofTend  no  resistance,  but  with 
his  two  sons  peacefully  accompanied  the  English  to  the  shore,  when  the 
excited  natives  gathered  in  crowds  and  prevented  the  embarkation.     An 
accident  precipitated  the  impending  conflict.     One  of  the  armed  English- 
men at  the  other  end  of  the  bay  fired  a  gun  to  stop  a  native  canoe  that 
was  about  to  cpiit  the  shore.     Unfortunately,  through  misdirection  of  aim 
or  oscillation  of  the  canoe,  the  shot  that  was  intended  to  pass  overhead, 
killed  a  chief  named  Kareeinoo.     The  natives,  taking  this   for  a  gage 
of  battle,  prepared  for  war,  brandished  their  knives,  and  put  on  their  war 
mats.     Captain  Cook  restrained  his  men,  and  they  held   back  their  (ire 
till  it  was  too  late.     Threatened  by  a  native.  Cook  himself  fired  his  mus- 
ket loaded  with  small  shot,  which  only  rendered  his  assailant  more  furi- 
ous.    The  marines  and  the  crew  now  fired  on  the  mob,  but  these  were 
so  closely  packed  at  the  water's  edge  that  they  crowded  each  other  on 
toward    their    assailants,    and  in  the    melee  four  of    the    English  were 
killed.     The  jam    became  so  great  that  firearms  were  of  but   little  use, 
and  C  ^ok  was  at  the  mercy  of  his  enemies.     He  was  seen  to  make  an 
effort  to  reach  the  boat,  with  one  of  the  natives  in  close  pursuit,  who, 
dealing  him  a  stunning  blow  on  the  head  with  a  club,  precipitately  re- 
treated.    Cook  fell  on  one  knee  and  dropped  his  musket,  and  as  he  was 
rising,  another  native  stabbed  him  ia  tlic  back  of  the  neck  vvith  a  da"-'—- 


'oB^ 


IWLOUr  UN  COOK 

147 

He  then  fdl  int.)  tin.  vvitcr    .t-l,,..,     .1 

-"-  "^-wi,„:,:t:;:;;;':;— "i::;: -■'■.-" 

assail.uil,  was  „,  ,|,-„<,.         I   .'i  ""■  "'"""  "'   l"« 

Uu,  ,... ,,,  „  :;,"     '  ;■  ^■'"^-  -  -"■-'  -■'  P.u„..„ncl<e„, 

«".  i.i»  ...„ . . : :  ■ ,  "^'  :'"''''"'■ "-'''■  "•■"■ ■■- 

"""""■■I  "-  ^l",j;,.|c.     Tlu.y  ,lK,,  h.,„lc.,l  l,i,  ,1  •    "    "'■  '"■ 

vicl  will,  ™d,  ,„|K.,-  in  ;„,r  ,■  '■"""""'  ^"'""•^-  ""'I 

vi«i,„.  '"""-■""^'  ""■— y  wuu„.l,  „„„„  .„,i,  ,,„,„ 

inittcd  tothedcenvvith  fh  .  ^ "  ""rul.      1  hey  were   com- 

-"--.  o;r:;;;:  :r'-^:r^^^^  -^^^  -  --- 

tous  of  the  welfare  of  his, nen       In.,,,'  V        ""  ^^""^"^   ^•''^■'■ 

Copley  .e.,  Joh.  I.in.rP^r:; ^  ^^  S"  ^^'^  ^'^^ 
phasi^e.l  his  merit  in  that  particular:  ^'  ''""  "^■ 

"  What  i,K,uiry  can  be  so  useful  as  that  which  has  for  ,>       .  •  , 

savin^Mhe  lives  of  men?     And  where  sh-,11       7  ^  •"''  "^'^ 

than  that  before  us      Pro   1  '  "''   ""^'  '"•"■^'   ^"^••"^^■^'^f"' 

.u  ocroic  us.     [Cook's  account  of  his  mcthorl   for  . 
health  of  his  men.!     Here    u'e  no  v.-    .  P'-cservn,^.  the 

J     '^^'^^   aic  no  vani  boastuijrs  of  the  em.-,;,-; 
Srcn.ous  and  delusive  theories  of  the  docnn-ttisfl^ut  V         "^""V"''  '"" 
a'Hl  an  uncontested  rehtion  of  H         ''"-'"'^''^*'  ^'''  =»  '^""c.sc  and  artless, 
Cm.  r     1        •  ,  """''"'  ^>'  ^^'^''-''^'  ""^1^"'-  divine  f .vor 

Capt  Cook,  w.th  a  con.pany  of :  .8  men,  performed  a  voyage  of  th  ee  v 

ancc.,hteen  days  throughout  all  the  climates  tVom  5 '^  ^h  rCtT 
:-^^;  '^'ftude,  with  the  loss  of  only  on.  man  by  sickness  woul  , 

'"qiure  of  the  most  conversant  with  the  bill      J  "^'' 

-  ».na„  „  .,.,„„„,  „f .,,,.,,  „,„.  _  ^  '  Ij^'j  h  ve  ever  f„.,„., 

a-recable,  then    must  on,.  •      ,  P'-'ce  ot  time .      How  <,neat  and 


IM 


*  i 


\m 


CLEIiKE  ASSUMES   CO  MAT  AND. 

to  health,  than  a  common  tour  in  Europe."  And  it  may  be  added  that 
with  all  the  modern  appliances  of  preserved  meats,  carefully  prepared 
pemmicaii,  canned  fruits,  lime-juice  and  sundry  other  anti-scorbutics  no 
navlj^ator  has  succeeded  in  leavinu^  a  better  record.  He  not  only  cared 
for  his  men,  but  he  also  knew  how  to  elicit  their  confidence  and  esteem. 
He  was  kindly  and  considerate,  but  also  decided  and  eneriretic,  and  knew 
how  to  rule  as  well  as  conciliate.  He  probably  erred  in  attempt- 
in<r  to  enforce  the  ri<j^iil  rules  of  stern  tliscipline  a<^ainst  the  savaj^es  of 
Hawaii,  and  paid  the  penalty  with  his  life.  Iloldinj^  races  of  infantile 
simplicity  mixed  with  adult  cunniny;  to  the  responsibilities  of  civilized 
men  was  an  error  of  the  times,  which  has  not  even  yet  been  (^uite  out- 
jj^rown.  And  tlie  fame  of  Cook  cannot  be  dimmed  by  an  error  of  judg- 
ment.    Such  criticism  wcndil  rob  humanity  of  all  its  heroes. 

Captain  Clerke  now  assumed  command  of  the  expedition,  intrusting 
his  ship,  the  Discovery,  to  the  immediate  command  of  Lieutenant  Gore. 
They  proceeded  to  the  Northern  Ocean,  touching  at  Petropaulovsky,  in 
Avatcha  ]3ay,  on  the  coast  of  Kamchatka,  where  they  were  received  by 
the  Russians  with  marked  hospitality.  Passing  thence  through  Behring's 
Strait,  they  reached  latitude  70'  33',  where  they  encountered  the  ice  some 
twenty  miles  lower  than  on  the  previous  occasion.  They  relinquished 
all  further  attempt  in  that  direction,  and  set  sail  (uv  the  homeward  voy- 
age. When  they  again  reached  Kamchatka,  Captain  Clerke  died,  and 
was  b\iried  on  shore.  The  command  of  the  expeilition  then  devolved 
upon  Captain  Gore,  witii  Lieutenant  King  in  charge  of  the  second 
vessel.  They  airived  at  Macao,  at  the  moutli  of  the  Canton  River,  in 
China,  December  third,  when  they  learned  of  tlie  war  between 
England  and  lier  American  colonies,  aided  by  the  French;  and  at  the 
same  time  of  the  generous  order  of  the  latter  government  that  the  vessels 
of  Cook's  expedition  should  be  treated  as  neutrals  by  the  cruisers  of 
France. 

In  Canton  tlie  English  seamen  enjoyed  an  episode  that  formed  an 
agreeable  contrast  lo  their  late  experience.  They  found  an  unexpected 
market  for  the  furs  for  \/hich  tiiey  had  bartered  knives,  trinkets,  and 
even    tiieir    brass   buttons   two    vcars    before    on   ilie   norlhwesi  coast  of 


youHNET  HOMEWARD  ,49 

alo  0  f„,  $Soo;   a,>,l  „  ,e„  pri,,,..  «Ui,„,  „„;„,  ,,^„  ^,^„„  ,_,__,  ,^^^  ,  , 
well  prescrvcl,  wore  sol.l  f,„.  $,30  each.      The   whole  amount  „f  ,he 
value  ,„  speeie  a,„l  s„„.|,,,  ,hat  vva,  g„,  f,„.  ,he  f,,,-.,   i„  h„,h  »hip,    I  am 
com,  en.  ,li.,  „„.  rail  „h„.  of  .C30CO  .erUn,,    a„„  i.  wa«  gene-'i;  ^^ 

Ta      ^"   ■■'' '"""' '  °'  '"^  ""'"""■'  - '  ""^'■"■^»y  .-t^.l 

•Ik  Ame,-,ean»  „e,c  »poile,l  a„,l  won,  o,„,  o,-  ha.l  been    .ivc„   away  o,- 
■>*e,w,se  ,l.p„se<l  of  h,  Kameha.Ka.       When,  in  a,l.li,i„n  .0  ,hc»e  faos 
..  .»  ,en,emhe,e,,  that  the  f,n»  were  a.  n,.,t  colleete,!  without  on,-  havinJ 
any  ,dea  of  thei,-  ,..,1  valne;  that  the  ..-cate,-  pa,t  ha.l  l.een  wo„,  hy  th^e 
In<ha„»  £,„m  who,,,  we  ha.l  pinehased  then,;  that  they  we,e  afterward 
pre»erve.l  with  little  ea,e,  a„,l  f,-e<,„e„tly  „,,e<l  for  he.l-clothfs  and  other 
pn.-poseH ;  and  that  probably  we  ha.l  not  received  the  fnll  value  for  them  in 
Cl„na;  the  advantages  that  ,nish,  he  ,lerive,l  f,„,„  a  vova^e  ,0  that  pa,t 
of  the  A,„er,can  c„a„,  undertaken  with  eomn,e,-clal  views,  appea,-e.l   ,0 
,™  of  a  .lej;,-ee  .,f  i„,p.,rt.,„ee  sulHeient  ,„  eall   f.,r  the  attenti.,,,   „f  „,e 

A  few  of  the  scamon  were  so  .lecply  imprcssc.l  with  the  same  con- 
v.ct,oa  that  they  <,esertecl  the  ships  and  were  an.o.,,tht.  ,1,-st  English.nen 
to  en-a-e  in  the  Pacific  fur  trade. 

Leavin.  Canton  with  replenishe.l  purses  they  (Inally  arrive,]  in  salbty 
at  the  Nore  on  the  fourth  of  Octoi.r,  ,780,  after  an  absence  of  fo,,!- 
years,  two  n.onths  and  .wentv-three  ,Iays.  Five  n.en  ha.l  died  on  the 
Resoh.t,on  three  of  whon,  were  sicUly  before  leavin,  England;  the 
Discovery  hail  not  lost  a  man. 


i  I 


til. 

1 


:i  1 


i*1 
I  It 


•11'^  I 


CHAPTER    XVTI. 

ENGLrsU  AXn  DAMSir  VOVAOKS-FUOIUSUKM-PONn-MACKENZIK — 
IMSCOVEKS  MACKKXZIK'S  U,  VER^(;(,nTH  A  AM  COLO.NV  FOUNDKD- 
SfOKKSnv    MAKKS   FIRST   V(,VA<;K    TO   C;K  KKNLA  ND-WM.  SCORKSMV, 

.)>{.,   inanxs  skafaiuxc;  i.ifk-vova.;k  to  sitiv  v,«;kn  skas— 

Xl-.MKKOUS  KKMAINS  OF  ANIMAI,  I.IFK  _  SCOK  KSH  Y  PUMLISIIES 
ACCOUNT  OF  ,„S  TKAVKLS-XKCKSSITV  THK  MOTUKK  OF  IX- 
VKXTIOir-DISCOVKRS  CAI'K  HOPE  _  INAU.iUIiATES  THE  VSK  OF 
nOATS    AND    SLEDGES. 

In  1775  Joseph  Frobishcr,  cnoraored  in  the  fur  trade,  reached  the 
Mississippi  or  Churchill  River,  in  the  interior,  throu.^di  the  rei^non  north- 
west of  Lake  Superior,  and  made  a  second  successful  trip  the  ensuin- 
year.  His  brother,  in  1777,  reached  Lac  de  hi  Croix,  now  Lacrosse 
Lake,  at  the  hea.l  waters  of  the  Churchill;  and  in  177S,  a  Mr.  Pond 
following-  in  their  footsteps,  and  proceeding  farther  north,  had  discovered 
Lake  Atliahasca. 

From  Fort  Cliippcwyan  at  the  west  etui  of  Lake   Athabasca,    Alex- 
ander Macke.izie  set  out  o  .  the  third  of  June,  i  789,  attended  l,y  a  party  of 
Canadians  and  some  Indians,  to  discover  another  -reat  river  to  the  no'rth- 
west,  of  which  he  had  heard  from  the  natives.     One  of  .he   Indians    had 
been  in  the  service  of  Hearne  eight  or  ten  years    before.     Having  found 
the  river,  he  proceeded  to  descend  it  to  its  mouth.     On  tlv>  12th   of   fuly 
they   entered  what  they  took  to  be  a  lake,  from   the  shallowness  of  the 
water,  though  they  saw  no  land  ahead.      "At  a  I'.w  leagues  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  my  people,"  says  Mackenzie,  "could  not,  at  this  time, 
refrain  from  expressions  of  real  concern  that  they  were  obliged  to  return' 
without  reaching  the  sea."     But  noticing  a  rise  of  eighteen  inches  in  the 
water,  they  conclude<l  they   had  reached  the  ocean,  as  it  could  (miy  be  as- 
cribed to  tlie  tide.     This    opinion   was    confirmed  by  the  appearance  of 

150 


aoDTHAAl!  FOUNDED. 


sevoral  whales  sportms  on  tllo  irn      H 
^  '   H',  and  named  the  i        ,  ,         ^^'^"'■^'""'  'h'=  latitude   ,„  be 

The  ,,•:;  has  h  :j,  ";;  °"  ""'"'  ^'^  ^""  -"O^"  Whale  Island. 
."  be  in  latitude  6S  "  l'  !,  ^  T;'  '";"  ''»  ™«"  ''  —  ^-nnined 
fcction  of  his  in,t,.„,„en°,  ' '        ,  *"  "*""'  "^"'"'"^"•""^  ">=  ™P- 

™-"...  With  th;::c: ;  ::.tr: "" '  '-■'  =™'""'^-  "'>"■•-'■ 

a...I  rivers  with  which  tl,e  mS  '"'""''  '"'"'""  =''"'"  <>'  '■■''"••» 

l>a..ys  territory  east  of  lelil'^  ""'"''''  *°  ""*""''  "^'^  ''■<'- 
"-lined,  and  theletl  q  j  "'^  "'"""'  '""^  '"  »»'"  '"  "••-  '-n 
™.  .b^  A^eriea,:  for  ^^  ^T*  T'T'  '"f  "'''  «™  '^^  "^  'and 
.^iver,  crossed  the  RoC,  Mo^i^nd  ,::::,  T's-""  '"'  "'^ 
'"  '793.  rcaehing  the  P  icific  Or         ■        "-'"'"''  *=   ^"mp'on  River 

I^lands,  Where  he  roll  trd,°:;"  '"'  T'""  "'  "'  '''•"''^'  "^  ^ales 
A/r     1        .  ^    '^^'^^  "'^  "'i'"'^  on  the  face  of  a  rock     uai 

Macken.e,  n-o.  Canada  by  land,  the  3.d  of  Jul/  ^  L^'^"'"^'" 

returned  by  the  same  route,  arriving  at  Fort  CU  ^  ""  ^'' 

basca,  on  the  24th  of  August.  ^^'Ppewyan  on  Lake  Atha- 

DANISH  VOYAGES  TO  GREENLAND. 

Besides  the  voyages  previously  mentioncd^f  the  Nnr 
the  close  of  the  tenth  cent,,,-,.        .\,  Norsemen  toward 

rv  •     .u         ,  '^^"tuiy,  and  those  under  the  ausnices  of  ru,-  .• 

J  V.  ni  the  ear  V  nartnf  fl-.«  o         .        ,  *-  •"'■"'piccs  ot   Christian 

"vP'^"  or  the  seventeenth— there    worn  .,  c 

--osti- coi^irr^:^::: -;--;-- -es 
-a  few  friends,  iodei^!:;;  :c:'trr  ■":' :"'  "■^'  ""• 

with  a  cash  capital  of  $3,000;  and  .,„   .nn     ■  "'  '"""'""^ 

.1-0  missionary  f„„d,  to  whic    w  r     d        *'    o"  "T"';'  *^°"  '■'■'•■" 

Who.  however,  died  nine  years  late  .KliTe. '«!:""     m''"^ '^•• 

•■"■rived  o„  the  western  const  nfr        ,      ,  ''•  "  ^''^  '-'  '""I 


n-  ' 


ins 


CLA  VEIUNG-anAAIl. 


'ii 


;jt:  :  .L 


the  faih.re  to  find  any  trace  of  the  old  colonists,   not  only    withdrew  its 
paltry  endowment,  hut  ordered  the  colony  to  he  hroken  up. 

In  1733,  through  the  zeal  of  the  celehrated  Count  Zinzcndorf,  Kin- 
Christian  VI.    was   induced   to    countermand    the  order  for    the  extinc" 
tion  of  the    Godthaal,  Colony.     Not  confining  himself  to  this  act  of  jus- 
ticc,  he  endowed  the  mission  with  an  a.muity  of  $2,000,  and  intrusted   it 
to  the  care  of  three    Moravian  hrcthren,  memhers  of  the   religious  com- 
munity founded    hy  Zinzcndorf.     With    his   mission  thus  strengthened 
und  its  permanence  assured,  Egcde  returned  to  Denmark  in  1735"  where 
he  died  in  175S,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.     He  had  heen  ahle  to  find 
ruins  of  churches  and  other  huildings  here  and  there  along  the  coast,  hut 
no  trace  of    survivors  of  the  old    Norse  settlements,  nor  any  tradition 
among  tlie  Esquimaux  that  they  had  ever  existed.     Fifty  years   after  his 
return  an  expedition  was  sent  out  in   17S6,  under  command  of  Capt. 
Luwenorn,  to  search  for  them  on  the  cast  coast.     I3ut  neither  he,  .lor  the 
Scoresbys,  in  their  many  voyages  to   those  coasts  from  1 791  to  iSj2,  nor 
Clavering  in    1823,  were  ever  ahle  to  discover  any  traces  of  European 
settlements  in  Greenland.     The  explorations  of  the  Scoreshys  and  Clav- 
crings  were,  however,  too  far  to  the  north,  hut  there  yet  remained  to  be 
examined  the   southeastern  coast,  north  of    Cape   Farewell.     This  was 
undertaken    in   1S38,  under  the    auspices  of  King    Frederick  VI.  who 
commissioned  Capt.  Graah  to   make  a  careful    inspection  of  that  coast. 
Proceeding  from  the  most  southern    point,  in   1829,  he  made   frecjuent 
landings  as  high  as  65  "    iS'.     It  was    deemed   useless  to    prosecute  the 
searcli  farther,  as  it  was  believed  no  colony    cotdd   have    existed  farther 
north.     The  result  of  his  careful  investigations  was  tiie  conclusion  that  no 
Norse  settlements  had  ever  been  founded  on  that  coast.     Not  a   trace  of 
church  or  other  building,  not  tlie  faintest  traditio.i  among  the  natives,  not 
a  word  in  their  language,  not  a  tool  or  implement  in  their  hands,    could 
be  found  to  furnish  the  slightest  suspicion  that  the  country  had   ever  had 
any  European  inhabitants.     It  was    inferred  that    the  "east    bygd"  (or 
hight)  of  the  old  chroniclers  was  therefore  not  the  east  coast    of  Green- 
land, but  only  tl-j  most  eastern  portion  of  that  pa.t  which  was   known   to 
Ihem.      Th-  "  east  l)yg<l  "  was  probalily  identical  with  the  extensive  dis- 


EAIi:,r  LIFE  OF  SCORESBT.  153 

^^^i  "y^u,     with  Fiskernaes,  to  the  northwest. 
VOYAGES  OF  THE    SCORESBYS. 

Capt.  William  Scoreshy,  the  elder   mwl,.  i,-     «    . 
II-  •^'         t-"!^',  m.icle  Ills  hrst  vova"-e    to  (Jronn 

,      ,  c.  .     "-     ^"'^^°^'i'-''-''''»'-^lie<la.shi<rhas8i^  I3'in    Green 

■an..  Sea  a  h^hc  la.ie.le  t„a„  had  be™  .eaehed  by  any  preced  „^ 

..a.o,  wbere  he  saw  .a  great  ope„„„,,„,.,ea  of  waL."       ,ei„.     t,     ed 

no    h,  .hu.  los.„s  a„  exceptional  opportunity  perhaps  of  reaehin,,  the 

wha  or  ,  he  steered  west  throngh  tl,e  ice   to  the  coast  of  Greenland 
wh,e    be  reached  so,ne  .inutes  north  of  ;o».     Mere    be    eon,.::^ 

s^  ed    :r  •  ''""°"'  '°"'^'  -'-'-»->"«.  not  exploration,  h^ 

-led  bacL  a,a,„  ,„to  the  open  sea  to  secnre  a  cargo.     In    one    of    hi, 

w     bng  v^tnres  he  is  said  to  have  taken  the  large  number  of  tbirty-six 

one  of  b,s  later  voyages.     He  made  some  improvement,  in  the  detail,  of 
whahng;  an     „  credited  with  the  invention  of  the  f„,n   „f  ^^„^^ 

Hrr;  '"f  ™"""  '"■'■«" "  --Vnest,"  used  as  a  lookout  station 

He  ,bcd  m  1S29,  i„  bis  seventieth  year. 

Capt.  \Villiam  Scoresby,  the  youn;;cr  so,,  of  tl,e  preceding,  was  born 
■n  .790,  and  began  a  seafaring  life  when  in  bis    olev.utl,  ye^-.     ,u       i 
seventeent      be  was  first   mate  to  his   father  in  tlK-  fautous  voya..  o 
06  to  wh.eb  we  have  already  referred,     before  be  was  <„nte    nv:  ty 
one,  be  was  ,n  command  o£  the  whaler  Resolution,     In  one  of  bi,  voy. 
age,  to  Sp,..bergen  seas,  he  landed  near  Cape    Mitre,  an.l  ascended  a 

:""'" ^"»°  '■"='  "'""•     A'  ^  --.".  point  of  this  laborious  ascent  th 

.«lgevv:.s,o  narrow  and  the  side,  so  precipitou,  that  be  coultl  advance 
With  safctv  on  V  bv  ,tr addlinir  If  .,.,,1          .■       ,  auvance 

anJI,.,,,    'r,    >"    ^'/•"■'"•"'"S't  and  working  forward  with  hi,  hands 
anJ  legs.     I,  cost  bun  several  hours  of  hard  w.uk  to  reach  the  suntmit 
■ "•■^-  "^^"  ■'  *'«'^-  '■"'-   -P  would    have  precipitate, ,  ,o  "is 


hi 


1.04 


Nir.U/cmurs  /.'EAIA/IVS  OF  AXIMAL    UFE. 


1  ■ 

■  .  K 

'; 

imf' 


death  in  the  abyss  honoath.     IJut  he  was  delighted  with  the  result  of  his 
achievement. 

"  The  prospect,"  says  ho,  "was    .no.t  extensive  and  errand.     A   (Ine 
sheltered  bay  was  seen  to  the  east  of  ns;  an  arm  of  the  se^  on  the  north- 
east;    and    fhc  sea,    whose  -lassy    surface    was  unrnlHed    by  a    bree/e 
formcMl  an  immense  expanse  on    the  west.     The  icebergs,  rearing  their 
proud  crests  almost  to  the  tops  of  tiie  mountains    between   which     they 
were  lodged,  and  defying  the  power  of  the  solar  beams,  were  scattered  in 
vanous  directions  about  the  sea-coast   an.l  in  the    adjoining  bays.     Beds 
of   snow  an.I  ice,  filling  extensive  hollows,  and  giving  an   enam'eled  coat 
to  adjounng  valleys-one  of  which,  commencing  at  the  Ibot  of  the  motui- 
tarn   where  we  stood,  extended  in  a  continued  line  toward    the  soutii  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach;  mountain  rising  above  mountain,  until  by    dis- 
tance they  dwindled  into  insignificance;  the  whole  contrasted  by  a  cloud 
less   canopy   of  deepest   azmv,  and  lightened   bv   the   rays  of  a   bl-,/in<r 
sun,  and  the  effect  aided  by  a  feeling  of  danger-seated    as  we    were  on 
the  pninacle  of  a  rock,  almost  surnnuuled  by  tremendous  precipices-ail 
united  to  constitute  a  picture  singularly  sublime. 

"  Our  .lescent  we  found    ivall,    a  very   hazardous,  and    in  some  in- 
stances, a  pamful   undertaking.     Every  movement  was  a  work  of  deliber- 
at.nn.      Havmg  by  much  care  and  some  anxiety  made  good    our  descent 
to  the  top  of  the  secmdary  hills,  we  took  our  way  down  one  of  the  steep- 
est   banks,  and   slid   forward    with  great    facility  in    a  sitting     posture 
Toward  the  foot  of  the  hill,  an  expanse  of  snow  stretched  across  the  line 
of  descent.      This  being  loose  and  soft,  we  entered  upon  it  without  fe,,- 
but  on   reaching  tlie  middle  of  it  we  came  to  a  surface    of  solid  ice    per' 
haps  a  hundred  yards  across,  over  which   we   launched    with   astoni'siiin<. 
velocity,  ],ut  happily  escaped  without  injury.     The    men  whom    we  lefl 
below  viewed  this  latter  movement  with  astonishment  and  fear.  " 

In  his  further  explorations  along  the  east  he  found   many  skulls  and 
iarge  bones  ofwhales,narwals,  sea-horses,  seals  and    foxes.     Two   Rus 
sian  lodges,  giving  tokens  of  recent  habitation  by  quantities  of  fresh  chips 
a.ul  other  tokens  lying  around,  and  the  ruins  of  an  older  one,  were  fomid 
upon  a  shingly  ridge  adjoining  the  sea.     Amid  the  boulders    which  Ivul 


B/GirrEENT,,  vorAon  o,.-  scom.sjir.  ,„ 

i"  lhc|,r„c<..„„f„g,,,  rnllcl    ,!„„„  „,„,„    i|,„  ,,,„ 

IhillicT  l,y  icchcr.r,  .,,1,1  i,-,.  ,1         ■  conveyed 

tl-i,- „c.,.s  .„„,';  ;  ",'"  ""■""   """""■■"•  ™-'-*   ha.i  built 

.c,:,^^^^^^^ ,  r^^^^  "-f  ■'='-'<'^<'  »i"'   --.  c„„n„e 

w.,  a  specie,  „r  .  ^  '  ""'T'  '""^  *•'■'"»•     T''^'  -'^  --'  «- 

n»he,.,„e„  ,..  .„e  „.„uU,  of  U,e  E,„e  an,    H  ',   ^  ,' T;  "'^'^f "   ">■ 

mehstanili,,,,  its  „„,„,,|  ,„  , '  ""'l>"l 't*  way   „„rt|,,  „„i. 

t  ts  wou,„i,  ,„  ,|,e  spot  where  ,t  u-as  foun.l.     I,  „,„  .,  |,u„,, 
"^  "•«l<  '■'  'aU.  the  ..i,  a„<.  ,,„„„,e,.  al.oan,  tite  ship  whieh  ,r„    ,   ,  ff  Z 

.;;.-.™™,ai,..p.a,,ets.  wi.,:i:::;::j::.t,:--- 

cl>a,.   he  .^„p,  „h,ch  they  fo„„„  great  .liffleulty  i„  overtaking. 

Al,c,-  Se,„esl,y  l,a,|  „„„,,.  seventeen  voya..es  to  Arrtie  .  , 

liHl-d.  in  ,S.o,  .A.,  Aeeount  of  the  A,.etic  Re   il        T,         '      "  ""'- 
-..y  .0  the  rather  seant  stoe,<  of  ,e„er„^  •::,;::,,.„      i'.:::;;     ^ 

::  ::::t:;:  'T"  r"""""™ '-  "-^  "-'"-■»""-  ■"'"■--: 

.'".I  natural  h,M„,-y  of  n„,.,|,e,-n|„„,|,,„„|  [niS-h,.  ,      7 

c..h.ee„,h  voyage,  arriving  o„  the  coast  of  Gree  I.n7i„  "'• 

.Sco,.eshy.„  Sou,..,,  ,vhere  his  father  ha.i  hee„  s„,nc  ^i     ,:f       '''^'  '" 

-eyco,,r:r;,;::::::— 3^^^^^^^^^^ 

:::r:irt;:r:;:~:~^^^ 

^4u,  o.-  ;u,y  he  ,a„<,c,.  on  I  .::;z:::-z:r^'-  ^-,  •- 

nanu,l  Cape  Lis.c,  in  honor  of  the  fantous  Loin  LX' 

--.'■-p-'>c,<so„  Lister.  He  Cunhe.,  to  it.  s„,„,:r:':,::;,;t 


"'"'  KS^ir/AfAUX  CAMP. 

florn  of  .hi,  coast,  which  l,o  .Iccrihcl  in  hi,  account  „f  .ho  v„y„,,c  a,„l  its 
res„l.,,,  puhlishcd  i„  ,823  a.  aiinhuii-h. 

A  little  farther  „n-„t  what  ho  „amo,l  Cape  .Swai„,o„,  in  |,„„„r 
o.  ho  ,„t„,«u„ho,l  natural!,.,  William  Swai„,on_ho  .le,co„,le,l 
'■■    'Ik.    shore.      Hero    ho    fou.ul   a    recently    .lesertcl    camp    of  .ho 


WILLIAM  SroRESBY. 

Esquimau.       Charrc,    .Iriftwoo ashes   lay  „„   the   hearths    of 

.  e    several     huts.       N  ,    lau.l     anin.als    were    seou,    hut    a    numher   of 
g.eat    auks  ami    other  sea-fowls  animated   the    waters.      Mo.n  itoo, 
.>u«orfl,o„  hees,an,l  so.no  other  „.„., ,  i„.cct,  |low  ahout  am  : 


JAN  MAYEN  ISLAND.  jg,y 

crass  on  .ho  hillsKle,,  i„  ,hl,  ihe  solitary  su™™„r  ,„„,„h  of  Grc.„l„„„ 
^:Z.  '"  """  "^■'■'^  '  ""  '"""•  ^"^^  '^"•'"--  '"■-  ''»- 
cxyve,,.  sever.,  specal  p„„e.,io„  a,.,i„,t  the  coW  ha,I  to  he  <levi,e,l 
y  he  s,,„,,,e,,,, tK.es.  -Necessity  prove,,  to  he. he  tnother  ofinvcti  " 
iKreas  ,se„here,a,„„„,-,heehil.henof,nen.  A  tunnel  lifteen  fe  t 
.  .^  and  opentn.  to  the  south,  was  found  leading  to  eaeh  hut.  This  i 
.  .  .^hdy  ....sed  ahove  .he  ,eve,  of  .he  ,„„„d,  hein,  so  ,„.  .ha.  even 
he  s„n,te.l   l..s<|unnaux  are   compelle.l    t.,  crawl    through  it    on     their 

^■;'  »  -I  rcct.     Its  h„t.„,„  is  usually  a  li.tle  lower  than  ^he  floo     o 
"'."  w,„ch,.  leads,  and  is  fnr.her  depressed  abou.    .he  cen.er,  so  . 
hoc.  dcr  and     eavier  outer  air  is  Kep.fron,  ,he  hu.,  ins.ead    of  Howl 

<l.rec.ly   hron«h  on  the  same  level.     E.xperience  had  .a„,h.  these  Z^. 

.ensof  a.,t„de7.c  what  nren  in  happier  cli.es  and  with  the  adv     . 

.«es   of  schools   and  colleges,  and  the  accun.da.ed  wisdo.  o,  Z. 

«^red  ,n  books,  recognise  as  a  fundamental  principle   in  the  sciene:":f 

Rc-.ur„i„,,  .o  his  ship,,  Scoresby  proceeded  still  northward,  an,l  on  the 
-t<lay  landed  at  what  he  nan,ed    Cape  Hope,    in  honor  of  Tho™, 
Hope,  a  chs.n,,Mnshed  writer  of  the  perioKl.     „ere   he  found   son.e  n,o  e 
"aces  of  Esqu,maux_boncs  of  the  hare,  and  reindeer  horns.     The  skull 
"  a  dog  was  raised  on  a  small  mound,  it  being  a  fancy  „f  „,u  »!,„„,„  pe„. 
pie  that  the  dog,  who  everywhere  follows  the  footstep,  of  „,an    i,  the 
eave„.ord„,ne.l  gui.le  of  deceased  children  to  .he  land  of  souls.  '  Th 
heat  was  now  so  great  that  ,„any  of  .he  plan.s  had  shed  .heir  seeds,  and 
so,nc  were  already  shriveletl  an.l  dead.     Scoresby  now  proceeded    h   n,e- 
uar,l,  an,l  .h,s  was  his  last  voy.age  to  Arctic  seas. 

An.ong  his  geographical  explorations,  he  paid  sonte  attention  to  J.,, 

Mayen    sland,  about  ntidway   between  Iceland  an.l  Spitsbergen.     This 

-  I-...1  ahnos.  perpetually  envelopcl  in  „,is,,  and  its  chief  points  of  in- 

erest  were  the  lieerenberg  Mountain  at  its  northern  extremity,  risin..  to 

the  hcght  o.  6,S7o  feet,  and  .he  volcano  Esk.     I.s  .Ireary  soli.ude  w^dd 

seUlon,  he  d,».„rl.d  were  it  no.  for  .he  herds  of  seal  and  walrus  which 


la'ciuciit  Us  icc-l)omu|  .shor 


'CS. 


JJc 


ars  and  sca-fovvls 


urc  its   only  iuhabi- 


1.18 


tailts;  and  ill 


r.Asr  DArs  oj.-  scoiii^sBr. 


sevci 


at 


larnctcriseic  fcaturos  ,.f  ie,  landscape  are  l 
Klaceis  which  sweep  ,low„  hs  ,i,les  to  Ihe  wa.er's  edge 

•m b    „f  AiCe  cxpl„ra.i„n,  a„,l  ihc   hnpossihili.y  ,.f  rcachi,,.  L  V,.i 
1  ad  he,.,,,  ,„  he  accepted  hy  the  general  pnhlic  L  a   fact   iC.,^^.! 
.  eav„.d  .„  prove  that  there  .„s  „„  .„:  ,^^^,::  .^    l^  ^^  ;- 
ch,,,ned  ,  lat  a  voyage  to  the  Pole  ,Ii,,  not  necessarily  involve  ,.;„.  ,li 

culty  or  danger.     He  pointcl  out  that  the  chief  ohstaCe  was  tl  e  ai.e 
o    of  ,      „„.,  „,„  „p^„  ^^.^  ,^„„  ^^^^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  . 

«  was  only  necessary  to  be  ready  ,o  use,  alternately,  h„„„  ,„„,  „„,,Jf 
Th,   s.,K,,e,  ,on  attracted  attention,  and  has  since  been  acted  upon  "i" 

,;;t:i:r    ""^ ""-'''"''  '■■"^"•■■^p.-'withou.  suchZh;: 

Scorcsl.y  afterwanl   became  a  clergyman  in  the  Church  of  En,.hnd 

'zz  t:  '"T  "•  °- " "''' """  ''■  °- '"  ■^3. :..  the ;!::!' 

cution  of  h,s  .esearchcs  ,n  terrestrial  magnetism  in  relation  to  ,iavigatio„ 
he  ,nade  a  voyage  to  the  United  State,  in  ,8,7,  and  to  Australia  in  ,85 
He  d,ed  a   Torquay,  in  En^lan.l,  in    ,357.     That  portion  of  the  no  t 


H    i 


A 


PART    III. 


THE  FIRST  flHCTIE 
VDYflEES  EF  THE  IHlh  EENTUHY. 


i 


"OVv  the  iriad  xvatcr-s  of  the  dark  blue  sea, 
Our  t/ioui^fhts  as  bomidless  and  our  souls  as  free,' 
J^ar  as  the  breeze  can  bear    the  billozv's  foam, 
Survey  our  empire,  and  behold  our  homer 

— HYltON. 


'^  Go  forth  ami  prosper,  then,  cmprisin^r  l,a„d, 
May  He  who  i„  the  hollow  of  His  hand 
The  ocean  holds,  and  rules  the  whirlwind's  sweep, 
Assua^re  its  wrath  and  guide  thcc  on  the  deep^ 

— ANON. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

nUCHAN    IN    nOKOTIfKA   avi,    ■rui.-K,-,.      ^ 

IS    T.,K    u:  '""^l-nOHOTI.EA    NKARLV  nESTROVRD 

1a.'""'    '"'    -'-— H    UNHKU    COMMA.Sn   OK 
OSS    A.n    .AUKV-HNCOU..HK     KS.......  _  ..„,,,,,,„^    ^,.„ 

;;::,::;^  -  ^^-^'^  — --  —  -  -oss  o....  a 

''<  nc  h>  the  nnt,.sh  ..overnmc-nt  tovvani   the  solution  of  th.   problem   i„ 
which  the  ministry  were  so  much  interested   in    ,77,      The  A 

War  of  Inciependencc,   .77c_8,   .nd   the   r  f'  "'"' 

,^         o       ,  'yZS-^S^'inU   the   Contmental   or  French   W-ir 

.7V3-.8.5,c.,  .he,  „•„,.,.,„„.„„  „,,  .,„.,^..,„  ,„  ,,„j,;;;'' 

.e.,..,  cxpon,.io„,-„.he  Arc.ic,  c-  e„ovvh„e.     .Soon  a  .c-  ^^Z 
h.mly  c,tab,.„e„  by  .„„  Troa.y  of  Vienna,  in   .8,5,  cncon,,..        ir 
n>A,„na.,on  wl,ich  ha<l  heon,  mcanwhi,e„aeherc,l  .hro,„h  .h.rs  „  1 
.-n    o.,u.  whale.,  .he  n,inis.,  ,.»„,„„,  .he  eonsi.lera.i;,  of  .I^        , 
.c:.l  a„<l  .c,en.inc  voyages  ,„,.le,.  .he  a„spicc,s  of  .he  cown  ' 

I"  .b.S  .wo   Aretic  expeili.ions  were  Ht.e,l  on.  .0  seek  a  pa,sa.,e  be 
ween  .he  A,  n„ie  anU  .he  Paeifie-.I.e  one  by  .be  nonh  an  ."   .  I," 

.he  o.her  by  .he  nonhwes.  .ou.e-eaeb  eo.nprisin,  .wo  vessels. 

Cap  an,  Davul   I!uel,an  was  p,„  i„  co„,„,„„„  of  .he  n„r.he,„  e.p«li. 

' '  ■';'"''  ^^-^  -"=  "-  Dorothea  an,,  Tre,,.,  .he  h^.te,-  ,.n„:,' 

n'e,ha  e  co,n,„an„  of  Lie,,..  John  FranWin,  „„w  be.,e,-  known  „„ 
-  I«e,-  ,.  c  of  .S,r  John  F,a„khn.     Itnehan's  ins.n,e.io„s  were  .„  „, 

'":;■  ■'"""  '"\  y^'--^ ■■'  ■'""'>""«  ■'-  "or.ber„n,os.  he , I    o 

.    ea„w.u-,l  ,h,,.„,h  .he  A,c.ie  Oeean,  and  reach  .be  Paeif.e  .h,.o,..h 

.ci>n.,,s.S.,.a„s.     This  ,.„„.e  is  easy  .0  .n.ee  on  any  ,00,,  n,ap,  ul 

"-     d„even,en.  has  hi.her..,  ,lefle„  ,he  bes.  naviga.o,,.     U  ,l,e     J„i„n 

enu.    only  be  b,.o,„h.  un.ler  .be  e.p.a.or  for  a  ,e„e,,,.i„„,  „„,  .lifliX 

wo„l„    e  removed;  b,..  .he  iee,  .ho  i.npencabie,  ,o„,  acc„,„.„a,i„,  i  e^ 


}  n 


a  ri ,'  i  i 

i<\'''- 

.:li';- 

$ 

m 


162 


/iOSS  AND  PARRY. 


is  there  supreme,  and  likely  to  be  so  henceforward,  unless  some  potent 
cosmical  revohition  should  chaii<,'e  its  relative  position. 

On  the  30th  of  July  both  ships  were  caught  in  a  storm  to  the  north- 
west of  Spitzbcrgen,  and  the  Dorothea  was  so  much  injured  by  contact 
with  the  ice  that  it  was  thought  advisable  to  return  to  England,  and  her 
consort  accompanied  her.  This  failure,  though  free  from  serious  disaster, 
had  a  most  discouraging  effect  upon  the  public  mind. 


SIK  JOHN   ROSS. 

Meanwhile,  the  other  expedition  had  set  sail  on  the  iSth  of  April. 
It  consisted  of  two  ships,  the  Isabella  an<l  Alexander,  under  command  of 
Captain,  afterward  Sii  John  Ross,  with  Lieut.  William  ICdward  Parry  in 
charge  of  the  Alexander.  Ross'  instructions  were  to  make  for  Davis' 
Straits  and    Halhirs  l}a),aiid,  if  possible,  to  penetrate   into  the  Arctic 


Pi 
lii  .1 


fi'i'i 


■If 


'^i 


164 


ir 


ASTONISHED  NATIVES. 


*. 


If 


III 


Ocean  by  that  route,  after  which  he  was  to  reach  the   Pacific  by  way  of 
I3ehring's  wStraits. 

Reaching  the  west  coast  of  Greenland   they  encountered   much  ice, 
and  v/cre  told  by  a  Danish  official  that  the  winter  had  been  exceptionally 
severe.     Beyond  Disco  Island  Ross  was  enabled  to  make  some  correc- 
tions in  the  observations  previously  made,  finding,  among  others,  an  error 
of  5"  of  longitude  in  the  location  of  Waygat  Island  as  it   apjDcared  on 
the  charts  of  the  llritisli  admiralty.     lie  determined  with  greater  exact- 
ness the  northwest  coast  from   Melville  Bay  to  Smith's  Sound.     Haviu"- 
passed  Upernavik   in  yz'^.p',  the  most  remote  of  all  the   Danish  settle- 
ments on  this  coast,  they  were  not  a  little  surprised    when  .they  encoun- 
tered some  Esquimaux  three  degrees  farther  on,  in  75''' 54'.     They  had 
some  difficulty  in  striking   an   acquaintance  with  these  isolated  and  coy 
representatives  of  humanity. 

Their  astonishment  was  very  great  on  finding  that  this  people  did 
not  even  know  that  there  were  other  denizens  of  the  earth  besides 
them.selyes.  They  were  as  ignorant  of  the  Danish  settlements  200 
miles  away  as  of  the  Danish  and  other  nations  beyond  the  Atlantic. 
Their  idea  of  the  English  navigators  seemeil  to  be  that  they  were  super- 
natural beings,  inh.-ibitants  of  another  world.  One  of  them,  with  much 
reverence  and  solemnity,  addressed  the  moving  and  apparently  livin<r 
shiji,  asking,  "  Who  are  you?  Whence  come  you?  Is  it  from  the  sun 
or  moon?"  They  had  no  canoes,  and  seemed  to  have  no  conception  of 
the  nature  of  the  ship.  It  was  not  to  them  as  to  others  of  the  same 
race,  a  big  canoe,  but  something  entirely  beyond  the  reach  of  their  intel- 
lects to  grasp.  And  yet,  though  behind  many  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  in 
this  respect,  they  were  aheail  of  mosi  in  their  knowledge  of  the  use 
of  iron,  which  tends  to  show  that  the  ages  of  tlie  archtGoln<rists 
are  to  be  understood  as  stages  of  progress  in  the  development  of  human- 
ity, but  by  no  means  synchronous  nor  successive  over  the  whole  earth. 
They  had  rude  knives,  the  manufacture  of  which  they  explained  in  this 
way:  They  had  found  a  huge  mass  of  it — which  the  interpreter,  per- 
haps, erroneously  translated  a  mountain,  but  which  was  probably  a 
meteoric  body— and  bad  chipped  oft'  the  pieces  which  they  had  ham' 


I 


ClilAfSON  CLIFFS.  jgg 

mered  with  stones  into  the  shape  in  which  they  saw  them.     Ross  na.ncd 
them  the  Arctic  Highlanders. 

Proceeding  farther  up  the  coast,  they  entered  the  phenomenon  of  red 
snow,  which  the  great  Swiss   naturalist,   Saussnre,  had   observed  in  the 
Alps  at  least  thirty  years  before,  but  which  was  none  the  less  stran-e  to 
<nn-  explorers.       When  melted,  it   presented   the    appearance  of  mml.ly 
port  wme.     For  eight  miles  along  the  Greenland   shore  of   Hafhn's  P,ay 
tlu^  cliffs  were  covered  v  ith  this  peculiar  snow,  and  in  some  ,)laces  to  the 
depth  of  twelve  feet.     In  ,819,  some  months  after  their  return  to   T.:n<.- 
land,  the  coloring  matter  of  ihe  red  snow  was  subjected  to  careful  analy- 
sis by  Robert  Brown  and  Francis  Bauer,  who,  however,  .lifTered  slightly 
n.  opm.on.    Brown  pronounced  it  a  one-cell  plant  of  the  sea-weed  order- 
Bauer  named  it  the  snow-uredo,  a  species  of  fungus.     Afterward  Baron 
Wrangell,  the  Russian  explorer,  declared  it  to  be  a   lichen.     Later  still 
B.shop  Agardh,  the   Swedish   naturalist,  and  Dr.  Robert  Kaye  Greville' 
a  famous  British   botanist  of  Edinburgh,  have  given  the  weight  of  their 
recogmzcd  authority  in  support  of  the  opinion  of  Brown.'    These   have 
been  followed  by  several  other  scientists,  and  the  minute  plant  is  now 
scientifically  known  as  ihc  palmclla  nivalis,  a  little   snow-palm,  <nven'it 
by  Sn-  William  Hooker.     The  motions  of  this  microscopic  object  in  the 
earher  stages  of  its  existence  have  led  some  eminent  naturalists  to  re-ard 
tlie  coloring  matter  in   red  snow  as  animalcula,,  not  plants.      Audit  is 
not  un,x)ssible  that  such  may  have  been  observed;  but  the  essential  char- 
acter of  the  object  is  vegetable.    In  its  mature  state  it  consists  of  brilliant 
globules  hke  fine  garnets,  seated  on,  but  not   immersed,  in   a    gelatinous 
mass.     Saussure  had  rightly  conjectured  thafthe  red  colo,-  was  owin-  to 
the  presence  of  son.e  vegetable  substance,  but  wrong  in  supposing  I  to 
be  the  pollen  of  a  j^lant. 

Captain  Ross  was  an  experienced  naval  commander,  having  been  in 
active  service  in  the  Continental  War,  but  he  was  somewhat  opinionated 
in  this  h.s  first  Arctic  voyage,  and  inclined  to  follow  tiie  old  school.  He 
deeded  by  his  personal  opinions  questions  of  geograj.hy  which  required 
to  be  ascertained,  not  prejudged,  and  to  which  a  little  actual  investica- 
tion   would    have  furnished  a  diflerent  answer.     He  sailed  by  Wolsten- 


riii 


!R.  ,:;  I     W. 


%m 


166 


CItOKER'S  MOUNTAINS. 


holm,  Whale  and   Smith   Sounds   without  (Icisninj.  to  examine  them, 
arh,trarilydecla>,     ;  them  to  be  bays,  the  heads  of  which  he   thou<dit 
were  v.s.ble  in  the  distance.     In.t  a  worse  mistake  of  the  same  kind  was 
st.ll  to  be   made  l^y  the  otherwise   blameless  Captain  Ross.     Passin-  to 
the  west  side  of  J5affin's  Bay,  the  sea  was  fouml  clear  of  ice,  and  the  land 
free  from  snow,  except  on  the  distant   motnitain  ra.iscs.     The  tempera- 
ture rose,   and  tlie  chance  was  favorable  for  achievin-  some  -reat  result. 
On  the  29th  of  Au.^.u.t  the  ships  entere.l  Lancaster  Sound,  so  named  by 
J;.-dlin  in   honor  of  a   distinguished  En-lish  navi-ntor  in   other  seas,  but 
who  had  always  shown  ,i,n-eat   interest  in  the-  disco^•c■ry  of  the  Northwest 
Passage,  and  had  made  a  collection  <,f  documents  tendin-  t.,  prove  its 
feasibility. 

Into    this    spacious   sound,    nearly    fifty    miles    wide    at    its    eastern 
entrance,  now  passed  the  ships  of  Captain  Ross,  but  they  had  advanced 
only  thirty  miles  when,  to  the  wonder  and  disappointment  of  officers  and 
men,   he  ordered  the  vessels  to  t,n-n  back.     Deceive<l   by  refraction  or 
some  atmospheric  illusion,  he  thou-ht  lu-   had   seen  a  mo.mtain    ran..-e  at 
a  distance  of  about  twenty-five   mnes  ahea<l,  which   he  inferred  was  the 
head  of  the   bay,  and  which   he  even   name<l    Croker's   Mountains,   in 
honor  of  John  Wilson  Croker,  then  at  the  heij^ht  of  his  fame.     It  is'but 
justice  to  the  memory  of  Ross  to  remind  the  reader  that  t  hou,i.h  tiie  body  of 
water  in  question,  as  well  as  the   more  northern  ones  kncnvn  as  Jones' 
and  Smith's  Sounds,  had  been  discovered  and  named  by  Jiaffin,  it  had  not 
been  yet  ascertained   that   they  were   sounds.      It  was,  however,  a  ques- 
tion that  had  been  discussed,  and  opinions  were  divided.    Some  of  Ross' 
own  officers  believed  that  this  water  in  which  they  were  was  a  channel 
communicating  with  a  lar-er  body  or  sea  to  the  west,  if    not  with   the 
Arctic  Ocean  itself;  and  his  error  consisted  in  not  makin-  the  test  when 
circumstances  were  favorable. 

Passing  down  JJaffin's  Bay  alon-  its  southern  coast,  of  which 
but  little  was  known,  he  failed  to  explore  it;  and  reachin-  Cum- 
berland Sound  he  exhibited  the  same  fatal  indifference?  The 
aggravation  of  the  unconscious  offense  lay  in  the  fict  tiiat  the  season 
was  an  exceptionally  favorable  one  for   making  a  thorough   examination 


o 
cc 
B 

C 

vvi 
en 


"y 


^OSS   ORDERS  A   RETURN.  jg^ 

of  that  coast.    For,  notwithstanding  what  he  had  heen  told  by  the  Danish 


}*  -  i' 


i 


iil 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A„CT,C    C,„C,.._„KSBT    ,.    T„.    ,CK -_  „,,^c„    POSSKSSmN    „AV_ 
PRINCE    HEOENT    inlet    NAMED—CAIM!    vobk. 

Amonj,   those  who   incline,!    ,„  ,hc  opinion    tha.  L.,nea».o,-  Sound 

IT   ;"'"n"       '"'  '""''  '°  ""  "--''  """  '-•'^""»  ™,„„nn,ieate.,  „i 
the  Arc.,c  Oeean,  was  I.icntenant  Pairy,  secon,,   in   coninian,,  .o  K„„ 

He   ha,l  entered    ,l,e  navy  in    ,803,  while  ye.  a    lad,  having  heen  horn 
Dec.    19     1750.     tie  devote,!    his   ,,  .re   time  on   boar,!    .0  selr.e,lnea. 
..on,  and  e.,pee,ally  ,„  the  mastering  of  the  nau.ieal  an,!  .astronomical  sci- 
ence of  h,s  ,!ay.     He  receive,!  hi,  conimi-slon  of  lientcnan,  in  iSio,  and 
was  given  command  of  a  vessel  ,0  the  Arctic  regions  for  the  .lonhle  pnr- 
pose  o     afl-or,h„g  protection  to  British  whalers,  a„,l  perfecting  the  a,Li. 
Kahy    harts  o   those  .se.as.     In   18,3  lie  was  reealle,!  and  sent  .0  Join  the 
British  fleet  then  hloek.ading  the  ports  of  the  United  States,  and  after  tlie 
war    eontinned  attached    .0    the    North    American    sqnailron  till    iS,,. 
While  w,.h  Ross  in  ,8,8,  he  was  impressed  with  tlie  great  depth  and 
hig      emperatnreof  the  w.ater  in   Lancaster  .Soun,!,  and  was  disLisHe,! 
with  the  conclnsion  arrived  at  !,y  his  chief.     Though  mo<Iest  in  the  ex 
pi-ession  of  his  dissent,  it  reached  the  ears  of  the  ministry,  an,!  to  him" 
was  now  lutrns.e,!  an  expedition  to  go  over  .he  .same  ground.     Tho„„h 
he  general  pnbhc  ha.l  a!,out  given  ,ip  all  hope  of  a  Northwcs.  P,ass.a:e 
being  ever  found,  the  leaders  of  thought,  aiul  the  authorities,  as  well  I 
Parry  an,!  some  other  of    Ro,ss- officers,  were   not  dispo,se,!    ,0  give  up 
the  search  until  Lancaster  .Sound,  a.  least,  had  been  properly  e;iore,L 
1  he  new  expedition,  like  so  many  other,,  of  the  recent  ones,  eon- 

sisted  o,  two  ships     the  Hecla  of  375, the  Griper  of  ,80  tons  burden. 

Both  were  victualed  for   two  years  , amply  provided  with  stores  of 

knids,  including  canned   meats    and   extra   elotWng  for    the   men 

168 


BEAR  KILLED. 


169 


Though  .ho  n,a!n  ohjec,  „f  ,he  voyage  was  ,„  search  for  .he  Nchwc. 
!'  had    l,eo„  co„si,„e.l   ,„  ,ho    , lee,        A     ,'"     '"""""   "'"" 

o.  u.  eoa.  o,  No„h  A...ca ;::  .r:::::;ri;::^ 

"n.o„    jack,    and    deposit   at    the  ^^^  a  Ibi^-slail,  luMsltho 

foot  a  record  of  what  they  had 
iichieved,  and  their  future  inten- 
sions, in  a  simihu-  sealed  bottle. 

Parry's  expedition  left  London 
May  5,   iS,5,  but  did  not   clear 
the  Orkney  Islands  until  the  20th. 
On  th^  30th  they  took   soundings 
for  the  alleged  "  Sunken  Land  of 
Huss,"   on    the    direct     route    to 
Greenland,  but  failed  to  find  any 
evidence    of    its    existence.      On 
the    15th    of  Jiuic    they    sighted 
Cape   Farewell,  but   at   the   dis- 
tance of  perhaps  120  miles.     On 
the    xSth    they    encountered    the 

"■•St    .ce    strean.    of    fioating    ice,    and     saw    several    icebergs."      The.- 
-.cod    several     kinds    of    sea     .,wls    and    in    greater    nu-^^^ers  ' 
ual,    and    found   the  water  3"    lower  in  temperature,  and  of   a  dir 
ovvn.sh    tn,ge.       On   the  34th    the  ice   was    seen    extending    clear 
he  western  hor.on;  and  on  the  35th  they   were  towed  slovly  alon! 
by  the.   boats    through   the  ice-floe.      An    easterly    wind    now   c Ls  d 
he  ,ce  aroun     the.  so  that  they  were  forced  to  desist  from  their  row^l 
and  the  vessels  remained  ice-locked  until  the  3,th,  making  such  pro^rJ: 
as  the  ice  made,  and  no  more.  " 

They  saw  a  whale  and  a  bear,  the  latter  of  which  they  killed,  but  the 


I 


170 


ENGAGED  IN  ICE. 


% 


Xxvm^A  .nul  the  .lead  disappcaml   beneath  the  ice.     On   the  30th,  after 
eight  hot,rs  ,>f  incessant  lahor,  they  were  enabled  to  work  the  ships  into 
clear  water  to   the  cast.     They   skirted    these    ice-packs  for  three  days 
looking  in  vain  for  an  opening  to  the  west  side  of  Davis'  Strait;  an.l  i,i 
constant  danger  of  being  driven   into  the  ice  by  the  cast  wind.     On  the 
3<1  of  July  they  entered  within  the  Arctic  Circle  off  the  northern  penin- 
sula of  Cumberlan.l,   having  passed  not   less  than    fifty  icebergs  during 
the  <lay.     Towanl  mi.lnight  a  chain  of  icebergs  appeared   to  the  north", 
and  tiie  wind  dying  down,  the  ships  were  in  imminent  danger  of  con.ing 
into  close  quarters  with  them,  being  carried  forward  by  a  southerly  swell^ 
and  unable  to  cliange  their  direction   in  the  calm.     By  putting  out  their 
boats  they  succeeded  in  towing  back  the   Ilecla,  which  was  ahead,  into 
open  water,  and  out  of  the  way  of   the   icebergs  on  the  morning  of  the 
4tb,  and  at  noon  were  in  the  middle  of    Davis'  Straits,  with  the  ice   to 
the  westward.     A  day  or  two  later   they  killed  a  walrus,  and  saved  its 
blubber  for  lamp-oil.     On  the  tenth  they  killed   a  bear  and   succeeded  in 
getting  it  aboard.     On  the  ryth  they  took  the  ice,  that  is  they  sailed  into 
it,  in  order  to  keep  as  close  to  the  westward   as  possible,  the  commander 
being  still  bent  on  not  going  too  far  from  that  side  of  the  strait.     They 
succeeded  in  getting  twelve  miles,  when,  on  the    iSth,  they  encountered 
a  body  of  ice  right  across  their  bows.     This  they  attempted  to  bore,  or 
push  through,  but  the  wind  not  being  favorable,   they  stuck    fast    after 
having  penetrated  it  about  300  feet. 

For   'C-^vi,    hours    they   labored,   hither   and    thither,   backward   and 
forward,    before    they   could    succeed  in  crossing   this   ice-belt  of  only 
300   yards'    wi<lth.       The    fog    by    which    they    had    been    long    beset 
having    lifted    on    the    21st,   they    descried    on    the    distant    coast    of 
Greenland,  the    headland    just    south  of   Upcrnavik,  and  which    Davis 
had  named  Sanderson's  Hope,  in   15S7.     The  commander  aga.n  grow- 
ing   uneasy    at    the  distance    he    was    compelled    to    keep    from''    the 
western    shore    of    BaHin's    Bay,   determined    to    make    another   effort 
to    push    through    the    ice    to    the  west.      The    struggle    so   bravely 
entered  on,  lasted    seven  days,  and    after    prodigies    of  endurance   and 
long-continued    exertions,    sometimes    lasting    without    intermission    for 


i^rSAPPEARANCE   OF  Clinh'R,^^<'    «,., 

^JvOKERK^   AfOUNTAlNS.  yi^ 

eleven    Ik«„s    .-,t   a   stretch,    l,y   backin.r    ,,,,1    .       • 

t'-    ice-pad.,     and    oti..-    devic           ^v                 Tl  ""'    '"'""^^ 

^•^a.-  wa...  on  U.e  western  s.^.^'h         .  "  ^  ,  ^"^"^    ^"- 

ei..hty,.iles  of  almost  continuous  ice  ,1,      f             ,  "'      '"'    '''^''""^^'' 

sea  u-as  deep-^thcy  were    unahle   ,..    n-ach    Iv.tton,        'H 

n.H-ms;  the  U.„pe,-atu,-o  of  tin-   watc.-        J  '/'    ''"""•^'" 

-••^•-y  soon  can.  insight  or  la,;;.  ^^ '^^    '"^'-'    ^^  "^^-^  "'.'-, 

On  the  last  day  of  July,, 8.,,  the   co.nn.ander   and  a   few  of  hi 
went  ashore  in  Possession  Ho,        i  "'"*  '"'-"" 

osstssion  Bay,  where  on  the  prdvious  ^car   Cant    T?  . 

had  raised  a  fla<r-SLafr      Tl-,;.  <i        r         ,  -^  '-ipt.   Koss 

^^'tan,    ,(   the   land    was    a   wood-bearin..    one     as   Iv.d    1 

f-ivor-.h^  .    A  .,  possinic.      J  he   wnid  lieconi  n<>- 

^ound.  .s  more  easy  to  m,a<,ine  than  describe,"  savs  Parry   u,He  al 

most  hreathless  anxiety  which  was  now  visible  in    ev" 

while   IS  the   1„.  ■  .  ^'-'>'    countenance, 

.n,  .     The  ,„ase  hea„»  wore  cow.lcc,    ,,,  .,,„  „«,„,  ,„„  „;„  ,  „ .  ,, 
l"-wlK..o  .„on,„„„;  ,,.„,  a,.  „„c<.,K.c.™„,,    o^rvc,   if  any  coul.l   I      : 

:; '""'^T'  ""  ™^"  -  --i».  w„,„a  Have  ,.e„  a  „,.  J  , 

c.«c.,„c,.  .,.„,  >v„leh  .he  vanou.  ,.ep„„,  f„,„  ,„,  ,,.,„^,  „^,^^  ,^  j     ' 

-vo  ;  A  howeve,    „.heno  favon.We  .„  „„  ,„„,  .„„, ,  „„,,^,;, 

I.ofo,en.«h„hey  had  passed  ehe  pohu  re«hed  .he  previous  y  a.-  and 

wide   and,.   ,       "  ,   ^      "  '  "'"^    «">    '■*»'>nrf   "b„„t    r„r.v    miles 

".dc,  and  as  deep  as  a.  the  e„.,.„„ee.     The  wa.e,-   had   .he  eol,,,"  „f  ,he 

an   „,      a     ereepUhle  sweU  r,-,„n  .he  son.h  and  eas..  Thev  s ,„.: 

".„  "f  C„.Ue,.,  Mountains  which    .heneCbrth  disappean-d' f,,an   -eo- 


" 

f 

i. 

i 

li'  ' 


179 


CAPE   rORK. 


graphical    nomenclature.      They    l.e<,'an     to    inia-ine    fliey    had    aheady 
reached  the  open   polar  sea,  an.  1         ,,    ,,p    the  very   eve    cf  solvui},'    the 
(louhle  ])r<)l)leni  of  flndinjr  the  N..rthwest   Passaj-e  and  tlie  Pole.     They 
were  soon  undeceived,  (or  thonjrh  the  fancied  in-nmlpius  had  disappeared, 
they  encountered  a  \iry  real  ohstacle  in  an  I -e-puck.      To  the  south  (hey 
ol)serve<l  an  openin-  thirl\    miles  wide,  whicli  lUey   entered  in  (he   hope 
of  still  pushin-  westwanl.      In    ll.is,   however,  they    were    .lisappointed, 
lindiiio  themselves   in  whal     Parrv  named    Prince    Ke<ren(    Fnlet,  which, 
with  its  wide  continuation,  the   (Julf  of  Moothia,  stretched    away  to  the 
south,    some  450  miles.      In  .lescendin^^  the  inlet  the  ships'    compasses 
lost  their  wonted  enertjy,  and   they  witnessed  for  the  first   time   "the   cu- 
rious   phenomenon  of  the  <lirective   power   of   the    necHe  hecominn    so 
>veak  as  to  he  completely   overcome    hy    the  attraction  of  the  ship;  so 
that  the  iieetlle  inij^Hit  now  he  properly  said  to  i>oint  t(.  the  north  pole  of 
the  ship." 

They  sailed  through  the  inlet  to  where  it  widened  into  the  gulf  already 
mentioned,  and    Ihiding   the  northwest  corner,  which   was   the  direction 
tliey   sought   to   take.  Mocked    hy    an   impenetrahle    ice  '.mrier,  they  re- 
traced their  course.     On    the  13th  they  discovered   on   the   east  shore  of 
the  iidet  a  harhor   one   mile    wide  and    three   deep,   which   they   named 
Port  Howcn.     The  narwals  were  here  found  in  <rieat  luimho'-;,  and  also 
dovckies  and  ducks.      They  landed  on  what   Parry  descrihes  as  the  most 
harrcn  spot  he  had  ever  seen,      Being  here  detained  two  days  hy  the  ice, 
they  made  some  slight  exploration  of  the  harren  coast,  and  deposited  on 
a  little  hillock   a    record-hottle,  which  they  coveretl  witii  a  pile  of  schis- 
tose limestone.     Of  this  there  was  an  ahundance,  but  there  was  neither 
soil  nor  vegetation  to  be  found.     On   the    17th   they   reached  the    head- 
land  at  the  northeastern  point   of  the  junction  of  Prince  Regent    Inlet 
with  Lancaster  vSound,  to  which  Parry  gave  the  name  of  Cape  York. 
At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  1 8th,  after  beating  around  f  rseveral 
hours  among  ice-tioes,  they  reached  clear  water  near  the    north  shore  of 
Lancaster  Sound.     In  a  few  days  they  found  the  channel  so  clear  of  ice 
that  it  jvas  impossible  to  believe  it  to  be  the  same  part  of  the  sea,  which 
but  a  day  or  two   before  had    been    completely  covered   with  floes  to  the 


i;   ^1 


ESQUIMAUX  HUTS. 


178 


utmost  extent  of  our  view."  Here  they  picked  up  a  spar  which  a  sea- 
man had  dropped  overhoard  some  two  weeks  hefore,  indicatini,-  the 
absence  of  current  and  tlu>  extent  of  their  dij^ression. 

Entering  the  continuation  of  Lancaster  Sound,  to  which  Parry  gave 
the  name  of   Harrow   Strait,  in  honor  „f  Sir  John  Ba  row,  second   lord 
of  the  admiralty,  they  passed  IJeechey  Island,   Cape   llotham  and  Cape 
Bowd.M  .     On  the2id  of  4ugi,  t,  in  longitude  92^:  15',  they  saw  an  inlet 
about  twenty-five    miles  in    width,  which  opened   to  the  nortli,  and  in 
which  they  could   see  neither  land    nor  ice  from  the  mastheati.     1"     this 
Parry  gave  the  name  of  Wellington  Channel;  and  this  break  in  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  coast  on  that  side  had  the  effect  of   making  him  think  that 
he  "had   actually  entered   the   Polar   Sea.      Though   two-thirds  t.f  the 
month  of  August   had   now  elapsed,  I  had  every  reason  to  be  .satisfied," 
he  says,  "  with  the   progress  we    had  hitherto  made.     I  calculated  upon 
the  s.-a  being  navi-^^able  for  six  weeks  to  come,  and  probably  more,  if  the 
state  of  the  i'      Nvould  permit  us  t.,  edge  away  to  the  southward  in   our 
progress  westerly.     Our  prospects,  indeed,  were  truly  exhil        ing;  the 
ship,  had  sutn  red  no  injury;  w.   had  plenty  of  provLsions;  crews  in  high 
health  and  spirits;  a  sea,  if   not  opetj,  at   least   navigable;  and  a  zealous 
and  luianimous  determination,  in  both  officers  and  men,  to  acoomplish  by 
all  possible  means  the  grand  object  on  which  we  had  the  happiness  to  be 
employed." 

Still  sailnig  westward  through  H.-.rrow's  Strait  along  the  south  coast  of 
Cornwallis  Island,  they  reached  CJriffith,  nov^  Bathurst  Island.  The 
former  has  since  been  ascertained  to  be  a  peninsula  of  the  latter,  ut  they 
were  supposed  at  this  time  to  be  distinct  islands.  Here  they  font  traces 
of  an  F  quimaux  encampment,  which  Captain  Sabine  examined  with 
care.  He  found  six  huts  "  on  a  level,  sandy  bank,  at  the  side  of  a  small 
ravine  near  the  sea,"  and  eon  urtcd  «  of  stones  rudely  placed  in  a  cir- 
cular or  elliptical  form.  They  were  ,m  seven  to  ten  feet  in  diameter; 
tht  broad,  flat  sides  of  the  stones  standing  vertically,  and  the  whole 
structure,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  being  exactly  similar  to  that  of  the 
summer  huts  of  the  Esquimaux  which  we  had  seen  at  Hare  Island  the 
preceding  year,    Attached  to  e^tch  of  them  was  a  smaller  drclc,  generally 


Hi  f 


L 


174 


AfE^r  LOST. 


four  ,.r  five  feet  in  .liameter,  whicii  had  probably  been  the  fireplace 
The  small  circles  were  place.l  in.liderently  as  to  their  .lirection  fron>  the 
huts  to  which  they  belonj^ed;  ami  fro.n  the  moss  and  sand  which  covered 
some  of  the  stones,  particularly  those  which  composed  the  floori..^.  of  the 
huts,  the  whole  encampment  appeared  to  have  been  deserted  for  "several 
years." 

The  ma-netic  observations  made  here,  compared  with  those  of  I'rince 
Re-ent  Inlet,  already  noted,  "  led  to  the  conclusion,"  says  Edward  Sa-. 
bine,  the  mathematician  of  the  expedition,  "that  we  had  in  sailin-  over  the 
space  included  between  the  two  meridians,  crossed  immediately  to  the 
northward  of  the  magnetic  pole,  and  had  undoubtedly  passed  over  o..e  of 
those  spots  upon  the  globe  where  the  needle  would  have  been  found  to 
vary  iSo%  or,  in  other  words,  where  its  north  pole  would  have  pointed 
due  south.  This  spot  would,  in  all  probability,  at  this  time  be  somewhere 
not  far  from  the  meridian  of  loo?  west  of  Greenwich." 

Contijiuin-  their  voyage  to  the  westward,  without  divergin<r  to  the 
south  in  the  wide  expanse  of   Melville  Sound,  they  skirted  the  colt  of  a 
yet  larger  island,  which  Parry  named   Melville  Island.     On   the  4th  of 
September  they  passed   longitude  i  io<^  west,  thus  becoming  entitled  to 
the  reward  of    ir5,ooo  offered    by  order   of  council  "to  such  of  His 
Majesty's  subjects  as  might  succeed  in  penetrating  thus  far  to  the  west 
w.thin   the  Arctic  Circle."       They  named   the  neighboring   headland' 
i:5ounty  Cape,  and  continued  their  course  to  the  westward.     Checked  by 
the  .ce,  they  made  several  excursions  on  shore  in  search  of  game,  and  for 
purposes  of    exploration,  from   the  Sth   to  the  13th.       In  one  of  these 
seven  of  the  men  got  lost,  .md  afterward  separated   into  two  sections  of 
three  and  four.     The  four  returned  in  three  days,  being  guided  by  a  fla-.- 
staff  which  the  commander  had  ordered  raised  for  that  purpose;  and  th^e 
other   three  after  au  absence  of    ni.iety-one  hours.     Relavs  of    search 
part.es  were  sent  out,  ,lay  after  day;  and  all   the  wanderers'  were  finally 
brought  safely  to  the  ships.     By  the  care  and  attention  of  their  comrades 
and  the  medical  staff,  they  soon  recovered  from  their  exhaustion. 

On  the  30th  a  council  of  officers  was  held,  who  concurred  with  the 
commander  in  the  opinion  that,  as  the  ice  continued  to  close  in  upon  them 


WlNTBli  ^U  ARTE  US. 

170 

""''  '"'•■'■7""  '""  "'"^'  "-»■-'  "«  ™.kin,  „„y  headway  „,  .„.  wc„  i. 
was  limu  til  seek  fill  wiiitei-ciiiii-f,.,-.      t         i        .  '"'- west,  it 

CO,,™   .1,1,1   I                            q".irtfls.     rw,i  .lays  late-  thc-y  ,ctra™l  their 
cm„,c   .„  ,1   hc,ai,  „,  ,„ake  their  way  .lowly  e„„war.l,  .„  M.i,,,,.,  Ca,K. 
hey  ,,„„  ,revi„„,„y  „„„,„ .,^ ,^,  .  „^,^  ,,_^    ,  .      j-  t-    - 

".I  Onper   „„„   h.re  they  „„„  ,,,.,„,„„„,   , ^.,   ,^^.,.  „  ^^^^ 

.h,.o,i,h   .  ,e  i,ew  iee,  the  ave,,,,.  ,hiek„e,s  of   which  w,.  ... 
1  ck  „„  .s,i„„ay,  Septcnhcr  .6,  .i,ey  ha,l  ivachd  thdr  m,  orin , 

t, ,  :,."r'  r'""'- "■":•"■ -'""^ ■  -■  ^- - -.,.„.:;; 

ica  ,  they  were  now  relatively  safe.     The  .hi,,,  „„„,„ „„,. 

ockul  ha,hor  ,„    fiv    fath„,m  of  water  ami  a,  a  cahic',    Icn-th  fron,  .he 
a.,     w,    ...  .he  iee.„oe  c„„kl  ,„..  i,„„„,,  ,„„„.    .,„„  ^,^.,  „„;  J^^^ 

::;:;,""'"  -'-'-- »"-  -  "-•)•  .cfu,. ,  „„,  ...er  w.hich  the.; 

H".   hu,„a„  joy   i»  aK,.,y,  „   „  ,„^,.   ,.,„|,^„.  ^^   ^,„    ,^, 
*»l...eco,.fo,...     These   ,„e„    were,,,,    the  eve  of  an  Actio  win.       ,f 
,-„l,„  nine  month.  „„ratio„,  a,„l  ., „  three  „f  .he.e  .hey  we 

he,.    We,e  they  .eek,,,,.  ,0  fin.l  ,.elief  r,.o,n  ,l,e  hear...ici<e„i„.  which 
.he  .,.,.,,„„  wa,  .„  we,,    e,.,c.„:,te„   .,.    pro„„ce..      More  ,„.„„;„„  .„„ 

-seo,    „av„„  c,.„„,ere..  .he  .ea  „„.l  .he  ice,  a„.l  assc-.e. ce  a,ai„ 

h„„,a„    |„.ero,.a.ive  of  .„l„l„i„.,    a.l.erse  ci,c„m.,a„ee.,    „„.ur;nv 
-vakeel  .„„  ,|e„„,  „f  ex,„ta.i..„.     S,.,,,.  „,„„  ,.,,.,.,  j,,,.,     „,„,      ^ 

Z"::;: '"  ■'  ■t'"""'"'  "■'"'" " ■■""  '^""  "^  -"— -■'  'hi.,  oeca. 

'"'-h    na.wav„,.,„r  .he  H,-..   .!,„„   i„  .hese   ,.e,i..„s,  which  had 
l.ce„  „„l,er,o  ciosidced  heyoi,,,  the  N,„i..  .,f  .„,  „„„;,,  ;„,,;„ 


:«»* 


CHAPTER    XX. 

TH:..s    ..n    ...STXMHS    ok    ..    .hcT.C     WI.XKK  -  HKA.TH     UKOU.A- 

rK>xs_A.v  AHcrrc   nkwspapkk_an  akctic  thkatkk  _nA,x.v 

OCCU.ATK,XS_To.A.  ABSKNCK  OK  THK  SUN-THK  An-KAKANXK 
OK  SCUKVV-MOCK  SUNS-MO.K  THKAT.UCAI.S-KXTKACT  KKOM 
AN    ARCTIC   JOOKNAL—A    SHOWEK    OK    RAIN. 

No  ti,„e  was   lost;  the  security    of  the  ships  and  the  preservation  of 
the  stores  and  provisions  received   prompt  attention.     The  vessels  were 
unn..ed,  and  partially  dismasted;  the  lower  yards  were  lashed  fore  and 
aft,  to  support  the  planks  which  were   to  constitute  the  outer  shell  of -m 
extemporized   house  on  shipboard.     Boats,  spars,  sails,  ropes,  and  eve,y- 
thmg  not  hkely  to  be  needed  were  stored  away  on  shore,  and  the  hou'e 
on  each  sh.p  was  covered  with  a  cloth  by  way  of  roof.     Parry  next  ..ave 
h.s  attention  to  provi<Iing  eveiy  possible  safe.n.ard  against  sickness.  For- 
tunately  the  men  had  hitherto  shown  no  symptoms   of  that  scour.^e  of 
seamen,   the  scurvy;  an.l  it  was  of  the  utmost    importance  to  anticipate 
lb.  a,^,roach  by  the  use  of  all  known  preventives    that  were  accessible. 
1  he  first  care   was  directed   toward  utilizing  the   heat  from  the -al ley- 
range  and  copper-boilers  of  the    ships,  and  by  some  ingenious  but  simple 
contrivances  this  was  made  to  warm  the  sleeping  berths  ,>f  the  men      A 
large  stone  oven,  cased  with  cast  iron,  used  for  baking  their  bread,  was 
placed  H.  the  n.ain  hatchway,  and  the  pipe   carried   fore   and   aft  on  the 
lower  deck,  tiie  sm,>ke   ascending  through  the  forward  hatchway      With 
an  ordmary  lire  and  these  appliances  they  were  able  to  secure  a'  temper- 
atureotSyo   Fahrenheit,  at  a  distance   of  seventeen  feet  fn.n.    the   fire- 
place.    Tl.e    steam    from   the   coppers   was  intercepted   on  a  curtain  of 
dreadnaught  reaching  to  within  eighteen  inches  of  the  deck,  which  suf- 
fered the  heat  to  pass  beyon.l,  while  the  steam  Nvas  con.lensed  into  water 
on  the  hanging  cloth.     Provision  was  made  for  the  distribution  of  suffi, 

179 


m^ 


AllCT/C  JOURNALISM.  ,_ 

cien.  food  but  .educed  one-third  f,„„,  the  stated  allowanee      The  dnil. 
mt,o„  of  h.e,-„icea„d  „„,a,.  .ni.ed  to.ethe.and  with  a  p  ;pe^  ,  „ 
of  water,  was  .Irank-  in  presence  of    „,  „fli,,„.  ,     ■  '  ^ 

,      .His  precautionary  re.ui.l.ion  of  th!  r,:,:     ;  ;  "^L  7:^  "'? 
.cal  staff  e.a„,i„ed  the  „,e„  for  s,.ptonrs  of  scurvy  ""' 

Parttes  were  sent  out  to  hunt,  who   at   firs,  fo.nal   an  abundance  of 
grouse  and  rein.lecr,  but  before  .he  close  of  October  these  Iv 
-.  ^.n  M,.,vi„e  I.and;  but  woi.es  and  tb.e:  .:^::r      "  :r 
I    .s  f.-esh    n,..at,  when   obtainable,   was  served    instead  of  the     c  ! 

■•'>»..S.o  n,sure  its  consumption  ;  for,  although  otlen  less  palatal  lei: 
.n...o   wholesome.     To  promote  contentnre  ,t  amon./  h     t       !  " 

;;:  :,;';,:-r"^  •■■■ " •>■  -^  -'  -  .-.r  -.,  wa:  iz:::;^ 

Recogn,.n,g  the   value  of    hygienic  cheerfulness  and  la„:htcr    .h 

7",'" '"■■•  '"  «-'■'  -ith  his  principal  olflccrs,  now  proi  2 

"'  '"eatrieal  representations,  at  intervals  of  abou    twow  e  J    X'"' 

;"m,senK.„t,,"  says  Parry,  .  I  „,adly  undertook   a  part"      s  ^f  T 

•"■^   .1--  an   e.a„,ple  „f  cheerfulness,  by    .ivin-  direct 
--■ythins  .l:at  conld  contribute  to  it    „  .;       ^  " 'T'^'   '" 

^'  sfll  f.uthe,  t..  promote  ,<,nK„I    \nuunv   a,n<,n<.-  <.m,-sHv  . 

:::::::':;:';::"''^'T'"-'""-^"'^" --•""'--- 

I     nppoitcd   li,  onumal   .■.nuributions    from    ll, y.  ,    , 

'"■-I"PS!  and    I   can    safciv  sav  Iha,    d,  ,  "  "'  "'" 

i-ppvwic,-,,.rc„, IZ^^'" ''';';'' '"•"'"""■"•" - 

-'•'ivcr,in,,l,e,,indfr,;      ,  '  "f  "- "ho  furnished  ,l,c„„ 

"'."■...:>■  iiscif hcs,„      :  :''^'''-'"''^'^-'"^ 


t 


■^^       . 


Il  1 1 

■11 

ijl 


178 


i; 
i  >  I ) 


milf  I 


DA/Lr  OCCUPATIONS. 
Meanwhile  Capt.  Salnne  had  erected  an  ohservatory  about 


to  the  west  „f  the  ships,  and  a   house  fur   the  instruments 


700  yards 


made  with 


,        I  ,         ,  .  .^-iiLo,  nmuu   Willi    a 

double  sheetn.ff  of  planks.     The   intervening  space   being  packed  with 
moss,  this  house  cot.ld   l,e  kep:  comfortably  warm  in   the   worst  weather 
by  a  single  stove.     They  had  expected  to  make   important   observations 
on  the  4th  of  November.,    the   last  day  of  the   sun's  appearance   above 
thehonzon;  but  the  weather  was   too   foggy,  and  they  were   unable  to 
calculate  the  amount  of  refraction  as   anticipated.     On  the  5th  they  pre- 
sented to  an  a.lmiring  and  enthusiastic  audience  their  first  play,  "  \  Miss 
ni  Her  Teens,"  which  was  loudly  applauded.  Besides  afFordin<.  the  antici 
pated  amusement  to  the  n.en,  it  was  found  that  putting  the  play  on  the 
boards,   as   well    as   running    the   machinery   and    properties   afterward, 
afforded    pleasant   and    exhilarating   occupation   to   a   number  of  them 
which,  perhaps,  was  not  the  least  beneficial  result  of  the  original  design,' 
The  commander  wisely  "dreaded  the  want  of  employment  as  one  of  tl.J 
worst  evils  that  was  likely  to  befall  them." 

In   pursuance  of  this   idea  the  men  were  .s..  busily  engajjed  that  they 
complained  of  not  finding   tin.e   to  mend   their  clothes,  whereupon   the 
commander  set  apart  one  afternoon  in  each  week  for  that  purpose    "  The 
officers  and   quartermasters  were  divided  into  four  watches,  which  were 
regularly  kept   as   at   sea,  while  the   remainder  of  the  ship's  company 
were  allowed  to   enjoy  their  night's   rest  undisturbed.     The  hands  were 
turned  up  at  a  quarter  before  six,  and  both  decks  were  well  rubbed  with 
stones  and  warm  sand   before  eight   o'clock,  at  xvhich   time,  as  usual  at 
sea,  both  officers  and  men  went  to  In-eakH^st.      Three-quarters  of  an  hotu- 
being  allowe<l  after  breakfast  for  the  men  to  prepare  themselves  for  nn.s- 
ter,  we   then   beat  to   divisions   punctually  at  a   quarter-past  nine,   when 
every  person  on  board    attended  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  a   strict  inspec- 
tion ...  the  men  took  place  as  to  tlieir  personal  cleanliness,  and    the-  good 
condition  as  well  as  warmth  of  their  clothing." 

While  the  commander  examined  the  Mvver  ,leck  and  visited  the 
s.ck,  those  he  had  left,  occupied  themselVes  with  a  walk  or  run 
abotit  the  vessel;  and  on  his  return  were  dismissed  for  a  trip 
ashore     until     noon.       These    stated     walks     afforded     no     amusement 


TWILIGHT  AT  NOON. 

and    but    little    interest        TN       .  "^ 

iiiicrest.        ihe    dreary    samenp^  ■     «f    h 

«^lent  and   unehan^nng    landscane    fh       .  '""""'    ^^e 

I-ve  otherwise  tl.n  ;ono  ^       '  ^       f  ^'f  '^  ^^   ^w,  eould  not 

-^^  -1  -i  -nopin,,  i.  recnr;en      ^L   r::!  T  '^"^  "^'" 
exccufon  afforded  the  .^ratification   of    a   d  t      ,  ^:^''^^'^ 

frequent  occasion,"  says   Pnrrv   u  •  ^  Performed.     «  We   had 

objects  when  viewed  over  an  unvaried  s^,    iTf  '"       '""°       "'''  '"' 

common  for  „,  to  direct  o„r   ,  ""*■     "  ""»  "ot  u„. 

Of  stone  at  a  d«ta.  o^  Z^:Z7"  '''X  '''  """  '''"  "  '^'^^  "'- 
-e  ,>  in  ,.„r  .md.  a.er  on:'  :!:.!:: 2^ ;:::  '-  -'  -'^'  '" 
ia.ly  tl,o  case  wl,en  ascending  ,l,e  brow  o,    7  I -^  ™ore  particu- 

the  ^leception  became  less  on  ace  „  .    /  i  '  ""'      '  ^"  """  •"^" 

experienced  its  effects,"  '  ''"'"'^"^7  vviti,  vvhid,  we 

The  afternoons  were  <lcvotcd  h„  ,r,„ 
or  ^»kets  used  in  fnrlin.  sal     r  ,       """""'  "'°  "'"'"''  -* 

a...in  ,^,„„„ed  for  ^cCuns ,  H"  "'  l'^"''''     ^'  ^^'^  '"^^  "-- 

-  -n  .„^d  .l:i  rrtX:.:::.^  '-^  --• 

u«,l  n,„e  o'c(.«k,  when  .l,ey  went  to  be,i       i'  """"'  «"""'' 

•Ice.  ever,  baif^.  ,„  J„^,  „„  J:';,     ';;■";"  ^i-'  "-  l-wer 
fl-  l.real<  „„t,  a  lr<,le  >v.,  cu,  twice  a  d  ,v         ,'  '     *■'  '■""'^'  *"•""" 

Stn,<,ays,,ivine  servic  w,.   re^  r  v       ,  ' '"'   "^™- ^'^'^'-WP-     «" 

-"•     These  religions  e»,._: I       ,  :    „:. "-'].  '"^i"  ^ ^'  -™..n 

""  "-^-  '"■■"""  "i..^  and  condt,;  ar'  c'  ^  Z^^'r'  """'^ 
'nu.,p.i.i.in,  the  spirits  and  sustaining  .,  e  1  .  .  T"'  """"■'■  "■ 
men  in  dilHcnlt  situations  "     "'  '"''"^   ''">"'■•»  "! 

^-'S:!:n::;:~::--";>^^'."- -..  ..ted  that 

with  conttWt,   but  ,,,.„  ,„    ,,,,1    „.l  '    '■''-'""^"■»"«"me,l  walk 

•Voreveuontb,,  shortest  ia;".?,;:'"-  f'^"^  "'^^^^^   '."u. 
■lepHved  „,   this  ,wih.,hf  L   ,■'  ^        '  ""'"  ""•■'  '*'"'> 

"•"-■■ '■".■a.ho,..;,:.';;;  :::;ir;;;: '■■'-■■-•"'"•  ■•■»■'-■- 

.•".-.age direct, toward  the  ..nb^n^rrrrr:::: 


180 


A    WELCOME    VISITOR. 


HI 


"111 


1  i 


I 


iiiLflit  ill  this  coMiiL'ctioii  is  l!;il)le  to  convey  a  wrong  impression.  The 
rc'llicUuii  of  lijj;-iil  from  the  snow  and  the  moonhi^hl  were  snfKcient  even 
in  the  lliickc^i  \ve;ithci' to  dispel  liie  leehii;^  of  L?!<Joni  that  aecoinpanies 
a  dark  iiiu;!)!  in  tein[)L;iate  zones.  They  ohsurved  Christmas  on  hoard 
with  as  near  an  approach  as  possil)k'  to  tlie  customs  of  their  conntry, 
and  the  play wrij^dits  and  actors  prepared  and  performed  a  Christmas 
piece,  expressly  adapted  to  the  audience  and  the  circnmstances.  Dnrinc^ 
January  the  tiieriiionieter  ram^'-ed  from  30'-'  to  .|.o'-'  l)eh)w  zero,  and  occa- 
sional!) sank  to  30'"',  so  that  in  L^oin::^  asliore  tlie  chan^j^e  of  temperatnre 
was  sonu'times  ijo  ,  lint  hy  nsiuLC  tlie  necessary  precautions  no  injury 
was  recei\i'd,  and  tliey  kept  ui)  tlieir  daily  ramhles. 

At  lem^tli  the  ■i^nnner  of  tiie  llecla  was  taken  down  with  scurvy, 
contracted  thi-ounh  th.e  moisture  deposited  1>\'  the  steam  on  his 
jiedclothes,  notwithstandiuL;-  all  the  care  that  had  been  taken  to 
<4uard  against  this  evil.  J>y  the  free  nse  of  the  reco<i;nized  remedies, 
especially  the  fresh  mustard  and  cresses,  which  the  commander 
with  liis  usnal  f )rethonij^ht  had  procured,  the  t^unner  was  restored 
to  health.  A  few  others  were  sli<j^htly  afTectcd,  and  more  easily 
cured.  It  was  found  that  the  men  became  easily  frost-bitten  in 
their  feet,  and  with  his  customary  spirit  of  investigation  the  comman- 
der sought  out  the  cause  and  the  remedy.  It  was  found  that  the  hard 
thick  leathiM-  of  which  their  b-uots  were  made  cramped  their  feet  and 
I)re\enle(l  the  circulation,  tlius  inducing  frost  liites  of  the  joints.  '*  l>eing 
very  desirous,"  says  Parry,  "  of  avoiding  these  accidents,  which,  from 
the  Increased  sluggishness  with  which  tlie  sores  healed,  were  more  and 
more  likely  to  alFect  the  general  health  ol'  the  patients  by  long  conline- 
nienl,  I  (lii'ected  a  pair  of  can\'as  boots,  lined  with  blanketing  or  some 
other  woolen  siulf,  to  be  made  for  each  man,  using  rawhide  as  soles;  this 
completely  answered  the  desired  purpose,  as  scarcely  an\-  I'rost  bites  in 
the  leei  alterward  occurred,  e\ce])t  undei'  circumstances  of  ver\  severe 
eN])osuri.'."' 

.\l  noon  on  I'eii.  \i\  the  sun  was  setai  lift\'-one  fi'ct  aboxt'  ||n'  hoi'i- 
/on  fi'oni  the  maintop  of  tin-  llecla  for  the  lirst  time  since  \o\.  11; 
and  at  the  s.mie  houi    on   the   ylh   its  full  orb   was    lii'st  \isible   al)o\c  tlic 


i 


i 


181 


183 


A  BLAZE. 


»'1    : 


ill 


horizon,  with  a   mock-sun  32*^   to  the  cast.     The  daylight  was  sufficient 
from  eight  to  four  o'clock  for  outside  work,  and    they  hegan  the  task  of 
preparation  for    their   departure.     They  collected  stones   for   iiallast,  of 
whicli  the  Ilecla  would  require  seventy  tons,  licsides  twenty  of  additional 
water  to  replace   the  wei<,Hit  of  provisions   and    stores    consiuned  durin;^ 
their  stay.     February  jjroved  the  coldest  month,  the  mercury  descendinj^ 
to  55^'  below  zero  on  the  night  of  the.  i.|th.    But  even  then  no  inconven- 
ience was  suffered  from   exposure  to  the  open  aii    in  ralm  weather.      If, 
however,  there  was  occasion  to  face  even  a  light  wind,  severe  pains  in  the 
face  and  head  were  sure  to  ensue.     On  the  i6th  a  mock  sun  appeared  on 
each  si.le  of  tlie  sun,  visible  for  half  an  hour.       On  the   34th  the   house 
which  had   lieen  built  on  shore  for  astronomical   instruments,  was  iliscov- 
ercd  to  be  on  Hre.    'The  men  from  lioth  snips  hastened  to  the  rescue,  and 
by  tearing  off  the  roof  and  throwing  snow  on  the  burning  interior,  they 
extinguished  the  flames  without  injin-y  to  the  more  valuable  instruments. 
Tlie  thermometer  was  at  44*^  below  zero,  and  tiiey  were  at  work  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour.     "  The  men's  faces  presented  a  singular  spectacle; 
almost  every  nose  and  cheek  was  frost-liitten,  and  became  (juile  white  in 
five   minutes   after  being  exposed   to  tiie    weather;  so  that  the   medical 
men,  with  some  others   appointed   to   assist   them,  were    obliged  to   go 
constantly  round    while  the    men   were   working  at  the  fire,  and   to  rub 
with   snow   the   parts   affected    in    order   to    restore    animation.       Capt. 
Sabine's  servant,  in    his   anxiety   to   save   the  dipping   needle   from   the 
observatory,  ran  out  without  his  gloves;  his  fingers,  in  consequence,  .vere 
so  completely  frozen  that  on  his  hands  being  plunged  into  a  basin  of  cold 
water,  the  surface  was  immediately  covered  with  a  cake  of  ice  from  the 
intensity  of  the  cold  thus  communicated   to  it;  but  animation  conld   not 
be  restored  in  this  instance,  and  it  was  founil  necessary  to  resort  to  ampu- 
tation."     This  hero  of  duty  and   victim  of  imprudence  was   John  Smitli. 
He  lost  parts  of  four  fingers  on  one  hand  and  three  on  the  otiier. 

.Sunday,  the  5th  of  March,  was  the  first  day  to  which  they  could  at- 
tach the  idea  of  spring,  and  they  noticed  with  peculiar  gratification  the 
thawing  of  a  little  snow  on  the  stern  of  the  Ilecla,  which  lav  due  south, 
this  being  the  first  time  such   a  thing   had   occurred  for  moi-e   than   five 


EXTRACT  FROM  AN  ARCTIC   JOURNAL. 


183 


months.     On  the  8th,  "it  will  scarcely  be  credited,"  say's  Parry,  "that  we 
removed  about    loo  buckets  full  of  ice,  each  containing  from  five  to  six 
gallons,  being  the  accumulation  which  had  taken  place  in  an  interval   of 
less  than  four  weeks;  and  this  immense  quantity  was  the  produce  of  the 
men's  breath  and  of  the  steam  of  their  victuals  during  meals,  that  from  the 
coppers  were  being  cfTcctually  carried  on  deck  by  the  screen  which  I  have 
before  mentioned."     JJut  though  March  "came  in  as  a  lamb,"  before  the 
middle  of  April  the  weather  again  grew  very  cold.     The  i6th,  however, 
was  mild  and  pleasant,  and  is  worthy  of  mention   as  being  the   date  of 
their  last  theatrical  performance,  consisting  of  two  farces— "The  Citizen" 
and  "The  Mayor  of  Garratt"— with  an  original  epilogue  by  one  of  the 
ship's   poets.     A  week  later  they  tested  the  newly  formed  ice  in  Winter 
Harbor.     The  depth  of  water  was  only  twenty-five  and  a  half  feet,  and 
the  ice  was  found  to  be  six  and  a  half  feet  thick.     This  had  been   pro- 
duced in  six  months,  and  allowing  for  six  weeks  more  to  the  close  of  the 
season  it  was  thouglit  fair  to  estimate  the  rate  of  formation  as  seven  feet 
and  a  half  for  the  whole  winter.     Toward  the  close  of  April  the  weather 
again  grew  mild  and  genial,  but  on  the  first  of  May  under  the  influence 
of  a  strong  gale  from  the  north,  it  suddenly  became  as  cold  as  before. 

"The  Winter  Chronicle  and  North  Georgia  Gazette"  appeared 
daily,  Sundays  excepted,  from  the  first  of  November,  1S19,  to  the  30th 
of  March,  1S20.  It  reported  the  different  excursions,  hunting  expedi- 
tions, explorations,  discoveries,  accidents,  and  adventures.  It  contained 
criticisms  of  the  latest  theatrical  performance  and  annc.tuncements  of  the 
next  one.  Stories,  original  and  otherwise,  correspondence  and  poetry, 
were  not  wanting;  antl  altogether  it  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
successful  ventures  in  journalism  ever  attempted.  It  was  eagerly 
perused  by  the  whole  community;  such  as  could  not  read  had  it  read  to 
them ;  and  there  was  not  a  single  resident  of  Winter  Harbor  who  did 
not  take  the  Gazette.  The  following  letter,  which  appeared  in  the  first 
number,  graphically  describes  the  interest  awakened,  and  therefore  is 
given  ill  full: 

"  Mr.  Editor: — Your  proposition  to  establish  a  journal  has  been  re- 
ceived by  us  with  the  greatest  satisfaction.      1  am  convinced  that,  under 


184 


A  lie  TIC  TlilD  UL  A  TIONS. 


liili 


your  d.rcctiou,   it  will  be  a   <,rcnt  source   of   amusement,   and  ^o  a  lone, 
way  to  lighten  otw  hundred  days  of  .larkness.     The  interest  I  take   in 
the  matter  myself,  has  led  me  to  study  the  effect  of  your  announcement 
on  my  .on.rades,  and  I  can  testify-to  use  reporters'  lan<n.a.e-that  the 
thmg  has  produced   an    immense  sensation.     The  day   after  your  pros- 
pectus  appeared,  there  was  an  unusual  and  unprecedented  demand   for 
.nk  amou,.  us,  and  our  .green  tablecloth  was  deluged  with  snippings  and 
paru,gs  of  quill-pens,  to  the  injury  of  one  of  our  servants,   who  ^ot  a 
piece  driven  right  under  his  nail.     I  know  for  a  fact  that  Sergeant  Mar- 
tni  had   no  less  than  nine  penknives  to  sharpen.     It  was  quite  a  novel 
^'^  to  see  all  the  writing-desks  brought  out,  which  had  not  made  their 
:  ppe.-ance  tor  a  couple  of  months;  an<l  judging  by  the  reams  of  paper 
v.. hie,   ,nore  than  one  visic  must  have  been  ma<le  to  the   depths  of  the 

"I  must  not  forget  to  tell  you,  that  I  believe  attempts  will  be  naade  to 

s hp  M.to  your  box  sun<lry  articles  which  are  not  altogether  ori<nnal     as 

they  have  been  publishe.l   already.     I  can  declare  that  no  later  than  last 

n.ght,  I  saw  an  author  bending  over  his  desk,  holding  a  volume  of  the 

'Spectator'  open  with  one  hand,  and  thawing  the  frozen  ink  in   his    pen 

.     at  the  hunp,  with  the  other.     I  need  not  warn  you  to  be  on  your  .n.anl 

^^  such  tricks,   f;,r  it  would    never  do   f;,r  us  to  have  articles  '.  our 

VVnUer  Chronicle'  which  our  great-grandfathers  read  over  their  break- 

f-'ist  tables  a  century  ago." 

"Arctic  Tribulations_To  go  out  in  the  n.orning  for  a  walk,  and  the 
n.on.ent  you  put  your  foot  outside  the  ship,  fbul  yourself  In.nersed  in 
the  cook's  water-hole. 

"Togo  out  hunting,  and  nUIin  with  a   splendid   reindeer,   take    ..im 
and  hnd  your  gun  has  gone  off  with  a  flash  in  the  pan,  owing  to  damp' 
powder.  ' 

"To  set  out  on  a  n.arch  with  a  good  snpply  of  soft  new  bread  in 
your  pocket,  and  discover  when  you  want  to  eat,  that  it  has  fro.en  so 
hanl  tl.at  you  would  break  your  teeth  if  you  attempte.l  to  bite  it  th,ou..h 

"  To  rush  from  the  table  when  it  is  reported  that  a  wolf  is  i,.  si.;i,t" 
and  on  coming  back  to  find  the  cat  has  eaten  your  dinner  "  "     ' 


THE  IIECLA   BECOMES   FREE.  195 

«  T(.  he  returnino:  quietly  home  from  a  walk,  absorbed  in  profitable 
meditation,  and  suddenly  find  yourself  in  the  embrace  of  a  bear." 

On  the  r)th  of  May,  with  the  thermometer  at  only  8r^^   above  ^cro, 
they  bo-an  to  cut   the  ice  from  about  the  ships,  the  men  as  usual    bein-^ 
carefully   looked   after,  an.l   supplied   with  special  cpupments  to  protect 
them  a.^.ainst  the   weather.     On  the  I3th,   the  first  ptarmi-^^m  appeared, 
a.ul  on  the  13th,  the  northward  tracks  of  reindeer  and  musk-oxen  were 
notice.1.     On  the  ,5th,  two  or  three  Hocks  of  ptarmi-ans  were  seen,  and 
thence  on   "a  brace  or  two   were  almost  daily  secured  for  the  sick,  for 
whose  use  they  were  exclusively  reserve<l."     They    had    vv(,rked   twelve 
days  in  cuttin-  the  ice  from  around  the  llecia  wiien  she  disen-a-ed  her- 
self, like  a  thin-  of  life  burstin-  its  liirhter  bonds  after  tlie  ciiief"i)bstruc. 
tions  had  been  removed.     Seven  days  later   they   had   a   shower    of  rain 
which  created  as  much  surprise  as  if  they  had  never  seen  one,  every  one 
hurryin-  on  deck  to  revel  in  the  almost  forgotten  sensation.      Witj-i  the 
cutting  of  ice  to  liberate  the  ships;  the  hauling,  the  breaking,  weighing, 
and  stowing  of  stone  to  ballast  them;  the  making  and  repairing  of  sails 
and  cordage;  and  the  various  labors  of  carpenters,  coopers,  caulkers,  and 
armorers,  the  vessels  and  the  shore  now  presented   an  a.iimated   appear- 
ance; and  the  general  health  was  promoted  by  the  abundance  of  work 
a.id  the  change  in  temperature.     On  the  last  day  of  May,  the  commander 
took  a  survey  of  the  landscape  from  an  adjoining  hill,  but  it  was  not  very 
encouraging.     "The  sea  still  prese.ited  the  same  unbroken  and  co.itinu- 
ous   siu-face  of  solid  and  impenetrable  ice,  and  this  ice  couhl  not  be  less 
than  from  six  to  seven  feet  in  thickness,   as  we  knew  it  to  be   about   the 
ships.     When    to    this  circumstance  was  added   the   consideration    that 
scarcely   the  slightest   symptoms  of  thawing  had   yet  appeared,  and  that 
in  three  weeks  from  this  period  the  sun  would  again  begin  t<.  decline  to 
the  southward,   it  must  be  confessed  that  the  m.ist  sanguine  and   enthusi- 
astic among  us  had  some  reason  to  be  staggered  in  the  expectations  they 
liad  formed  of  the  complete  accomplishment  of  our  enterp -ise." 

On  the  firstday  of  June,  leaving  orders  to  Lieuts.  Liddon  and  Heechey 
to  prosecute  the  work  of  preparation,  the  commander,  acconinanicd  by 
Captain  Sabine,  Messrs.  Fisher,   Nias,  Reid  and  seven  others,  proceeded 


180 


ES^UlAfAUX  ft  UTS. 


to  explore  Melville  Island  tovvanl  the  north.     Their  provisions  an,l   s..p. 
pl.es  wei-l  e,l  Soo  poumls,ancl  were  borne  on  a  cart  made  for  (h.  ptnpose 
and  drawn  hy  the  ukmi.     In  a.ldition  to  this  j^eneral  ecjuipnu  nt  each  .nan' 
earned  a  knapsack  cntainin- clothin.i,^  an.I  blankets,  and  wei-hin-  abo„t 
seventeen  ponn.ls.      Ilavin-  reached  the  northern  coast  of  the   IshMul  on 
the  e,,i,rhth,  they  erected  a  cairn,  twelve  fe-.>t   wide  and  as  manv  hi-h   in 
which  was  deposited  a  tin  cylinder  containing  an  acconnt  of  the  trip  and 
a  few  |.:nj,.lish  coins.      On    the  9th  they  crossed  a  small   nn,nin^r  stream 
the  (n-st  they  had  seen.     Fonr  days   later  they  discovere.l  in   the  north- 
west of  the  .sland  the  rcniains  of  six  Esqnimaux  huts,     u  Thev  consisted 
of    n.dc  cn-cles,  abont   six  feet    in    .liameter,    constrncted   irrc-ularly  of 
stones  of    all  s,.es  and  shapes,  and  raised  to  the   hci-ht  of  two  feet  from 
the  ,n-onnd.     They  were  paved  with  lar,.e  slabs  of  white  schistose  sand- 
stone, which  is  here  abundant.     The  ,noss  had  spread  over  this  Hoor,  and 
appeared  to  be  the  ,nowth  of  three  or  four  years.     In  each  of  the  huts  on 
one  sule  was  a  sn.all   separate  compartment  formin,,.  a   recess,  projectin.^ 
outwanl,  which    had    probably  been    their  store-room;  and  at  a  few  fee'J 
fron.  one  of  tiie  huts  was  a  smaller  circle  of  stones,  which  ha,l  composed 
tl^c  hre-place,  the  marks  of  (Ire  beins  still  perceptible  upon  them."    Du- 
uv^  the  trip,  which    occupied    j.st  fourteen   days,  they  had    been   able   to 
kdl  some  ,,^ame,  thus  securin,,^  a  healthful  and    pleasant  chanj^e  from  the 
preserved    meats  which   fonned   their  re^a.lar  fare.     Their  onlv  ndshap 
was  tile  breakmn;  down  of  their  cart  in  descendinj,.  the  side  of  a  ravine  on 
the  loth,  after  which  they  carried  the  remainder  of  their  provisions  and 
supphes   on  their    b.cks,  the  officers    being    burdened    with   about  tlftv 
pounds  each,  and   the  men,  as   more   robust,  takin^,  some  twentv  pcnn.ds 


more. 


On  h,s  return  to  the  ships  Parry  found  the  preparations  had  pro- 
gressed fhvorably  in  his  absence;  an<l  what  was  equally  gratifying,  that 
the  md.genous  sorrel  plant  was  so  far  advanced  as  to  be  fit  for  eatin.. 
The  n..n  were  sent  out  for  an  hour  or  two  every  afternoon  to  collect  the 
leaves  of  th.s  plant,  which  was  found  growing  all  around  in  ..reat  abtnul 
ance,  and  of  which  they  consumed  a  great  quantity  as  a  preventive  of  the 
scurvy.     On  the  30th  of  June  their  only  chronic  patient,  William  Scott 


nUR/AL   OF  SCOTT 


(lic'l;  and  on  Siimlay,  tl 
olemnity  an<l    respi  rt. 
hifjhcst  point    marki 
the  month  af  July  w 
could  })c  said  to  be  at 


held  thi'in  t-aptiv     luitil  the  30th  of  July,  w 
move  out  of  the  harh.ir. 


''        '»f  July,  Ik'  was   buried  on  land   with  <^reat 

the  T  7th  the  thermometer    reached  60"-',  the 

1111,'  their  entire  stav  in  Winter  Harbor;  and 

I'olannl  to  be   the  only  one   in  the   year  which 

1  I  -mfortablc  ii    that      'im"  \nd   yet  the  ice 


le  body  be^Mu  to 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


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."S  CKKU_..-„K  KKTUKX  UOM  KWAK  „ -- Vrsr.  ,.  UOM  KSCnUMAUK 
-HHSCKn-noX  ok  XATIVK  ,.KKSS  AX,>  MANXK.S-AKK.VK  IV 
KN'OLAXI). 

A,  Icnstl,  .l,.y  „e,,.  ,,,,,„;„„,,  ,,,  „,^,  ,„„^^^,,.,,  ,_^^^^._,^^_.^^^  ^_^  ^^^^_ 
t..  pass  ..,.,.  .l,c  s.n.ies  .,„,  ,,„„„  ,|,c  .,r,„.,  ,„  ,„,„,,„  ,„,„„.  „^.„,     „ 
.mme„,e  q„„„t,.ie,  „f  „,,„;„,  ice  u,,,,  .„„  ,,„,„^,„.,,  „f  ,,^,  ^,,,,„,_^,,  , 

..hclt.     At   ,   o'clock  ,„    tl,o  „f.on„,o„  „f  .,,.    „.  „f  ,^  ,<,^„ 

.  ey  we,ghe<  anchor,  „„.,  „„„.  hopefully  o„  to  contend  „„  thai 
OKI  cnen,y,  the  fl„,„i„,  ;„..  The  channel  was  f„,„„,  open  to  Within 
...Ic  or  two,  „„,,  at  intervals  ,,o,.ewhat  mofe.  In  a  few  instance, 
the  ,cc  had  been  driven  so  fa,-  south  as  to  leave  a  sIk,,.  stretch  of 
open  water  five  ,„iles  wl.le,  winch  was  the  nttnost  l.readth  they  had 
foun  at  any  tn.e  on  that  coast.  With  the  wind  fron,  dK-  west- 
war.,,  and  the  ice-floe  ever  and  anon  driven  nrore  or  less  across 
th.s  channel,  then-  a.lvance  could  not  he  rapid.  On  the  .,  the 
w,ndvee„„,  to   the  south,  a   heavy  floe  was  driven   clear.,  the     o,.,. 

.•.he.a.1  o   the  sh.ps,  which  n.ade  it  necessary  to  stop  short  , seek  a  te., 

porary  harhor.     This  they  foun.l   „.  ,he  shelter  of ,e  heavy  shore  ic 

wh,ch  protect.!   then,  against  the  ntain    hody  of  the  lloatin,   ice.     »:,; 
he  crews  o,    both  ships  went  ashore  t„  collect  sorrel,  which  was  found 
o  be    too  old  to  be  of  „,„ch  value.     They  heard  the  ,rowlin<.  of  a  sol 
tary  hear  bein,  only  the  secon.l  that  they  had  any  knowled^e^f    ,  t 
regions  during  a  stay  ofover  ten  month, 

w,de    was    ,lr,veu    .owar,l     the.n    by    the    win „,,    ,„,,,„, 

1S8  ^ 


PARnr  DECIDES   TO  SAIL  EASTWARD. 


189 


the    shore     ice. 


which    was     lodsred 


SIONS  DE- 
FOXS  I'Olt 
Ql'l.MAUX 
{lil\'K      I\ 

f  tlie    ice 
est.     ]?iit 
uinel  left 
slow  and 
St,    1S20, 
ith    tiieir 
o   within 
instances 
tretch  of 
they  jiad 
le    west- 
i     across 
2(1,    the 
le    coast 
V  a  te.n- 
lore  ice, 
.     Here 
IS  found 
f  a  soli- 
in  tliosc 

a    half 
<ed    by 


,^  ,  -»—     oi'tsifle    of    the     ships,    and     soon 

after  n.oved    ofl    a<,ain.      Later   on,  the'  ice  ahead  also  fell   away  fron, 
he  sh,,re,   leaving  them   a   narrow   channel    varying   in    width    iron,   a 
-•  '    .n.le  to   tw<,  which   they  hastene.l    to   penetrate.      The   wind    soon 
a-ied  them,  and   thongh  they  coul.l  see  a  greater  expans.  ot   open  water 
bcyon.  ,  they  were  unable  to  reach  it.     On  the  5th,  the  cahn  still  contin- 
"■"g,  they  landed,  and    ascende<l  a  hill  which   they  ascertained   to  be  847 
teet   above   the   sea   level,  when   a  ihvorable  wind   arising,  they  hurrie.l 
aboard  and  scudded  to  the  west  for  two    hours  before  an  easterly  bree.e 
Agam  the  floe  loomed    to  the  west  of  them,  closing  in  toward  the  land 
and  they  had  only  time  to  seek  refuge  behind  some  grounded  ice  along- 
shore,     .lore  they  were  detained  by  the  ice  and   adverse  winds  until  the 
33CI.     it  was  the  n.ost  westerly  point   they  reached,  and  its  situation  was 
a-scertamed  to  be  in  latitude  74°  36'  25",  and  longitu.le  ,,3°  46'  4.' ' 
In  view  of  the  dilHculties  that  beset  them,  and  shortness  of  the  season 
i-  effort  ,n  those  waters,  the  commander  had  already  determined  on  the 
.6th,  w.th  the  full  concurrence  of  his  officers,  that   the  wisest  course  left 
was  to  sail   to  the  east   before  it  was  too   late.     It  was   proposed  to  cross 
the  channel  to  the  north  coast  of  America,  if  an  opening  could  be  found 
.n   the   ice,  m  the  hope   that   possibly  in   a  more   southern    latitude  '  they 
could  yet   procee<l  farther   to  the  west   than   they  had   reached.      To  the 
land  he  had  discovered  on  the  8th  of  August,  lying  to  the  westward,  but 
wh.h   he  coul<l  not   reach,  he  gave  the   name  of  Banks'  Land,  in  honor 
of  bn- Joseph  Hanks,  president  for  over  forty  years  of  the  Royal  Society 
an<l  a  great  patron  <,f  travelers  an.l  explorers.     From  time  to  time  men- 
t'on  has    ],een   made  of  the  active    watchfulness  of  the  con.mander  in 
sectu-n.g  the  health  of  his  men  as  well  as  the  safety  of  his  ships.     He  hul 
the  gratification  of  now  fin.ling  his  officers  an.l    men   substantiallv  in  as 
Sood    health   as   when   they  had  left   London   more   than  flfteen    months 
l^cfore.      1  bey  had   secured  in   the  twelve  months  3,766  pounds  of  fresh 
nieat-3  musk-oxen,  24  deer,  68  hares,  53  geese,  59  ducks  and  ,  ,4  ptar- 
ni.J^ans,  and,  as  has  been  see-,,  they  gathered  anti-scorbutic  plants  whenever 
practicable.     Rut  the  stock  oi"  remedies  and  preventives  of  tiie  scurvy  had 
been  scnously  din,i„isiKd   by   a   peculiar   accident   which   bcfcU    the.r 


«•     S! 


m 


180 


J^LTLL   RATIONS  ORDERED. 


stores  (,r  lime-juice.  In  the  early  part  of  the  winter  it  was  found  that 
over  tvvo-tliirds  of  the  stoc.v  had  been  lost  by  the  hurstin-  of  the  bottles, 
and  the  remainder  had  been  rendered  almost  worthless  by  the  frost. 
Where  the  juice  had  been  frozen,  only  a  small  portion  of  concen- 
trated acid  remaining  in  the  center,  and  when  thawed,  the  iuice  was  but 
little  better  than  water. 

As  to  the  ships,  in  the  last  refuge  sought,  the  Hccla  got  one  serious 
nip  from  an  ice  Hoe  forty-two  feet  thick,  and  the  Griper  had  her  stern 
thrown  up  two  or  three  feet  by  a  cake  of  ice  forced  in  beneath  her  by 
the  outer  floe;  but  they  were  substantially  as  effective  as  when  they  left 
home.  It  was  therefore  wisely  decided  not  to  jeopardize  the  measure  of 
success  already  obtained,  and  especially  the  freedom  from  disaster,  l,y 
remaining  another  winter  on  tliat  dreary  coast,  with  only  the  prospect  of 
a  few  weeks  of  uncertain  effort  and  inadequate  results,  after  ten  months 
of  weary  waiting. 

Sailing  east,  they  encountered  the  same  difficulties  as  on  the  previous 
season,  in  getting  into  winter  quarters;  but  by  careful  handling  they  made 
some  headway,  and  on  the  3Sth  were  abreast  of  Cape  Hearne,  th,,-  west- 
ern   headland  of  the  Bay  of  the  Hecla  and  Griper.     In   five   hours   they 
reached  the  opposite  headland  of  Cape   Bounty,  and  tive   hours  later  the 
channel  was  free  of  ice  to  the  width  of  five  miles  from  the  lan<l.     On  tlie 
evening  of  the  29th   they  were  within  four  or  five  miles  of  where  they 
had  been  at  the  same  hour  twelve  months  before,  going  west;  and  could 
not  help  reflecting  on  the  vicissitudes  they  had  since  experienced.     Passing 
Prince  Regent  Inlet,  which  they  had  explored  the  previous  year,  and  fimU 
i.ig  no  other  entrance  to  a  more  southern  latitude,  the  commander   now 
definitely   announced    that  they   were  bound  for  England,  and  placed  the 
men  on  full  rations.     For  eleven  months  they  had  been  restricted  to  two- 
thirds  of  the  regular  allowance  of  the  British  navy,  and   had  also   been 
very  sparing  in  the  use  of  fuel,  which  contributed  even  .norc  to  their  dis- 
comfort.    Both  restrictions  were  now  removed.     They  had  searched  in 
vain  through  twenty-four  degrees  of  longitude,  from  1 14    to  90°,  for  an 
opening  through  the  ice  and  land  to  a  more  southern  latitude,  an(i  Parry 
now    concluded  to    proceed  homeward   to  report    results,  and,   if  duly 


I4«. 


VISIT  FROM  ESQUIMAUX. 


101 


authorized,  to  rcHt  for  another  voyage.  The  mouth  of  Septemher,  how- 
ever, they  would  devote  on  the  way  to  a  careful  scrutiny  of  the  western 
shore  .,f  Hallui's  ,Jay,  still  in  the  hope  of  fiudhag  an  inlet  that  would  lead 
in  some  future  voyage,  to  a  more  practicahle  westward  route  than  that 
they  had  heeu  exploring. 

They  left  Possession  Bay  on  the  ist  of  September,  resuming  the   use 
of  the  mariner's  compass,   which    had   been   discontinued  about   twelve 
months  before  on  account  of  its  inactivity  and  sluggishness  in   the   more 
northern  regions  they  had  traveled.     On   the  3d  they  passed  some  of  the 
lughest  icebergs  they  had  seen,  being  nearly  two  hundred  feet  above    the 
surface  of  the  water.     The  next  day,  having  landed  to  make  so.ne  ob- 
servations,  they  saw  over  sixty  of  those  huge  icebergs  in   the  distance; 
and  from  the  masthead  far  more  welcome  objects,  the  masts  and  rigging' 
<^f  the  whalers.     These  proved  to  be  British,  and  on  the  fifth  they  "poke 
another,  whose  captain  gave  them  some  news  from   England,  the   first 
they  had  received  since  their  departure  just  sixteen  months  before. 

On  the  sixth,  from  the  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Clyde  they 
were    visited  by   four  Esquimaux  who    approached  the  Hecla   in   their 
canoes  without  any   sign  of  fear   or   hesitation.     They   expressed    thei; 
astonishment  at  what  they  saw  with   loud  cries,  accompanies!    by   a  sort 
of  jumping  pantomime  which  lasted  about  a  minute.     The   ensuing   day 
they  Nvere  visited  on  shore  by  the  commander  and  some  of  his  officers,  and 
were  found  to  have  their  tents  on  the  mainland,  about  forty   or   fifty'feet 
from  the  beach.     These  were  their  summer  quarters,  and  their   huts   for 
winter  residence  were  found  farther  up   toward  the  head  of  the  cove    in 
a  sheltered  spot.     These  were  in  part  excavated   out  of  the  side  of  the 
clifF,  tlie  remainder  of  each  inclosure   being   constructed   of  stones   after 
tlie  usual  maimer.     The  tents  are  thus  dcscrilvnl  by   Parry:     '^  They  are 
I'lincipally  supported  by  a  long  pole   of  whalebone    Iburtecn   feet    high, 
standing  perpendicularly,  with  four  or  five  feet  of  it  projecting  above  UiJ 
skins  which  form  the  roof  and  sides.      The   length   of  the   tent    is   seven- 
teen,  and  its   breadth    from  seven  to  nine  feet,  the   narrowest  part  being 
nc'Nl    tlie    ,l()or,  and    widening  toward   the  inner  part,    where  the   hvx\, 
composed   of  a  cpiantity  of  the   small  shrubby    plant,  the   A,uiromcda 


W' 


199 


;!:r:  * 


PARUrs  EULOGT  ON  THE  NATIVES.  193 

rctragona  [a  species  of  heath   plant],  occupies  about    one-third  of  the 
whole  apartment.     The  pole  of  the  tent   is   fixed   where  the  bed   com- 
mences and  the  latter  is  kept  separate  by  some  pieces  of  bone  laid  across 
i.e  tent  from  side  to  side.     The  door,  which  faces  the  southwest,  is   also 
formed  of  two  pieces  of  bone,  with   the  upper   ends  fastene.l   together 
and  the  skins  are  made  to  overlap  in  that  part  of  the  tent,  which  is  n-,uch 
lower  than  the  inner  end.     The  covering  is  fostened  to   the   ground   by 
curved  pieces  of  bone,  l,eing  generally  parts  of  the  whale."     These  rude 
barbanans   were    found    to    be  scrupulously   honest,  exhil,iting   not   the 
shghtest  disposition  to  abstract  anything  surreptitiously,  though  opportu- 
n.t,es  were  furnished  them  to  make  the  attempt.     They  exchanged  their 
wares  to  the  best  advantage,  holding  back  for  higher  ofTers,  1,ut   always 
y.ekhng  when  they  found  they  could  not  carry  their  customers    farther 
What  presents  were  made  them  were  received  with  pleasure  and  thank- 
fulness; but  they  could  not  be  induced  to  drink  rum,  however  much   di- 
luted.    Detecting  it  instantly  by  its  smell,  they  respectfully  but  unhesitat- 
mgly  declined  to  taste  it. 

The  oldest  of  the  four  men    was   over  sixty,  and  being  somewhat 
bent    by    age    did     not    measure    quite    five    feet    in     hci..ht,    and    the 
younger    men    from    five   feet    four   and   a   half  to    five  feet  six  inches 
The  women  were  four  feet  ten  and  foin-  feet  eleven  inches.     The  faces  of 
both  were  round  and  plump    in  the  younger  individuals;  skin  smooth; 
com.     :x,on  not  very  dark;  teeth  white;  eyes  small;  nose  broad,  but  not 
Hat  to  deformity;  hair  black,  straight  and  glossy,  and    worn  by  the  fe- 
males  hanging  loose  over  their  sho.dders.     The  youngest  of  the  -n-own 
females  evinced  much    timidity  and   natural   bashfulness,  and   from    this 
fact  and  the  absence  of  tattooing  which   marked  the   other  women    she 
was  judged  to  be  unmarried.     The  encampment  consisted  of  eight  adults 
-four  men  and  four  women_and  some  children.     These,   Parry  says 
"  were  generally  good  looking,  and  the  eldest  boy,  about  twelve  years  of 
age,  was  a  remarkably  fine  and  even  handsome  lad."     Their  means  of 
sulxsistence  were  judged  from  their  appearance  and    other   indications,  to 
be  ample,  and  there  was  no  evidence  of  disease  or  suffering.     "  Upon  the 
whole,"  says  the  enthusiastic  Parry,  «  these  people  may  be  considered   in 
13 


1=:'  1 


1 ' 


104 


ARRIVE   [IV  LONDON. 


7  )■■■ 


If 


I 


possession   of  every    necessary  of  life,  as  well  as  of  most   of  the    com- 
forts and  conveniences  vvhicli  can  he  enjoyed  in  so  imlc  a  state  of  society." 
Leavin-  their  Esquimaux  friends  of  the  River  Clyde,  with   whom   in 
two  days  they  had  an  intercourse  on  ship  and  shore  of  only  seven  hours, 
they  made  hut  slow  progress   until  the    i3th,  when   a  favorahle  hreeze' 
siM-in-injr  up  from  the  southwest,  they  advanced  toward  the  ice.     They 
were  again  caught  i.i  the  floes,  hut  got  loose   after  the  usual   struggle. 
Four  days  later  in  a  fog  they  made  the  ships  fast  to  the  floes  and  floa'ted 
with  them;  and  on  the  iSth,  to  an  iceherg,  when  they  were   repeatedly 
struck  by  the  loose  ice,  hut  suffered   no   serious   damage,  being  strongly 
built.     On  the   24th  they  j^assed  out  of  the  Arctic   Circle   after  havhig 
been  within  it   almost  fifteen   months.     All    this  time   they  were  kcp't 
away  from  the  western  shore  by  the  accumulation  of  ice  on  that  side,  and 
could  seldom  see,   much   less  explore,  the  coast   as   they  had   proposed. 
Finally,  on  the   26th,  finding  all  eflbrts   at  exploration   in  that  quarter 
futile,  the  boats  were  hauled  on  deck,  and  all  sail   made  for   home.     On 
the   2d  of  October  the  ships  parted  company  in  a  gale;  and  on  the  i6th, 
the  Ilccla  lost  her  bowsprit,  foremast  and  maintop-mast;  ^nit   the  wreck 
was  soon  cleared  away,  and  ]>y  the    iSth   tliey  had  raised   the   necessary 
jury-masts.     On  the  29th  they  made  Buchan  Ness,  on  the  northeast  coast 
of  Scotland,  and  on  the  30th,  the  commander,  accompanied   by  Captain 
Sabine,  left   Peterhead  for   London,   where  they   arrived   on  the   3d   of 
November,  the  Ilecla  and  Grii^cr  reaching  the  Thames  about  two  weeks 
later.     Both  ships  and  crew  were  but  little  the  worse    for  their  trip  of 
eighteen  months.     This  alone  would  have  entitled  the  expedition  to  be 
regarded  as  a  success,  Init  was  far  from  being  the   only  claim  it  had   to 
consideration.     Great  additions  had  been  made  to   geographical   knowl- 
edge; Lancaster  Sound  had  been' explored;  Prince  Regent  Inlet,    Bar- 
row's Strait,  and  a  number  of  islands,  ha<l   Ik'cu  discovered;  important 
meteorological  and  magnetic  phenomena  liad  been  ()l)scrved;  and  the  im- 
practicability of  the  route  tlirough  Lancaster  Soimd  for  everyday  commer- 
cial   voyages,  at  least,    was    amply    demonstrated.      For,  though    Parry 
thought  he  had  reached  (he  Arctic  Ocean,  and  may  be   regarded  as  virtu- 
ally havmg  done  so,  it  was  ob\ious  that   the  passage  could    not    be  con- 


/iAS/S  FOR  ARCTIC  SEARCH.  y^ 

sidcre.1  a  hij^lnvay  for  ocean  traffic,  which  was  after  all,  the  basis  of  the 
lonff-continued  search  for  the  Northwest  Passage.  He  had  <,one  far  he- 
yond  h.s  predecessors,  and,  like  Bylot  and  Baffin,  with  their  humble 
equ.pment  two  hundred  years  before,  had  returned  without  serious  injury 
o  sh.ps  or  crew;  the  death  of  the  invalid  Scott  bein,.  fairly  attributable 
to  consftutional  weakness  rather  than  to  any  neglect,  exposure  or  disease 
nicident  to  the  voyage. 


ciiApTicR  xxri. 


EAK..V  ,.„.„:  ,„.  KKANKLIN-W,.UN,„.:i,  AT  SK^^'  CRLK ANS  -  STATK- 
^'H^T  „K  T„K  (.njKCTS  «,K  I-KANKI.In's  TirUKK  VOVACnCS- 
KMMAKKS  us  K.KST  VOVACUC-THK  K.KST  KKMKIU;  -  ■  VTKU  EST- 
IV<;  KX,.KK.MKNTS_A  I.KAK  IN  TMK  S„n.--TUA.,K  W,T„  KSQ,'.- 
MAVK-AUniVK    AT    KOKT    VOKK-MAKK    KKAOV    VnH    OVKKLA.M. 

joritXKv. 

It  is  .louhtful    whether,!,,    the   history  of  En^rh,„,,,  ,>   p,-o,„i    of  he,- 
titles,  a„(l  of  the  po,iip  a.ul  ,n;,,^r„ifi,,„,,   .^i^j,,^    .,^,,^,^.   ^,,^,,   ^^.^^,^,^   ^,^^^^ 
give,  there  can  he  foi,„cl   a  ,i,o,e    ,emarkahle   p,-oof  of  the  possihility  of 
r.s.n-  alx.ve  aclvei'se  chcumsta.ices  thai,  is  seen  in  the  life  of  the  persona^^e 
whose  aehieve,nc,its  will  oecupy  the  next  few  ehapteis.     l?orn   in   eo,^. 
parative  ohscurity,  and  l,c,^n„„i„„  ,if,  ,•„  ,^,^  performance  of  its  lunnhler 
(lut.es,  he  n.se  to  a  place   in    the  affections  of  his   count.ynien,  of  which 
any  E.i-lishman  ,ni-ht  well  have  heen  p,-oncl.     He  was  horn  at  Spilshy 
L.ncolnshi,e,  Ap.il,  ,jS6,  a,ul  was  intended  hy  his  father  for  the  chu,ch' 
fo,  whose  duties  he  e„te,-ed,  at  an  early  aj^^e,  upon    a   p,-eli,ni,iarv  cou.-sc' 
ol  study.      While  ve,y  youn-   however,  he   showed   a  decided   taste  for 
the  sea;  and  his  father, thinking  that  a  voyaj^^e  or  two  would  cu,-e  hhn  of 
th.s  nntowaid  i,icli,.ation,  decided  to  let  him  -o.     His  (Irst  voya-e  was 
on  a  mccha.it  vessel  bou.ul  to  Lisbon.     His  return    home    fomuHiim  so 
confirmed  i,i  his  taste  that  he  decided  to  follow  the  life  of  a  sailor. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen,  accordingly,  he  entered  the  Roval  Navy,  and 
sailed  in  iSoi,  to  Australia,  with  Capt.  Flinders.  From  this  point  his 
life  presents  a  constant  succession  of  noble  deeds  and  brilliant  achieve- 
ments.  He  served  with  ccdit  in  the  war  with  America,  in  ,8,2,  and 
was  wounded  in  the  fatal  attack  upon  New  Orleans,  in  Januaiy,  ,815. 
Having  obtained  the  ,-ank  of  Lieutenant,  he  was  appointJd  c(„n,nander 
of  the  Trent  in  the  A,ctic  cxpeditio,!,  which  sailed  under  Capt.  Buchan 

106 


onyBCTS  OF  fkankun-s  vorA<jEs.  ,„ 

■■"  .S.S.     After  .his  l,e  w„s  sucnessivcly  rai^..l  ,„  ,,,0   rank  „r  Cap.ai,,, 

ecu.,    a  ,„e„„.er  ,.r  ,„e  Ro,a,    S„cie„,  an,,  « ,  kni,.„.e„  in  vi'v  „; 

aluahle  serv.ee,  ren,lere,l.     He  „as  ,vvice  n.arrie,!,  ,he  firs,  ,i„,e  ,„  Mi» 
Ucan„r  I  „r<len   in  ,S.,,,an,l    ,he  seeon,!    .in,e  ,„  Jane  (iriflin,  i„    „S.S, 

^      ..nu.rw„e   havin,  .lie.,  J,.,   a.  „e  was  se„i„,  «„  „ ,,„,„; 

■/victic  voyage. 

Kranldin    wa»  ,he   ,ea.,er  .,r  three  „is.i„ee  v„ya.e„  w,,ioh   ha,,   r.,r 

..onn ,.     ,,,,,  „r«,  ,„„  v„ya,cs  ha.,  f.,r  ,heir  par.ie, •  „hieet  .„  .ie.vr. 

n>.ne   ,,e  lar,u,.,e  an.l  ,„„,-i.u.,e  „f  .he  n„r.he„.  shore  „,  Nor,,,  A.nerie., 
a...    .he  „.e„„in,  o,'  .ha.  eoas.  ,r„,„  ,„e  nu.n.h  .„■  .he  Co„per,„ine  ea„.' 
"';:'";' "':7 •■ -«'-"l  '-  .1-   m,n,.h  „f  .he  MaeKe„.ie. 

"   ,  :    ;";    '"'■  '"''-"  ""^  """'  -'  f"'-  "»  P-pose  „,■  .,ise.,vering  a 
No,.hwe»    l.assa,.e,  which  ha.l  heen  ,„pp„s,.|,  ,„„  ,„„  ,„„„,  ,„  ^,^,,« 

To  „l,jee.s  of  .,re  lirs,  voyage  „,„re  „,„.„,,,  „„„  ,„  .,,^„,„^  ,,,^ 
U.....,ie  an,,    ,„n„,.„,,e  „r  par.icular   place,  ,.n    .he  ArCic   lace  „f  Nor.h 

.t    ;:'"'•  "'"'  "'"'""'"  "-  •™"'"'-  "'■  '"a,  o„a„  ,r.,n,  ,l,e  n„„„h  ..f 

h    C„pp,,„„ne  ,„  .he  eas.ern  ex.re.ni.v  of  .he  eon.inen.;  ,en,l  .he 

>    ■>    Icfec.ne  ^eo^raphy  of  ,hi,  e„a,.  I,y  particularly  nolinj;  ,he  l„ea.i„„ 

;::  """""^r  ""■■:- '"■""- .--■ »....,:.„.».; 

.  ->--uch  ..l,.,erva„„„s  „p.,„  ,„,  ,„,„„,  „„  ,.,,_  ^„„,  ,„^,  ^^_  .^^^^^,  ; 

z Tr:;,:;"' ,'"■ "'""' ■■■■  "■"^■™'™''  ■'■"- "-'^'i- »..» ....e,. 

:;:'"-'' ""^-  ■■''''■■■  "■'■''"^■'  l>'"ve,l  .he  „is,l„n,  ,„•  .1..  choice.     I(ef,„-e 

:,","""7;"";: '»"-"'"-"'vicea,„la,si.ance,.r.l,e,liree.o,,o,. 

""""'    '"'-    ^"■""•"'>'  ■'^"-  ••^'- -  ^'-Ke,.ie,  a  previons  explorer 

..vat  sne,.es„  a,„l  „,a„y  o.hers  who  c„n„l  ,,,,.  „in,  i,,,,,,,.,,  ,1,,,„, 

■"'"'■,""" ■     "■'•■""'''"'  ^"™-   "■'    ">'»   --""   "-lar-ely   n, 

,  ....  .    e,,hanee,l   ,,  „.  ,„„„„„  .,„^.,„„   ,,„.,,,„„,,„,„„„;„ 

-,e    D,.  R.e  ar.ls„n  an,l   M,.  Hack,  .he,„»elves  ho.h  navi.a.or,  .,r  ex- 

per,e„ee  .,„  ah.h.y.     To   .hesc ,„er,s  who  acco.pa,  e,l    hin.  ,e 

tcrwar     acknowie,,,..,,    his  „,,,;,,„.„.„  ,„,  .„,,,.  ,,,,„^„„    ^,^^  ^  ^ 

::.::""""  ■•  "^'- '-  - --  ~^ ■-  -^  »•■  -any  .^:; 


108 


CAUTION  OF  NOliTHERN  SAILORS. 


i 


The    whole   party   emliarkod    at   Gravcscnd,  „n    Sunday,  the   3^1  of 
M.'.y,   iS'y.     The   I'ri.ue  .,f  Wales,  which   was   t.,>  cunvev  the  oi.tflt 
belonKcl  to  the  Hudson's   Bay  Company,  and  was  accompanied  I.    two' 
others,  the   ICldystone  and  tiu.  Wear.     As   the   wind   wa.   untavorahlc. 
the  vessels  anchore.l  a.  Yarmouth  for  several  days.    At  this  point    Lieut. 
Hack  went   on  shore   two  or  three   n.iles   from   Yarmouth  to  attend   to 
some  matter  of  which  his  presence  (here  reminded  him,   intenoin.^  to  he 
ready,  l.y  watcinnf;  the  signals,  lo    ,et,n-n    as   soon   as    the    vessels   were 
ready  to    leave.     The    wind,  however,  suddenly  chan^a-d  soon  after  his 
de,)arture,  and  the  Captain,  thinkinj,^  it  necessary  to  avail  himself  of  the 
present  fortime,  accordinj^ly  weifrhe.i  anchor,  an.l   Mr.  I^ack  was  left  on 
shore.      A  note  was  sent  hy  a  returning   sinp   requestinjr   Mr.  Hack    to 
take  the  coach  across  to  Pentlan.l  Frith;  fron)  thence  to  cross  to  the  Parish 
of  Stromncss  on  one  of  the  Orkneys,  and  there  rejoin  the  party.    When 
the  httle  fleet  reache.l  Stromness  several  .lays  were  spent  in  waiting    for 
Mr.  Jiack,  afFording,  in  the  meantime,  a  <jood  opportunity  for  testinr^  the 
.nstruments,  and  also  of  hiring  more  men,  which  Franklin  foresaw  wmdd 
be  necessary  to  do.     A  notice  to  the  effect    that   men  were  wanted   ^vas 
ported  up  on  the  church  door  at   Stromness,  this  hcin-  certain    to  strik- 
the  attention  of  every  person  in  the  parish.     To  Fra.iklin's  surprise  only 
four  uK-n  were   foun.l   in    the  whole   parish   who    could  be  persuaded    to 
accompany  the  expedition.     Franklin's  narrative  says: 

"I  was  much  amused  with  the  extreme  caution  these  men  used  before 
they  would  sign  the  agreement;  they  minutely  scanned  all  our  intentions 
vve.ghcl  every  circumstance,  looked  narrowly  into  our  plan  of  route,  and' 
stdl  more  circumspectly  to  the  prospect  of  return.  Such  caution  on  the 
part  ot  the  northern  mariners  forms  a  singular  contrast  with  the  ready 
a..d  thoughtless  manner  in  which  an  English  seaman  enters  upon  an'y 
enterprise  howeve;  hazardous,  without  inquiring  or  desirin.r  t,;  know 
where  he  is  going,  or  what  he  is  going  to  do."  It  was  late  in  Jime  before 
the  fleet  was  really  under  way  and  had  come  out  into  the  Atlantic. 

July  seems  to  have  been  more  favorable  to  their  p;-o<.ress  -.s 
the  twenty.flfth  of  that  month  found  them  at  the  entrance  of  Haffin's 
Bay.     Here  a   whaling   vessel    was   met   whose    nu.ster    gave    thrillir.<. 


riiE  riiisT  iciiUEiid. 


10» 


accoiii 


Mils  or  tilt.  thickiK-ss  and  <lanj,aTc.i.s  diameter  .,f  tlu-  icv  onn.un. 
tcmi  in  Davis'  Strait  an.l  llir  .,|,|H-r  Lay  this  year,  and  oCtlu.  loss  of  sev- 
eral vessels  in  the  ice.  Moth  passengers  and  crew  now  I.e-an  K.  ualch 
nervously  for  si;.ns  of  iteluM-s,  often  mistaking  the  elou.ls  for  mountains 
of  ice,  in  their  feverish  enriosity.  [„  a  short  linu-  it  heca.ne  necessary  to 
tack  the  ships  in  .n-der  to  avoi.i  a  lar-e  mass;    ;u,.l  on  the  llfth  of  .\t,-,ist 


SIR  JOHN-    I  KA.NKl.IN. 

a  hu-e  iceher-  was  si-hted.  Upon  rearhin-  it,  several  of  the  officers 
ni.uie  an  attempt  to  dimh  up  its  side,  hut  were  unsuccessful  on  account 
of  its  steepness  and  smootluiess.  The  liei-iit  of  this  her-  was  ascertained 
to  he  ahout  150  feet.  It  will  he  readily  seen  that  as  iee  is  nearly  as 
heavy  as  water,  only  a  very  small  portion  of  the  actual  hulk  of  the  ice  is 


I 


^' 


ih 


If' 


jilt 


800 


/I    /-£'^A'  /AT   THE  SHIP. 


seen  above  the  water.  Allowing  one-eignth,  as  the  portion  of  the  hulk 
visible,  and  supposing  the  average  height  of  this  berg  to  be  135  feet,  its 
whole  vertical  side  must  have  been  about  .,000  feet,  or  nearly  one-fifth 
of  a  mile.  The  peculiar  character  of  the  atmosphere  in  these  regions, 
however,  is  said  greatly  to  magnify  all  physical  appearances,  and  deceive 
the  observer  in  regard  to  the  size  of  objects. 

About    this    time    some    interesting    experiments    were    also    made 
respecting  the  temperature  of  water  at  different  depths.     A  bottle  well- 
corked,   was    fastened    to    the    sounding-line,   and     was    let    down  450 
fathoms.     The    register    thermometer    was   also    fastened     to  the    line 
and  was  supposed  to  descend  a  distance  of  650  fathoms.     The  change  in 
temperature  indicated  by   the  thermometer  during  its  descent  was  from 
46"  to  40.5°,  and  ->  stood  at   tlie   latter  point  wi.en  taken  out  of  its  tin 
case.     The  temperature  of  the  water  brought  up   in   the   bottle  was  41° 
-being  half  a  degree  higher  at  450  than  at  650  fathoms;  and  4°  colder 
than   the  water  at  the   surface    which  was  45°,   while  the  air  was  46°. 
TIvs  experiment  in  showing  the  water  to  be  colder  at  a  great  depth  than 
at  the  surface,  and  to  fall    in    temperature    in  proportion  to  the    descent, 
was  in  accordance  with  observations  of  certain  other  voyagers  of  those 
seas,  but  is  stated  by  Franklin  to  disagree  with   his  own  previous  experi- 
ments, in  whicii  he  had  always  found  the  water  at  the  surface  colder  than 
that  at  great  depth. 

On  the  7th  of  August  the  ship  Prince  of  Wales  struck  violently    on 
a  reef  near  the  coast  of  Greenland.     The  rudder  was  displaced,  and  there 
being  now  no  way  of  guiding  the   ship,   it   seemed   certain   to  founder. 
Recourse  to  the  tow-boats  was  thought  of,  but  these  world  be-   insigniH- 
cant  among  tho  great  masses  of  ice,  and  the  thought  was  abandoned. 
Moreover,  the  shock    had  produced  a  rent  in  the  ship's  bottom,  and  the 
water  poured  in  at  u  great  rate.     Another  shock,  experienced  soon  after, 
fortunately  restored   the  rudder  to  its  proper  place,  but  its  leak  was  still 
a  great  source  of  danger.     To  complete  the  distress  of  the  now  sinking 
ship,  the  -ale  just  past  had  separated  her  fr<,m  her  associates,   and  even 
in  case  of  the  last  extremity,  no  aid  could  be  expected   of  them.     The 
pumps  were  worked  all  the  time  without  any  apparent  diminution  of  the 


m ' 


BAKTERmo   WITI,  BSl^umAUX.  jo, 

nay  coI.„„e„  „..„„,,  a„<l  a»  Franklin  an„wa„l  sai,l,  .heh-  cxa„,„.  ,, 

.'7"  '"  ;'7 '=  "-  -«»•     A.  la.,  jn«  a»  .he  s./ength  a,    1; 

■1  scc,„e,l  about  .„nc,  a  .iu.licion.  nso  of  „al.nn  an.l   ca,  va,  rcdu  "     , 
^a    .„  ..„  ,;„„,,  ,,..  ,  ^„„,^  „^  ^^^    ,  ^^___^^^_^ - 

ol  Wale,  wa,  enabled  ,„  .ejoin  her  corava.les  in  safety 

On   the   ,..b  of  An,...  eho  ,hi,»  l„n.le.,  „n  the  ^oast  of  Greenland 
fo.   the  purpose  ol  tradinj,   with   the  natives,  or  rather  of  .,11       • 
natives  to  .rade    with    then,,  whieh  by  ,i„ ,,,  '    I  ' 

were  anxious  to  ,lo      The  I^       •  ^       '      '''"'"'  ""■>■ 

accompanied  the^  I  tir  „d '  t;::;':'  "'^'" ":  '"*  -^"^^  -" 

"ot  to  exhibit  too  manv  articles  at  once      Tl    •  ''  "'"'" 

were  oil,  sead,o.e  tee.,  wHaie  i::::i,:':r  r:;;:"::';'"': 

*c..bed  as  amustnsr  to  see  t],e  exultation    and   to   hen-  ,1,       , 
la-Shter  of  .he  whole  par.y,  when  a  .rade  u.s  „     ,      !     ,    ^  """"^ 

..ally  through  the  cereutony.     The  w      '  ,  I  ""''"''  '"''""'■ 

«■„„„.„      ,„i         .       ,  "-  '™">-"    l'.-".wlit   imitations  .)f  men 

"""    •'"      """"^"«-   '^a.-ved    careftdly    out   of  sea-horse  tee.h       T  e 
.l.-esses  and  the  ll,.„res  of  ,|,e  „nin,als  were  not  hadlv  ev       ,    , 
seemed  to  he  no  atteun>t  „  ,1„.    1  r  ^     ^  cxeeuted,  bnl  there 

.i.e  n....-es  u-ere  wiU      u.  .:...'  ":;,";:■'  "'   ^ '—  -"  -'  "'• 

,,,,,,,,,,,,„  I  .      ,    '>'-"•'■'>«,  an ..^-ers,  .o   make   which  w 

""l-l'l->  l.a^■.■   .-eqtnred    n.ore  .lelieate  ins.rnnu.u.s  ,lnn,  auv  wln'eh  thev 
})ossessc(l.  -    ^vlllL^  rney 

The  men  set  most   value   on   saws-  A',,//r„   w-        /    /       , 
""^^"  tl.cy  distinguished  then,,  hei  ::/,::"''"  "   """"'    '^' 
'"   "" '-••     An  OI.I  sword  'w..s  .Pa  ,e  I      ,  J  E^:r '"^^"7' 

'""■:;  r.>"^,  --  ■-■-  When  the  happy  n,a:  tJ^^T""  ""''  "'^' 

i  ■•'Icin- leave  <;!•  their  Mongolian  friends   fh,.,.        i        •,    . 

«     '"*  ""-"'If',  tne  vessels  sailed  away  for 


.m/^ 


if  I 

i 

( 


.11  ' 


fit 


T 


\i    i 


H'. 


202 


1'0/?K  FACTOR r. 


Hudson's  Ray,  for  it  was  by  this  route  that  the  party  were  to  arrive  upo.i 
the  field  of  their  investigations.     At  this  time  the  great  British  fur  com- 
panies were  flourishing,  and  i,i  the  height  of  their  prosperity.     Tradino-- 
posts  had  been  estabhshed  ail  the  way  from  Canada  to  the  frozen  lakes  of 
the   north,  and  it  was  along  the  line  of  these  posts  that  the  partv  hope.l 
to  lind  assistance  to  further  the  prosecution  of  their  voyage.     The  prin- 
cipal companies  were  the   Northwestern  Compa.iy  and  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  the  previous  kindness  of  whose  agents  has  already  been  men- 
tioned.     The  most  considerable  dejoot  of  British  trade  was  Fort  York, 
<»•   York  Factory,  as  it  was   then   called,  situated   on    the   Hayes   River 
about  five  miles  from  its  mouth.     Remnants  of  the  old  fort  still  remain 
as  a  dim  reminder  of  that  primitive  industry. 

To  this  point,  then,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  having  parted  company 
from  the  otlier  ships,  took  her  course,  where  a  schooner  was  to  be  fm-- 
nished  to  the  expedition,  and  where  Franklin  hoped  to  obtain  advice,  in- 
structions, and  a  native  interpreter.  Having  reached  York  Flats,  where 
they  were  treated  to  the  honor  of  a  salute,  the  next  step  was  to  supply 
themselves  for  their  northern  tour. 

Failing  to  find  any  Esquimaux  or  Indian  interpreters  here,  they  were 
ol)liged  to  run  tiie  risk  of  having  one  sent  to  them,  or  of  picking  one  up 
on  the  way.  As  no  schooner  was  available,  the  best  boat  belonging  to 
the  Hudson  ]3ay  Company  was  fitted  out  for  them,  and  duly  supp"^lied 
with  the  necessaries  which  the  combined  experience  of  all  told  them 
the  occasion  would  require. 

The  reader  would  not  thank  us  to  give  the  minute  details  of  this 
journey,  nor  is  it  possible,  within  the  intended  scope  of  the  present  vol- 
ume, thus  to  enlarge  upon  unimportant  experiences.  Only  tiie  leading 
fact,'-.,  therefore,  and  such  of  the  salient  features  of  ihe  expc-dition  as  it  i^ 
possible  to  give  without  the  risk  of  being  tedious,  will  be  narrated. 

Hayes  River  was  ascended  to  its  source— the  confluence  of  the  Sham- 
matawa  and  Steel  Rivers.  The  latter  named  stream  and  Hill  River  were 
next  successively  ascended.  Owing  to  the  rapidity  of  these  streams  it 
was  necessary  to  walk  upon  the  bank  the  most  of  the  way,  and  haul  the 
boat,  with  its  load,  up  over  the  rushing  current.     At  this  rate  their  pro- 


A  REMARKABLE  ISLAND.  203 

Sress  was  only  ten  or  twelve  miles  a  clay,  and  even  thus  every  man  sank 
<lown  exhausted  at  ni.<,rht.     Mar.y  thrilling  episodes  mi<,d.t   he  related  of 
this  slow  and  tedious  journey.     At  one  time,  on  the  hank  of  Hill  River, 
Franklin  was  superintending   the   tra.isportation   of  supplies  ,wer  some' 
rapuis,  when   a   stratum   of  loose    roek   ^^ave    way   under  his    feet,  an.l 
he  lia<l    the  misfortune  to  step  from  the  summit  where   he  was  standing 
into  the  river  below  two  of  the   falls.     His  attempts  to  rej^ain  the  hank 
were  for  a  long  time  unavailing,  and   it  seemed  as  if  the  expedition  were 
fated  to  he  deprived  of  its  gallant   leader.      The    roeks   within   his   reacli 
were    worn   so  smooth    by   the   action   of   the   water  that,   although   he 
.nyde  .lesperate   efforts  to  stay  his  downward   course,  it  was   impolible. 
Finally  he   grasped   some   willows,  and  was  able   t<.   Inold  on  until  some 
gentlemen  came  to  his  rescue  in  a  boat.     It   was  a  very  narrow  escape, 
;\nd  an  experience  which  he  did  not  care  to  repeat. 

We  must  not  omit  to  mention  briefly  a  small  island  noticed  in  one 
of  these  rivers,  which  is  so  strongly  magnetic  as  to  render  a  common 
compass  entirely  useless  anywhere  in  the  range  of  its  influence.  Havin- 
been  previously  informed  of  its  existence,  they  watched  their  compasses 
carefully,  and  found  that  they  were  afll^cted  at  the  distance  of  three 
hundred  yards,  both  on  the  approach  to  and  departure  from  the  center  of 
the  inlet.  On  .lecreaslng  the  distance  the  instruments  were  rendered 
entirely  powerless,  and  upon  landing  it  was  evident  that  the  general 
.magnetic  influence  was  entirely  overpowered  by  the  action  of  the'ore  in 
the  island. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


niANKLIN's  JOURNEY  TO  FT.  CHIPEWYAN  —  PROCURING  GUIDES  — 
SPEECH  OF  AN  INDIAN  CHIEF— THE  RESOURCES  OK  THE  PARTY 
—START  FOR  THE  COPPERMINE  —  THE  CHIEF  REFUSES  TO  PRO- 
CEED— CANOE  PARTY  SENT  TO  THE  COPPERMINE— A  PEDES- 
TRIAN   TRIP RETURN    OF    ROTH    PARTIES. 

Swampy  Lake,  J;ick   River— all   the  chain  of  rivers  and   lakelets  up 
as  far  as  Ft.  Chipewyan,  were  slowly  and  with  difficulty  ascended.  Some 
terrible  hardships  were  experienced.    It  was  necessary,  for  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  distance,  to  draj,^  the  boats  and  canoes,  and    to  carry  by 
land   this  bulk  of  supplies   over  the   « porta<jes,"   or   places  where  the 
rapids  were  too  extensive  to   permit  of  navigation.     Those   who   took 
upon  themselves  the  difficult  task  of  supplying  fresh  provisions  from  the 
settlements,  traveled  thousands  of  miles   back   and   forth,  amid    frightful 
dangers   from   threatening  famine,  from  imfriendly  natives,  and  from  the 
unfamiliarity  of  the  way.     The  miseries  endured  during  the  first  journey 
of  this  kind  are  said  to  be  so  great  that  nothing  could  induce  the  sulFerer 
to  undertake   a  second  while  under  the   inHuence  of  present   pain.     He 

feels  his  frame  crushed   by  unaccountable   pn re;  he   drags   a  galling 

and  stubborn  weight  at  iiis  feet,  an<I  his  track  is  marked  with  blood. 
The  dazzling  scene  affords  him  no  rest  to  his  eye  —no  object  to  divert 
his  attention  from  his  own  agonizing  sensations.  When  he  arises  from 
sleep  half  his  body  seems  deail,  till  quickened  into  feeling  by  the  irritation 
of  his  sores.  But,  fortunately  for  him,  no  evil  makes  an  impression  so 
evanescent  as  pain.  He  soon  forgets  his  suir-rings  when  once  removed 
from  them,  and  at  each  future  journey  their  recurrence  seems  to  be 
attended  with  diminished  acuteness. 

The  arrival  at  Ft.  Chipewyan,  however,  was  but  the  beginning  of  ad- 
ventures and  hardships.     The   plan    was   now   to  journey    northward  to 

204 


SPEECH  OF  AN  INDIAN  CHIEF,  gj^ 

Ft.  Providence  on  Great  Slave  Lake;  to  build  a  larj^e  canoe,  suitable 
ior  traversinj,  the  northern  rivers;  to  engage  Indian  guides,  and  if 
j)Oss,ble,  Esquimaux  interpreters;  to  proceed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Copper- 
.n.nc,  and  from  that  point  to  address  themselves  to  the  particular  service 
lor  which  the  expedition  was  planned,  viz.,  the  exploring  of  the  Ameri- 
can  coast  on  the  north,  and  the  systematic  arrangement  of  the  knowl- 
edge  thus  gained. 

Their  principal  canoe,  when  completed,  was  thirty-four  feet  lon-^   four 
leet  WKle  in  the   middle,  and  about   two  feet  deep.     It   was  capable   of 
carryu,g  about  a  ton  and  a  half,  including  the  weight  of  the  live   or  six 
MK-n  necessary  to  man  ,t.     IJesides  this  there  were  other  and  smaller  en 
noes,  fitted  for  the  more  rapid   and   easy   conveyance   of  the  officers   uul 
guides.     The  agents  of  both  companies,  in  the  meantime,  did  the  party 
the  greatest  courtesy  possible-furnishing  them   all   the   necessaries  they 
could  possibly  spare,   and  showing  a  disposition  to  ai.l  them  in  every 
way  m  their  power.     Particularly  was  the  agent  of  the   Northwestern 
Company  useful  to  them  in  the  matter  of  procuring  guides  fron.  an.on-. 
the    Ch.pewyan     Indians.      This    was    of   necessity  a  n.atter  requirinr. 
the  utn.ost  caution.      U  was  necessary   to  take   every  possible   n.easmC 
to  gam  the  confidence  of  the   Indians,  not  only  for  the  sake  of  ...ttin.^ 
-t  of   them  all  the   ai.l  an.l  infonnation  possible,  but  also   for  th^e  s.ke 
ol  safety;  for  among  the  northern  tribes  of  American  Indians  the  le.st 
departure  from    truth    or    supposed    consistency   is  esteeme.l   a  positive 
l-vach  of  faith,  and  is  never  fbrgotten.     On  .the  occasion  of  ^.^^^.. 
.uKles  at  this   tin.e,  the  chief  of  the  party  interviewed  advanced  ^ith 
the  utmost  gravity  and  began  his  harangue,  which  Franklin  understoo.l 
lia.l  been  several  days  in  preparing.      This  chief  proved  to  be  a  shrewd 
P-etrat,ng  man,  and  left  a  favorable  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the' 
I.a.ty  as  to  his  intellectual  qualities.     He  began  by  stating  that  he  was 
.lad  so  powerful  a  chief  from  among  the   pale-faces  had   come   amon. 
.hen,  and  assured  him  that  the  Indians  loved  those  wh,)se  purpo.    •,  wa'^s 
->  assist  them.     He  said  that  when  the  party  first  arrived  he  was  ..-eatiy 


cnif 


•appointed;  for  he  had  heard  ther 
man  who  possessed  the  power  of  rcstoi 


e  was  among  them  a  mighty  medi 
■ing  to  life  tlie  dead  and  de 


i  t 


S06 


COMPACT  BETWEEN  WHITES  AND  INDIANS. 


parted;  and  he  had  felt  so  c^reat  delight  in  the  jM'ospect  of  meeting 
witii  his  friends,  that  his  sorrow  in  finding  himself  mistaken  could  n(rt 
be  described.  He  was  ready,  however,  to  assist  the  new  comers  in 
whatever  reasonable  enterprise  they  might  engage.  He  closed  his 
speech  by  demanding  to  k.iow  minutely  the  object  of  the  adventurers, 
and  their  plans  for  the  future. 

In  his  reply  Franklin  took  pains  to  assure  him  that  their  purpose  was 
nothing  but  good;  that  they  saw  the  difficulty  under  which  their  red 
brethren  labored,  and  that  he  hoped  by  becoming  more  familiar  nn  ith 
the  coast  a.ul  the  wilds  of  the  north,  to  be  able  to  relieve  not  only  their 
embarrassments  but  those  of  all  the  inhabitants.  He  informed  them  that 
he  came  from  the  greatest  chief  in  the  world,  who  was  also  the  sover- 
eign of  the  companies  with  whom  they  were  in  the  habit  of  trading.  He 
further  warned  them  of  the  folly  of  making  war  with  the  Esquimaux 
and  promised  them,  in  case  of  faithful  service,  a  reward  of  cloth,  beads,' 
and  useful  implements  of  iron. 

The  chief  admitted  that  his  tribe  had  made  war  upon  the  Esqui^ 
maux,  but  promised  to  desist;  recommending,  however,  that  their  ad- 
vances toward  them  should  be  conducted  with  the  utmost  caution ;  and 
signified  at  last  their  willingness  to  accompany  the  party  and  co-oper- 
ate with  them  in  every  particular. 

An  agreement  having  thus  been    arrived  at  with  the    Indians,    the 
expedition  at  once   i^repared  to  set   out.     The    Indians   were    sent    out 
ahead,   and   were   to  encamp  upon    the   Yellow    Knife,   a    small    stream 
whose  ascent  lay  in  their  way;  while  the  residue  of  the  party    were  to 
pack  the    provisions  and    supplies.     This    process    could   not"  be    gone 
through  with  in  thej^resence  of  the  Indians,  as  they  were  in  tlie  habit  of 
continually  begging  for  everything   they  saw.     The  store  consisted   of 
two  barrels  of  gunpowder,  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of  ball  and  small 
shot,  four  fowling  pieces,  a  few  old  irading  guns,  eight  pistols,  twenty- 
four  Indian  .laggers,  some  packages  of  knives,  chisels,  axes,  nails,    and 
fastenings  for  a  boat,  a  few  yards  ,.f  cloth,  some  l,lankets,  needles,  look- 
ing-glasses, and  ]>cads;  together  with  nine  fishing-nets  of  diirerent  sixes. 
The  provisions  included  two  casks  ..f  fiour,  two  hundred  dried  i 


leer 


l\  IL 


ASCENT  OF  TUB   fELLOiV  KNIFE.  307 

!rr!:,T7'™"  "T  "'^'•"'  """••*"  '"■•■" """ "— -'  »<«*'« 

."Ul  ..v.,  ca,.,,,.e,.  o,  .oa.     The  p„„y  „„„  ,,„,„,,,  „,-  .,,„„,.„,„„.    ^^.,. 

suns,  iiicludiMj;   the  wives  oC  thiec  of  Ih,.  (■ r  ^     ^  "  l»-i 

,  '  '""-cot  the  Ciiiwdiaii  voyaL'cr.1  who    had 

CO,,  c„«aged  ..  Ft.  YoH.     I.  had  heen  decided  hest  .0  take  .he  won.cn, 
-  they  n,.,h.  he  ,.ef„l   i„  ,he  making  of  shoes  a„<,   Cothi,,.,  i„  ca,- 
iiig  for  the  s,ck,  and   in  many  other  way, 

.on.     On  the  ...  of  August,  ,S.o,    the  whole  partv,  inch.dn,,,  the  In- 
ns^ hegan  the  ascent  of  the  Yellow  Knife.     The  prospect  of  reachin- 
.       Coppe™„,e    hat  season,  and  of  exploring  a  portion  of  country  hitlC 
.CO  nntrod  by  wh.te  men,  was  „  source  of  the  .Meatest  elation  t 
pan.,  .nd  the  star,  was  made  1„  high  spirits.    The  rh:::    ;    '         "J: 
whose  course  .t  w.as  necessary  for  then,  to  traverse,  w.as  snch  tha     fre-' 
.-"t  portages,  or  transporting  of  the  bo.a.s  and  Lading  ahove  the  rapl  s 
.y  l.n.l,  waK  tl,e  only  method  of  procedure.     Great  care  w.as  taken  f'n 
-e  o  .„ne  to  replenish  their  stock  of  provisions  so  far  .as  posslh  e,     I 
lu  l.,kcs,  and  hy  means  of  the  rifles  of  the   hunters.     In  spite  o    this 
Iwever,  the  ..onrney,  made  longer  hy  the  necessarily  slow  pro-ress     r 

loo<l.     They  were  at  last  reduced  to  such  strait,  that  the  Can a.lia,, 
:..or,  absolutely  refused  to  go  farther,  unless  more  foo      v^         1  T" 
™cd  to  then,.     Frauldin  took  occasion  here  to  warn  t'hem    h"  i       .  "' 
:...yo.  then,  should   .Icsert   or  refuse  to  accompany   the  L ^  it    ,;  ,: 

~ ;"'""^  -'-  ---  l'"-"ment  to  he  inflicted  upon  th         'a 

:  ave  them  .,  .   orough  admonition  uot  to  further  hinder  t  L  pro^re, 
K.  party.     Th,s  discussion  had  the  desired   effect,  and   the reaft       t 

'™ ■^^'^■•:  '"""^"  "f  -I—  -'.I  ""thfulness.      The   hunters 

.  ;■  .nean   me,  became  more  successful ;  flsh  w.as  more  abtn.dant;  and't 
;->  ..r  .IK.  party  being  rai,e.l  by  the  prospect  of  plentv  of  food,  so 
■iManee  was  co,opie,e,l  in  the  n,ost  cheerful  m.anner  possible 

''."^.  "ow  .lifficlty  aro,e  which  eirectually  thwarted  the'  purpose  of 
I  ^-  iea  er  to  approach  .he  seaboard  this  season.  <,„  the  ,,-,h  ,',f  Lj 
""  l-.v  I-  u,g  advanced  so.ne  live  hundred  utiles  Iron,  Ft.  Chipewrvau' 


II 


li!: 


8  J         'i 


Hit 


SOS 


T//E  CHIEF  KEFUHES    TO  HO  FC/IITIlEli. 


w,„.c.r  lK..gan  .„  „„pear.     The  litelc  pools  „r  „.,.,,.  ,,^  .„,  ,,v„  side  were 

:::;  tt  '"r  -«^-'""™  »'">-■' »'»--  <.f  i-r„,  „ee„  ..a-ei:;; 

. OS  .     These  s.^i.s  soon  passe,!  .way  with  the  ,i,i,„,  of  the  s„n   ami 

ha,  he  an,l  h,s  hunters  would  .o  „o  further.     He  s„U,  that  it  would  he 
n-  usee,   saenfice  of  life  to  attempt  to  go  so  far  north  in  the  win.' 

wc  the,  l,eforehan,l;   an.l  that  he  was  not  iuelined  to  believe  the  winter 
"  1.C  so  near  at  han.l  as  the  oltief  apprehended.     He  also  told  hi™  that 
«ley  should  at  leas,  reaeh    the  river,  in  order  to  take  ohservations  as  t. 
^ss.e,.lep.h  a„.l  the  char.ac.er  and  t, «ity  of  ti„,her  upon  its  hanks. 

1  .ha.  ,.  could  be  nruch  more  favorably  wi.ncsscl  fron,  .he  la.i.  d„  o 
the  Copper,„n,e.  These  re„,ark,,  however,  Ira.l  no  elfec.  upon  the  chief 
who  contiiuie(  :     "  If    .tftcr    ill  tlv,^    r  ,  .,  *  'i- cnici, 

ii     iiici    .III   inac    ;   liavc  s;ii(l   vr^n    .■■•,,    it        •       • 

sac    hce  your  l,fe  and    the  ,iv.s  .„■  y,.„,  „,„,  „„„^.  „,  , 

s.^.U,ow,th  you;  for  it  shall  not  be  , .ha.  „e  ,ed  you  hith;  an 

W  you  to  pens,,  alone.  Hut  if  they  ,o,  I  and  .y  friends  will  fron, 
■lay  they  depart  ,.purn  them  as  dead."  Findin,  .he  chief  s.ill  averse  o 
gomg  on  and  feari„.  „  rup.ure  wi.h  tlte  ludi.ans,  witich  would  be  di,.as. 
™r,;»*en,  in  their  ,rea.  need  of  guidance,  Franklin  determine  c. 
1.  cant ly  to  encamp  there  for  the  winter.  This  arrangement  completely 
»a.,sficd  .he  chief,  wl,o  now  renewed  his  p,.„fe,ssio„s  of  loyal.y  „  the 
expedition.  ^      -^         "-"^ 

to  ti^Co"  ™""""'""  """  ""  ""=°"  "  "•■'^  ''•=='"«'  "'  -"'I  "  party 
to  the  Coppermnte,  to  ascertain  its  distance  and  size.     When  .hi,  plan 

was  comm„„,ca.cd  :  .he  chief  he  re.adily  concurred,  and  ofcrcl  .o    end 

so,ne  of  h,s    hunters  to   procure  food  for  .hem.      Mr.   Hack    : M 

Hood   who  h.ave  already  been  men.ioncl  in  .he  natra.ive,  were  chosen  .„' 

take  charge  of  .he  par.y.     An  Esquimaux  in.erpre.er  having  been  in  .he 

mean.n.e  secured,  he,  wi.h  one  Indian  as  guide,  and  eight  C  nat ,  voy- 


M 


^    -%• 


l-OKT  KNTERrKlSK. 


209 


M 


210 


A   PEDESTRIAN  TRIP   TO    THE  COPPERMINE. 


a^rcrs,  ccmstitutcl  their  attendance;    fitted  ,.p  with  canoes,  and  furnished 
in  tiK-   most  comfortahle  manner  possihle  ,n,.lc-r  the  cireumstances,  they 
set  ont  toward  tiie  last  of  Au-ust.     Franklin's  rejjard  for  l)is  n)en,  an.l  his 
wisdom  in  phnniintr,are  ah'ke  seen  in  his  instructions  to  the  party.    They 
were  to  proceed  as  far  as  the  Coppermine,  a.id  if  the   weather  was  not 
too  tineatening,  to  emhark  upon   it  and  descend  it  for  s<,me   .hstance,  the 
object  bein-  to  j^ain  more  definite  knowled-e  of  its   rapidity  an.l  the 'best 
method  of  navi-atin-  it.     In  no  case,  liowever,  were  they  to  <r„  so  far  as 
not  to  be  able  in  a  short  time  to  return;    and  if  the  water  proved  as  cold 
as  40"  they  were  to  return  at  once,  as  it  was  feared  that  the  can(,es  mi-ht 
be  frozen  in,  thus  compelling  them  to  return  a  long  distance  on  foot.   " 

The  portion  of  the  party  that  remained  immediately  prepared  to  es- 
tablish  permanent  winter  quarters  at  the  spot  where  they  were  en- 
camped.  Ih.ts  wore  made,  which  in  achlition  to  the  tents,  were  to  serve 
as  shelter.  The  flesh  and  skins  of  animals  were  gathered  to  serve  as 
food  and  clothing  which  the  Canadian  women  were  busy  in  preparing; 
and  the  barren,  deserted  plain  presented,  this  winter  at  least,  the  appca'^r- 
ance  of  a  bustling,  thriving  village.  Here,  in  the  reach  of  hostile  natives, 
and  greeted  nightly  l,y  the  howling  of  wild  beasts,  in  a  latitude  20° 
north  of  where  they  were  accustomed  to  spend  the  winter,  these  hardy 
men  made  ready  to  endure  six  months  of  the  northern  blast.  This  spot 
was  fitly  termed  Ft.  Enterprise. 

Shortly  after  the  party  above  referred  to  had  been  dispatched,  Frank- 
lin and  Dr.  Richardson  decided  to  take  a  pedestrian  trip  to   the  nearest 
point  of  the  Coppermine.     They  started  off  on  this  daring  project  accom- 
panied by  three  attendants,  carrying  camp  kettles  and  provisions.     Their 
guides  led  them  from  the  top  of  one  hill  to  the  top  of  another  in  as  <Ii- 
rect  a  course  as  the  numerous   lakes   with   which  the  country  is   inter- 
spersed,  would  permit.      At  noon  of  the  first  day  a  remarkable  rock  with 
precipitous  sides  was  reached,  named  by  the  Indians  Dog-rib  Rock,  from 
a  ferocious  tribe  of  Indians  who  inhabit  the  north  and  west.     The  lati- 
tude of  this  place  was  observed  to  be  64°  34'.     They  were  now  trav- 
eling through  a   country  almost  dcstitnte  of  vegetation  or  animal   life. 
One  of  the  guides  killed  a  reindeer,  and  offered  the  rest  of  the  party,  as 


REPORT  OF  HACK  AND   HOOD.  3,1 

a  ,^reat  treat,  the  r,  w  ,na,n,w  fro.n  ,h.  hind  loj^s  of  the  animal,  of  which 
='"  •""  i'-n.nklin  partook.  IL,  too,  however,  afterward  conc,ucml  his 
fastidious  appetite  and  pronounced  it  delicious. 

The-  small  quantity  of  hedclothinjr  hrou^Hu  with  them,  induced  most 
.)f  llK-  p:.rty  to  sleep  without  undressing.     01<1   Kes    Karrah,  the  In.lian 
,^Mn,!e,  followe.1  a  dilFerent  plan.      He   stripped    himself   to   the  skin,  and 
Having  toasted  himself  over  the  emhers  of  the  fire  for  a  short  time  crept 
...ider  his  ,leerskin  and  rags,  previously  spread  out,  and  coiled  himself  up 
...  a  circular  form,  and  was  sound  asleep  almost  instantly.  So  the  journey 
t..  the  Coppermine  continued,  the   travelers  sometimes  lying,  and  somJ- 
t..nes  sitting  down  to  sleep  at  night,  according  to  the  accommodations 
wiuch  the  rough  ground  alFonled.    The  fall  of  snow  was  almost  constant- 
^'.Hl,  hin.lered  and  perplexed  by  this,  and  by  sprained  and  swollen  ankles' 
the  httle  band  were  well  nigh  exhausted  when  at  last  they  arrived  oncj 
in<,re  at  Ft.  Enterprise.     They  had  walked  about  150  miles. 

Upon  their  arrival  at  the  winter  cjuarters  thev  found  that  the  party 
headed  by  Hack  and  Hood,  had  ],receded  them  by  several  days.  This 
party  had  reached  the  shores  of  Point  Lake,  through  which  the  Copper- 
mine  River  flows,  on  the  first  of  September.  They  proceeded  along  its 
sliores  westward,  round  a  mountainous  promontory,  and  pcrceivin-  the 
course  of  the  lake  to  be  northwest,  they  encamped  near  some  pine^  and 
enjoyed  their  first  good  fire  since  they  left. 

The  principal  object  of  their  investigation,  now,  was  *to  discover 
whether  any  arm  of  the  lake  branched  nearer  the  tort  than  that  upon 
which  they  had  fallen,  to  which  the  transport  of  their  goods  might  be 
made  llie  following  spring.  Having  satisfied  themselves  bv  the  appear- 
a.ue  c,f  the.mountains  that  furtiier  examination  on  the  west  was  need- 
k-ss,  they  then  proceeded  eastwanl  until  the  6th.  Not  finding  any  part  of 
the  lake  nearer,  they  encamped  to  observe  the  eclipse  which  was  to  occur 
""  'liat  day,  hut  a  violent  snowstorm  obscuring  that  phenomenon,  they 
.■ctrace.1  their  steps  toward  the  fort,  where  they  arrived  the  dav  after 
the  other  party  had  set  out. 

Thus  closed    the   voyages   of    ,820,   the   expedition    having   traveled 
t.hcen  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  since  leaving  Ft.  York  in  Sept.,  i8iy. 


C'lIArTKK    WIV 


.lOIKMN'    Id    IMI'; 


<  (MM* I : It  mini; 


\isir    lo    riii.: 


t oi'i'i.K    Moi  \  r.\i\s 


IN  I  I   HI';    Ol      Dli.    |[UII.\I{|)S()\-      |,.\ 


l'"l..\l!     ni   l..\.\--    IT.     riU.NACAlN         III 


IHAIiKI.NC,    ()\      i|||,; 


i;      Hl;'HH\.--i|;| 


l•l:l{|^(.^  Ol'    iiii: 
^.\\i;    iiii;    i'aimv 


tiiiiii.i;   siFK 


I'AinS    —  |)|{.    |{I(IIAI!1)S()\      |!| 


^'KS     HIS     M|.|.:      I 


o 


Ai;i!l\A!.    Al      IT.     KNTKItntlSK 


fia 


w- 


I 


111  llif  Mimiiu'i-  of    iSj  I  till'    parlv 


w.ik  h  wa^  ivarhi.l,  without   atridiMit  or  ad 


i.i::iiii  set  out  lor    tlif  C'o|)|HTiniiu 


I);irt  of    fuiK'.      'I"lu'   liiiu'  I 

ill 


Mlllllll'   of    lloU', 


111    llic   lali 


tT 


l;l<l    now    lOIlK'     wIkii    ||h'\-    Wvk 


illilimnl  of    \\ic\y  rluMislu'd   projivt,  and 


to  ri'ali/r  th(j 


n\rr  and  woiv  on    tlu-ir  \va\   t 


tln'v  sodii  I'lnliaikc'd    apori    tlio 


|>   tl.f  Polar    Ocfaii.      I) 


«l'>\vu  the  e-opiHTininc  tlu-   Indians  wcrt-  invalual.k 


Ihi'  party,  hy  their  skill    in 


nrini;'   tlu'    iotirnc" 


in  i)roL'iiiinM-  (ood  fof 


Inn 


ltm,L,^      For  this  sfr\  ice  tl 


take    notis  on   the    Xorthwcstern  C 


u-\-  consented    to 


an  older  i;a\in"-   a 


l-o  1 


onipaiiy,   payable  at    !•  t.  Chipewyai 


'(-•en   (liawii  tor  a   sin: 


III    a 


iiiounl  of   elotliiii. 


midilional  present.      This   inelh.ulor   reiinhiirsin..-   thei 


as  ail 


lieeaiise  those  artielcs  with  which    tl 


Lfrowni: 


n    was    lesorti'd    tc 
icy  were  aci-iistonied  to  he  paid  wei\ 


scanty,  and   it  N,as   desired    to   retain    ihcni  (or   trade    aHI 


1    the 


-uuiinanx. 


As   t 


ic   party  desceni 


cd,  the   river   irradiiallv  hoc, 


Iwccn  lofty  hanks  to  ahout 


line  contracted    he- 


on 


tl 


c   hundred  and  t\vent\'  \ard 


icciirient  hccanie  rapid    in  proportion  to  tl 


s  in  width,  and 


Ahonl  the    middle  of    (nl\-  they 


the  iheine  of 


le  narrowness  o("  tin.  str 
arrived  at  some    rapids  which    had 


cam. 


Keen 


discourse  amontr  the  Ii 


whicli    had 


ulians  for  several  days  jirevions,  and 


I'ceii    occlared    hy   them   to  he  impassahle  f 


or  canoes. 


Tin 


river  .here  was  f 


oimd  to  descend  for  thrce-citiartcrs  of 


narrow   and  crowded  channel, 
flv 


;i  niile  in  a  deep  hut 


which  it  had  cut  Ihrr  :iv;'.i  tj 


!«•  foot  of  a  hill 


ye  or  six  huiHlred  lect  in    height.      I,  is  conlhv.  ,,,,.,,  perpen.licular 
dills,  reseml)Iiii«,r    artitlcial  stone  walls,  \ar\ini 


?12 


■i'  iicr^^ln  Iroiii    eij^htv  to 


■iiiut 


-  *^      -.ffrj^Sfe 


jipe-'Tirr- 


"!'■    I'.K  liAliliMiv's  A!> 


M'Vh.NTLHIC  WITH   Will. 


±J'£LLIDCe  . 


21 ;{ 


11^ 

iiJlUIIIHil 


214 


ADVENTURE  OF  Dll.  KICIIAIIDSON. 


-  h..".l™i  fee,    „„  „hi,|,  „,,  ,    „„„  „,   „„^   ,^^„,,       ^^^  __^ 

r.vc.,-  ,,™.  „„  „i.hi„  „„•«  ,„,,„„,  „„„„„,,.,„,,,  ,,^,„„,,^.  „.,_,_,^_,  ^,^^       _^_ 
J.C  ,ng  ,.„e,     ,„„„„„„  „,„,  ,,.,^|,,^„.^^^,,  .^^_^,^   ^^^  ^^^^  ^^_^^  .^^^^_^  ^^^_^^^^^^l    ^^^ 

-^  sheet  .„    f,.,,,,.     u  i,  prohaWe  ,1.,.  ,he  I„,n,„,s  i„  .valitv  knew  lit,,;.  „,■ 

-e  ..„p„ls;  ,„,.  ,„e  c,.„„e,  wl,e„  li,,,,.,,..,  „,■  ,,„,,  ,„„,;,„  ,.,,„  ,„.^^^ 
this  ilclile  without  siistainiuK  -"i.V  injury. 

In  the  c„,i,,.  „r  the  „e.ecnt-a  visit  wa,  „,a,,o  f,  the  Coppc,.  M„,.„. 
t...ns.  1..  lK,e  lulls  the  Coppe,-  I„.,iai,,s,  a,,,,,  it  was  icp„,.,e.l,  the  Es. 
<1"."™«  *..,  -veie  aceastoined    to   come  an.l   ..aich  foi-  this  nt.tal,  „f 

which,  when  found    in  a  free  stutc    flu>v  ,..„)  i         ,  • 

.  ;  "'^  ■''^■'t^'  tliev  could  make  vanous  useful   arti- 

clc.     Bu    the   nnpracticability  of  navi<,atin<,  this   river  hon.  its  source 
and  the  absence  of  nuUerial  for  makin.  and    operating  a  smelter,  proved 

oFrankhnand  his  men  that  an,  considerable  mercantile  speculiln  i! 
this  entcipnse  w-as  imjiossilile. 

As  the  Esquimaux  country  was  approached,  the  oxpe,li,io„  a.lva„ce<l 
V,  ,rea.  caution,  to  prevent  any  serious  collision  of  the  rc.l  n,c„  uith 
tlK  .  Monsohan  nc^hhors.  Constant  watches  were  Uep,  day  and  ni.h. 
and  the  olhccrs  cheerfully  took  their  turns  with  the  res,  in  this  .Inty  "  It' 
was  on  one  „f  these  occasions  that  Dr.  Richanlson,  the  surseon  „,  the 
party,  „,ct  „,,,„„  f„„„„„„^,  ^.,„„,.^  ^^^^^^     __  ^_^^  

he  rst  watch,  he  had  seated  hiniselr  on  a  hill  overha„,i„,  the  river; 
h.s  thoughts  wore  po.sihly  occupicl  with  ,ar  distant  scones,  when  he  was 
aroused  hy  an  indistinct  noise  hehind  him,  and,  on  lookin,  round,  saw 
'hat  mnc  white  wolves  had  „rran,,ed  themselves  in  the  form  of  a  crescent 
■"""'I  him.  and  were  ailvancin,-  apparently  with  the  intention  of  drivin., 
hm,  into  the  river.  lie  had  his  ,,„„  ;„  his  hand,  h,it  did  not  dare  lire  tin- 
fear  o,  alarmii,„  any  Esquimaux  who  migh,  he  in  the  iiciKhhoihood, 
Upon  h,,  risn,,.  Uiey  halted,  an.l  ,vhen  he  advanccl  toward  them  in  a 
meniicin,.  manner,  they  a,  .mce  made  way  for  his  passage  down  to  the 

I  Ia«  ill,  reached  the  month  of  the  Coppermine,  the  journey  of  explor- 

o„   eastward,  and    the  „„al   return   to  the  west  sotith,   wi/one 

muirokeu  series  of  terrihle  snirerings,  hardships,  and   privations. 
O..  the   .,st  of  July,  with  only  fifteen  days'  provisions  on  hoard,  , hey 


POINT   TURN  AG  Am.  glS 

omharked   upon   the  open   sea,  intending,  if  possible,  to  read.   Repulse 
IJay,  a  distance  of  some  six  or  seven  hundred  miles  to  the  east.    But  they 
cneountered   frightful   storms.      Their  boats   were   badly   shattered,   and 
then-  i.rov.sions,  to   whieh   they    had   bc^en   unable  to    add   any   amount 
were  almost  gone.     The  erew  eomplained  bitterly,  and  it  would   seem' 
that  the  elimax  of  discourar.-r-.ent   had   been  reached   when  their  best 
boat  sank;  the  crew,  and  what  scanty  supplies  they  had,  narrowly  escap- 
"ig  destruction.     Accordingly,  when  they  reached   a  place,  now   perti- 
nently  called  "  Point  Turnagain,"  it  was  decided   to  steer  westward  at 
once,  to   Arctic   Sound,  and   by  ascending   Hood's  River,  to  gain  once 
more  the  interior.     Thence  they  sought   to   reach   Point   Lake  and  Ft 
Lnterpnse,  their  previous  winter  quarters.     The  prospect  was  discoura... 
nig  m   the   extreme,  for  winter  seemed   to  be  already  setting  in      The 
Innuers  found  no -game,  and  their  stock  of  pemmican   was   exceedin^^ly 
l.m.ted.     In   spite   of  the  threatening  weather,  their  dilapi<lated  canoes 
.nd  exhausted  larder,  they  managed  to  push  on  till   at  last  they  entered 
Hood's  River. 

The  Canadians  could  not  restrain  their  joy  at  having  turned  their 
backs  on  the  sea,  and  they  spent  the  first  evening  in  talking  over  their 
past  adventtn-es  with  much  humor  and  no  little  exaggeration.  They  had 
cLsplayed  great  courage  in  encountering  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  ma<nd- 
hcd  to  then,  by  their  novelty.  The  poor  Frenchmen,  no  doubt,  fotuKl  a 
cbstressmg  .lilFerence  between  the  frozen  plains  of  the  North,  and  the 
vmeyanls  of  their  "Sunny  France,"  which  some  of  them,  perhaps 
remembered.  .  ^ ' ' 

After  remodeling  two  canoes  from  the  remains  of  the  old  ones,  which 
liad  been  rendered  almost  useless,  they  proceeded  on  foot  from  near  the 
mouth  <,f  Hood's  River  toward  Point  Lake,  150  miles  distant,  and  as  will 
1.C  remembered,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ft.  Enterprise.  It  is  impossible 
f  .Icscnbe  iSe  sufferings  of  the  exhausted  crew  from  this  point.  They 
liad  scarcely  set  out  when  a  bewikiering  snowstorm  arose  which  so  em- 
barrasse<l  their  progress  that  they  were  oblige<l  to  encan,p  for  several 
days  VVhenatlast  the  storm  abate.I,  and  they  attempte,'  to  advance, 
Iranklu,   tainted  fVon.   hunger  and  sudden  exposure.     He  soon   revive.l 


n  I 


' 


il 


210 


^    (IS  EL  ESS    TNA/VSPO/rr. 


IiowevcT,  l)v  tal 
l)v  I  he  kindness 


their  h.iel'; 
crahlv     on. 


'"■'".U  -'i  ■'^mall  .|iianlity  of  poiiahl 


ol    1 


H-   men.      .So,  witli    th 


<-■  soup,  pressed  upon  liim 


s,  and    hnii)s    totterin--  from    si 


rir    wet  .^-arnients    (Veezini;-   tc 


Th 


H'er    exhaustion,  the\-  went 


niis- 


c     men     wlio    carried     th 


over,  and    at    one  of  these    ti 
Th 


e   canoes     were    oCtei 


1    hlown 


ines    the    best 


canoe  was 


l)rol- 


is  was  soon  nlili/ed  1 


ven    ni    ])ieces. 


>\'  niakniLT  a  ii 


soiij)  and  arrow  ro 


IV  <>t   It  to  cook  the  little  renia 


T 


nnn<r 


ne  only  source  of  suhsiste 


tnpc-iic-roc/H\  a  species  of  lid 
earth.     This,  alth 


nee 


left 


neni  \va>   the 


len  which    urows  ujion  the  rod 


vs  or  fio/en 


)ii,L;ii    It 


ser\ed    to 


Keep 


life 


and  luiwholesonie.      An    incident 


in  th 


L'ln,  was  dehilitalin- 


occurred  at  this  time  which  sh 


even   \\\    circumstanc 


ov.s 


that 


c's    as  trying-   as  those    which 


utmost  .i^enerosity  and   disinterested 
officers  stood  si 


we  ha\e  descril 


)e(l,  the 


iiverniLf  aroun 


(1  a  smal 


tl 


le    i)anL;s  of  Inni-er,  V 


nL-,s  may  he  shown.      One  day,  as  tl 
lie,  and   suflerino-  intensel\-  fr 


le 


errau 


meal  which  he  had 


It,  ,1  Canadian,  produced 


saved  (Vom    his    own    al 


or  them  with  a  ]jiece  of  pe 
"with   ^-reat  thankfulne 
ness  iillc 


om 


:i  small    amount  of 


owance,  and   presented   each 


mmican. 


It  was  recei\e< 


ays 


"raid<lii 


ss,  and  such  an    instan 


ce  of  self-denial    and    kiiui- 


<l  our  eyes  with  tears. 
At  len^-lh   thev    reached 


a   iir 


width  and    i-apidit\-  th:il 
streams  whicli  they  had  1 


anch   of  the  C 


o])pernnne,  of  su 


cli  y-reat 


It  could  not  1 


le  crossed  as   readily  as    tl 


le    smallei- 


>een  in 


ne  nvMW,    whose    construct 


he  hahit  of  lording-  daily.   A  raft  I 


lad  to 


several  da\s. 


What 


ion,   in  their  present    weakened  state 


,  occupied 


was  their 


(heir  new  t 


'lisappomlinent  and  dia-rin    to    lind    tl 


lat 


i-ansport  was  useless;   they  could  not 


Aiiotlu'r   exhilntion    of  self- 


id    It    ai-r 


OSS    the    river. 


volunteered  to  make  ll; 


sacrillce    was    then    made.      Dr.     Richard 


son 


him  a  line,  I 


'\'  wliidi  the  laft 


(-'  attempt  to  swi 


m  across  the    n\-er. 


i'arr\iii''-  with 


coulil  he  (Irawn    acros 


laimdied  into  the  stream  with  tln>  1 


lie  had  -oi  within  a  short 


iiie  aroimd  his  wai^t ;   Imi  when 


lisiance  of  tlu' 


o|) 


posU 


e  iian 


nunihi'd  with 


<,  Ills  .inns  liec.imi 


loKi,  and  h 


e  lost  ilif 


jxiwer  of  mo\  in--  them.      Still  I 


U'  per. 


severed 


when  his 


••iii'l,    liiniin-  on  his  hack,  ha.l  nearl 


\   .i^anu'd  the  o|)posite  shore, 


comrades  on  slior( 


line  and 


ic-s,  loo,   iHvame  powerless,    ami    to   \W-    lullnite    al,-,rm  of  hi- 
lu'he-an  to  sink.      They    instantly  haulcl    upon    IIk 


!<-■  came  up(m  the  surface,  ;m 


•I    was   t^radualh- 


iiMwn    ashore    ii 


t^ 


^'^  a 


( 


218 


ail  iilinost  lifcl 


MURDER   OF  HOOD. 


CSS  st:iU 


fore   :i   "ood    (Ire   of  willow 


Joiiiij^  rolled  up  in   blankets,   he  was  placed  hc- 


s,   and    rortuiiately    was  just   ahle    lo  speak 


enoii-h   lo  o-ive  some  sli.<,rht  directions  respectinjr  tl 
■ecovered    stien<,rth  after  a  time,  and  in  tl 


liini. 


II 


le  manner  of  treatin"- 


to  l.e  leinoved  to  his  lent.      Il  was   then   found   that 


was  deprived  of    t 


lie-    evening-    was    ahle 
his    whole   left   side 


Ileal. 


II 


eciiiio-,  in  conseciuence  of  sudden  exposure  to  t 


e  did  not  recover  from  this  until  the  foil 


dl 


ownn 


fell,  upon  seeini;-  the  skeleton  shown  by  the  d 


•nnnier, 


<><>  ,i;reat 
What 


caunol  he  told  in  words, 
he  best  explained  1 


II 


ly  the  doctor  when  he    sliijjped, 


s  condition,  as  well  as  that  of  ll 


le  icvst,  may 


It  may  he  \vortliy  of 


ly  an  extract  from  his  own  journal; 


remark,  that  I  should  have  had  little  h 


csitatioii 


ni  any  tormer  peri.)d  of  my  life  at  ph.ngin- into  water,_eyen  below  38^ 


Fahrenheit;  but  at  tl 


lis  time  I  was  reduced   almost  to  a  skelet 


the  rest  of  the  party,  suITered  from  d 


on,  and  like 


(lisrei^ardcd  in  health  and 


ej,n-ees  of  eold  that  would 


vifTor.      Duriui,'  the   whole   of  our 


experienced  that  no  (piantity  of  eloth: 
fasted;  but  on  those   occasic 


liave  been 
inarch,  we 


irni  while  we 


with  full  stomachs,   we   passed    the   ni.rht 


would    keep  us  w 
)ns  on  wdiich  we  were  enabled   to  ..■,,   1,,    bed 


in   a   warm    and    comfortablt 


manner, 


1-1     ' 


B 


! :  tlMMMlUI 


he  liver  was  at  last  crossed,  I 


in  the  case  of  every  01 


le. 


II 


nit  a  ij;-reat  depression  of  spirits  existed 


oou 


R 


iehardso 


and  weal 


n,    and  IJack,    were    all    la 


me 


le  vovanc/irs  w 


ere  somewhat  more  viLrorous,  1 


hope  to  eoine  out  of  the  wild 


>iit   (hd    not 
erness  alive.      Finaiiy,  JM-anklin   and    ei-^ht 


men  decided  to  j)ush  on   toward   I't.   I':nternrise.      T 


iiree    ol 


ll 


almost  at  once.      Franklin  su 


cceeded  in   reachiiii,^    the    house, 


neither  oci'u 


lese    <lied 
l>ut     found 


lianls  nor  jirovisions.      In  ei-hteen  days  I  Jack  and   Dr.  Rich- 


ardson came  up.      Hood  had  set  out  will 


one  Indian.      A  short  lime  after  1 

he  had  been  murdered.      The  three   Canadi 


1  a  party  of  three  Canadiai 
lis  body  ^yas  found    with   evidencL 


IS  and 


that 


As    Michel,    the    Indi 


nis   were   never   seen    a"-. 


un. 


lan    .<i,uide,    remained    stron 


thouL-ht  he  I 


and    yi'/oroiis,   it    was 


hodies. 


A 


'ad  murdered  the  rest  of  the    party   and    feasted 


s  soon  as  this  s 


ui)oii  their 
spicion  was  eonlirnied  lie  was  promptly  shot 
l>y  Dr.  Richardson.  A  partrid.^.e,  killed  by  ITepburn,  was  all  the  meat 
that  the  parly  last  arrivin-  al  the  Fori  had  tasted  for  six    weeks.      Parts 


RETURN    TO 


219 


of  their  boots  and  clothiiu'  hiid  1 


)ecii 


sotip  made  out  of  old  Ijoi 


ENdLAND. 
consumed  diiiiufr  the   march,   and 


c's  and  skin  wa 


Help  and  siipjjlies  at  last  arrived,  I 


s  considered  a  Inxni 


■y- 


••■ifnrt.n.ate   party    had    perished.      The  hanlsl 
ever,  were  now  over.     C'onimunicat 


•lit    not    until    several    m 


oie    o 


r  tl 


le 


!iil)s  of  tile  suivivors,  1 


liow- 


oflhe  f'ln-  c 


ion  could  now  he  had   wi'.h  ti 


strained  to    the 


"mpanies,  and  the  persons  eniploved  at  the 


le  posts 


p'eatest   kindness    j)ossil 


■se  points  were  eon- 


condilion   of   tile   unfortunat 


Ic   when    they    saw    the   pitiai)lt 


c  crew.  The  Canatlians  were  sent  home 
•"  '"He,  heino-  paid  in  orders  upon  the  Hudson's  Hav  Company 
1  I.c  ollieers  of  the  party  were  ohli.^^ed  to  remain  son>e  tinu-  at  one  oftii'e 
iorts  hetore  they  were  ahle  to  travel  fhr.  Their  ibet  and  limhs  were 
swollen,  ,hj.estion  and  assimilation  were  impaired,  and  racking  rheuma- 
l.sm  was  eommon  fron.  the  severe  an.I  prolon^rcl  exposure.  Throu-di 
I'H-  l^nulness  of  tiie  company's  a;^ents,  their  health  was  at  last  n-storc^l 
and  they  proceeded  to  ].:n<,dand,  where  they  arrived  safely  in  the  sum- 
mer o(  .,S3.-with  the  exception  of  the  ,,^allant  Hood,  whose  fate  we 
have  related  al)ove. 

Thus  terndnated  Franklin's  firs,  voyage,  hein^  as  far  as  p<,ssil)le  a 
laithlul  execution  of  the  plan,  as  i,  has  alrea.iy  been  communicate.l  to 
the  reader. 

An  account  of  the  next  vovat^e  of  this  j^allant  explorer  will  he  ^iven 
ill  a  lollowiiiL;'  chapter. 


>^siiai^ 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

RUSSIAN  ARCTIC  VOYAGES-I.APTKU-  nilOTHKUS-FAILUH  ]•  OK  SClfA- 
I.AUOVV— REMAINS  OF  MAMMOTH  — ARCTIC  VOVAGKS  OK  mi.IASC.S 
—  PI.UNDKRKn    ItV    NATIVES —  KREQUKNCY    OK    ANIMAL     REMAINS 

— kotzebue's  voyage  — unwelcome  iiosittaeity— a  unique 

ISLAND. 

Our  last  reference  to  Russian  Arctic   exploration  was   an    account  of 
the  Hnal  voyage  of  Bchrin-  in  1741.      But  little  was  afterward  done    by 
the  Russians  in  the  way  of  organized   effort   in   this   direction,  until   the 
period  at  which  we  have  now  arrived.     The  whole  of  the  Arctic  coast  of 
Russia,  including  Siberia,  had,  however,  been   discovered   piecemeal   by 
fur    traders    and    adventurers.     "These   skins,"    says   a    Russian    writer, 
"were  the  golden  fleece  of  those  days  and  of  those  regions,  an<l  tempted' 
not  only  Cossacks  and  fur-hiniters   to  brave   the   severest   hardships,  ])nt 
even    induced  jjersons   of  much   higher   rank   to   leave  their  families  and 
abandon  the  conveniences  of  life,  in   order  to  plunge  into  the  fearful    and 
unknown  wildernesses  of  Siberia  in  the  licipe  of  enriching  themselves  bv 
this  trade.      It  is  to   the   credit    of  the   national   characc.-r,    however,   that 
their  desire  of  gain  never  diove  them  t..  the  atrocities  of  whicii  the  gohl- 
seeking  coiujuerors  of  Mexico  and  Puru  were  guiltv." 

Thus  gradually  had  been  explo'-ed  two-fifths  of  tlie  whole  Arctic 
coast,  from  the  White  Sea  to  Ik'hring's  Strait.  Piece  by  piece,  too, 
had  a  great  portion,  if  not  all  ;.f  it,  been  surveyed  by  orders  of  tlie  gov- 
ernment; and  much  valuable  information  in  relation  to  the  country  and  its 
various  aboriginal  tribes  had  been  gleaned  and  collected  through  officials 
and  private  adventurers.  At  the  very  date  of  Pehring's  voyage,  the 
brothers  Laptew  were  winning  distinction  as  explorers  in  those  regions. 
Lieuteruuit  Charlton  Laptew,  in  May,  1741,  sailed  down  the  Taimur 
River  to  its  moiitli,  which   he  ascertained  to  lie  in  latitude   75°   36'.     He 

220 


FAILURE   OF  SCHALAROW.  031 

Ha.U-eca  e„;^.a,,..d  .si„cc  1730,  i,,  cxplorinj,.  the  coast  west  of  th-  Lcr, 
lK.nn.  ],,ea  appointed  to  succeed  P.ontschischtschew,  who  had  tried  i..' 
va.n  to  do„„ie  ,hc  icy  cape  of  Tain.,,-  Peninsula,  an.l  had  heen  cnploye.l 
-  .x,>h.nn;,  those  inhospitahle  shores  since  .73^.  Du^itn  Laptew  had 
l>een  snndaHy  en^a^ed  ,a,-the,-  to  the  east  since  ,736.  Having  douhled 
ll>c  Sv.ato,  X..SS  of  Sihena,  he  spent  his  (hst  winter  on  the  Indi-nrl^u 
Kuer,  ahout  ten  decrees  farther  east,  and  in  latitude  71".  Proceeihn.^ 
•hence  he  exanune<l  and  surveyed  the  coast  and  the  Bear  Ishn.ds,  winte," 
m--  on  the  Kolyma   River. 

lie  had  heen   preceded   in  those  re.^nons    l,y  I'aulusky,  in     ,75,       F,,, 
.uo  successive  seasons  Laptew  now  lahored   in  vain  to  douhle  Haranow 
Kocks,andreUn-ned   at  length   to  lakoutsk   in   ,743,  after   a  sojourn  of 
seven  years   on   the  shore  of  the  Araic    Ocean.      In    175S    Schalarosv,   a 
■  ncrchant  of   lakout.k,  sailed   fron.   the    Yana  River,  in  a  vessel  huilt  at 
Ins  own  expense,  an<l  succeeded   in  douhling   the  ,Baranow  Rocks,  hut 
failed  to  n,ake  Cape  Schelagskoi.     Ag.yn  he  tried  and  a^ain  was  driven 
hack   from   that  icy  goal   of  his   amhition ;  and  the  third  time,   in    ,760 
h,s  crew  retuscl  ,„  support  hin..     In    ,763  Sergeant   Andrejew,  a  Cos- 
sack, who   had    heen   on  the   7  uligirka    and    the    Bear   Islands,  reported 
that   he  ha.l  discovered,  thir.        lilcs  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Krcstovoi 
...  the  estuary  of  the  Kolyma,  a  group  of  inhahited  islands,  with   the  re- 
n>an.sof  a  fort,  an.l  traces  of  a  brge  population    at  some    previous  tin.e 
1..    .764  Schalarow  started  anew  t..  solve  his  personal  prohlem  of  ,loul,- 
ln,g  Cape  Schelagskoi,  hut  ,lid  not  return.  "His  unfortunate  death  (from 
starvation  it  is  sai.l)   is   the   more  to    he   lamented,"   savs   Wran-dl    u,^ 
he  sacrihccl  his  property  and  life  to  a  disinterested  aim,  a,ul  united  intel- 
li.Ue.K-e  and  energy  in   a   .eniarkahle   degree."      The  same  vear  Admiral 
rsclntschagow  failed  in  his  effort  to  sail  around   the    Spitzhergen  .n'oup 
I..    .7^7   Leo.ujew,  Lyssow,  and    Pushkarow  surveyed   the   ccj  near 
the  Kolyma. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  Kamchatka  side,  the  fur-traders  in  quest  of  prod- 
ucts for  their  profita])le  commerce  with  China  and  Japan,  had  .n-ulu- 
ally  .hseovered  the  islands  of  the  North  Pacific;  Norvodiskow,  the 
Uest  Aleufan,  in  ,745;    Paikovv,  the  Fox,  in  1759;  Tojstvch,  the  cen- 


.»U*i;^' 


•?: 


223 


VOrAGES  OF  BILLINGS. 


tral  -roup  called   hy  his  name,  in  1760;  Glottow,  Kadiak,  in  1763;  :m,l 
Kreinitzin,    Aliaska  Peninsula,   in     176S.      In   1770   a  merchant    named 
Lachcnv  or  Liakov,  while  gatherinff  a  cargo  of  fossil  ivory  ahout   Svia- 
toi  Noss,  saw  a  herd  of  reindeer  making  for  the  Siherian  coast  from  the 
north,  and  rightly  judged  they  must  have  come  from  land.     Proceeding 
in  his  sledge  over  the  ice,    guided   by  their  tracks,    he  discovered  at  a 
distance  of  forty  miles  from  the  cape  he   had   left,  an  island,  and  twelve 
miles  farther  a  second,  both  wonderfully  rich  in  mammoth  teeth.     Duly 
reporting  to  the  government  and  securing  from  it  the  exclusive  privilege 
to  dig  for  mammoth   bones  in  the  islands   he  had  found,   Lachow  Te- 
turned,  in   1773,  ''»<!  li:"'  the  good  fortune  to  discover  the  largest  of  the 
three  which  still  bear  his  name.     "The  whole  soil  of  the  first  of  these 
islands,"  says  Saunikow,  "appears  to  consist  of  the-e  remains." 

BILLINGS'   ARCTIC  VOYAGES. 

The  great  Empress  of  Russia,  Catharine  II.,  in  her  numerous  projects 
for  the  promotion   of  commerce,  with   the  comprehensive  sagacity   for 
which  she  was  distinguished,  could  n(.t  fiil  to  recognize  the  value  of  ex- 
ploration, especially  within  what   she   regarded  as  her  empire.     In  fur- 
therance of  her  design,  Joseph   Billings,  who  had  been  with  Cook  in  his 
last  voyage,  was  induced  to  enter  the  Russian  naval  service,  and  in  1787 
was  intrusted  with  an  expedition  for  the  examination  of  the  north  coast 
of  Siberia  from  the  Kolyma  River  to  Behring's  Straits.     Captain  Saryt- 
chew,  a  Russian,  was  phice.l  in  subordinate  command  of  one  of  the  two 
vessels  constituting  the  expedition.     They  sailed  down   the   Kolyma  on 
the  opening  of  navigation,  and  were  much  harassed  by  ice  and  overllow, 
which  drove  them  sometimes  into  the   inundated  bottom-lands.      Reach- 
ing the  ocean  they  pushed  to  the  east,  getting,  however,  to   only  a  few 
leagues  beyond  Baranow  R.xks.     The  Russia.i   captain  volunteered  to 
proceed  further  by  boat,  but    P.illings  deemed    the  project  unfeasible  be- 
cause of  the  ice,  and  returned   to   lakoutsk,  leaving^   his   vessels    aground 
in  the  Kolyma.     He  was,  however,  intrusted  with  a  second  expedition 
to  explore  Uic  islands  of  the-North  Pacific,  two  vessels   being  built   for 
that  purpose  at  Okhotsk.     In  June,  1790,  JJillings  visited   the  Aleutian 


DEHCIUPTION  OF  NATIVES.  ggj 

Islands,,  whore  he  found  the  natives  so  cruelly  treated  by  tiie  Russian  and 
Cossack  fur-traders,  that  he   felt  compelled  to    .nake   a.i  ener-ctic   re. 
monstrance  to  the  home  government.     Despite    his  efforts  and  "those  of 
tiie  central    authority,    the    local    oppression    continued    without   serious 
abatement,  and  there,  as  elsewhere,  the  aborigines  have   been   almost  to- 
tally  extinguished  by  overwork  and  virtual  slavery  to  the  whites.  From 
Ihi-   iJay  of  Saint  Lawrence,  Billin-s  proceeded  overland  on  the  13th  of 
Au-ust  to   explore   and   survey   the    Tchuktchi    Peninsula.     His   efforts 
were  weak  and  fruitless;  his  journeys  short,  and  stoppa-es  frequent;  and 
he  won   no  tavor  with   the   natives.     Jealous  of  the   Russian   surveyors' 
chains,  which  they  considered  typical  of  the  chains   of  slavery,  they  did 
not  hesitate  to  wrest  them   from    their   unwelcome  visitors,  whom    they 
would  not  suffer  to  write  any  notes  or  observations  as    far   as   they  could 
prevent,  so  that  the  exploration  proved  abortive.     Sauer,  the  histori;in  of 
the  expedition,  relates  a  few  incidents:     "We  passed  three  villages,  and 
halted  at  a  fourth  for  the  ni-ht.     The    huts  were  du-  under  tn-ound, 
covered   with   earth,  of  a  square  form,  with  a  fireplace  in  the  middle, 
■.xm\  four  lar-e  stones  made  the  hearth.      We  were  obli-cd  to  treat  with 
them  for  water,  and   for   fuel    to   boil    our  food,  and  to  pay  for  it  imme- 
diately.      Ohservin-  our  good    nature   and    want  of   power,  they  took  a 
liking  to  the  buttons   on  our  coats,  and  cut  them  off  without  ceremony. 
The  men  were  tall  and   stout,  and  the   warrior   had  his  legs   and  arms 
punctured.     The  women  were  well  made,  and    above    the    middle  size; 
healthy  in  their  appearance;  and  by  no  means  disagreeable  in  their  per- 
sons; their  dress  was  a  doe's   skin,  with  the  hair   on,  and    one  garment 
covered  their  limbs  and  the  whole  body.      They  wore   their   hair  parted, 
:iii<l  in  two  plaits,  one  hanging  over  each   shoulder,  their  arms   and   face 
iK'ing  neatly  punctured."     Captain  Billings  was  still  in  lakoutsk  in  1 793, 
l)ut  his  explorations  I)y  land  or  sea  did  not   add   much   t<.   the  volume  of 
geographical  information,  and  his  chief  merit  lies  in  his  humane  effort  to 
ameliorate  the  unhappy  conditiorx  of   the  oppressed    natives  in  the  Aleu- 
tian Islands. 

The  group   of  islands   known   as  the   Archipelago  of  New    Siberia, 
'     -overed  bv  Sirawatskv  In  1S06,  and   exnlored 


^y 


H 


edenstrom  in 


li' 


224 


S'i 


A  MAMMOTH.  228 

1.S09.  They  •  almost  due  norlli  from  Vaiia  Hay,  east  of  the  deUa  of 
llie  Lena,  between  hititude  73^' and  76%  and  lonjjitude  135'  to  150". 
They  are  j,'enerally  roeky,  and  are  covered  all  the  year  round  with  snow, 
without  busii  or  tree  anywiiere.  They  are  uninhabited,  but  with  traces 
of  former  population,  as  well  as  of  large  trees  and  fossilized  charcoal. 

Their  chief  importance  now  is  due  to  the  immense  (piantities  of  fossil 
ivory,  or  bones  of  ihe   mammotli,  which  are  found  embedded  in  the  soil. 
According  to   lledenstrom's   account,  the  tusks  are  smaller  and  li-hter, 
but  at  tile  same  time  more   numerous  toward  the   north  of  the  islands, 
and  often  wei-h  only  tliree  ..r  four  poods— loS  to  144  poiuuls— while  on' 
tlie  main  land  of  Siberia,  it    is  said,  there   have  been  found  tusks  which 
wei-:hed    twelve   poods,   or  433    pounds  avoirdupois!      To    this    larj^er 
-rowtli    must    have    belon-ed    the    mammoth    discovered    in    1799, '"by 
Schumachow,  one  ol   the   Tun-usian   nomads,  while  searchin-  f.,r  f„ssii 
ivory  near  Lake  Aucoul.  In  1803  the  ice  iu  which  it  had  been  enveloped 
havin-   gradually  melted  away,  this   hu-e   carcass   fell  on  a  sand  bank, 
where  its  flcsli  was  so  well  preserved   that  ii  afTorded  acceptalile  food  for 
do-s  and  beasts  for  at  least  three  seasons.      In    iSo.|    the  ori-inal   .liscov- 
crer  carried  away  llie  tusks,  which   he  sold    f„r  alxnit   forty  dollars.      In 
iSor,   Adams  found  it  where  it  had    fallen,  in   a   mutilated   condition,  but 
not   entirely  divested   of   flesh.      The   skeleton   was,  however,  complete, 
except  one  forele-  and  some  joints  „f  the  tail.     About  one-fourth  of  the' 
skin  had  disappeared,  but  the  remainder  recpiired  the  united  efforts  of  ten 
men  to  remove  it  to  the  shore,  a  distance  of  only   fifty  yards.      It    was  of 
a  .lark  -ray  color,  and  was  covered    with  a   short,  curly,  reddish    wool, 
besides   some    Ion-  black    hairs,  resemblino-   bristles,  which    varied     in' 
len-th  from  one  to  ei-hteen  inches.      The  animal  was  a  male,  and  had   a 
Ion-  mane;  and  the  whole  body  was  eventually  taken  to  St.  Petcrsburjr 
to   -race  the  imperial  museum,  while   samples  of  its  wool   were  sent  to 
the  principal  museiuns  throu-hout  Emope.      The  tusks  were  repurchased 
by   the   -overnment,  and    replaced    in    tlieir   ori-hial    sockets.       Its  chief 
measurements  are:      From   the  loivhead  to  the-  end  of   the  mutilated  tail, 
sixteen  feet,  fonr  inches;  hei-ht  to  the  top  of  the  .lorsal  spines,  nine  feet,' 
iuurinehes;  the  len-th   of  the    tnsks  alon-   tlie  curvature,  nine   feet,  six' 
15 


996 


THE  RURIK, 


\ 


ill  ^ 


inches.     Mosidt'H  thi'  remains  of  the  Elcphas  Pntmirctuus,  as  it  is  scien- 
tifically iiaine.1— (,r  primo^^'cnial  elephant,  as  it  mi;,'ht  he  popnhnly  called, 
had  not  the  word  mammoth  taken  its   permanent  place  hi  otn-  literature' 
—the   hones  of  the   rhinoceros,  hufTalo,  horse,  ox,  and  even    sheep,  have 
been  fomid,  all   demonstrating  that   there  was  a  time  when  the  Arctic 
regions  couhf  have  been  easily  explored  had  there  only  hcen  men  to  do 
il.     And  when  the  men  came— thou<,Hi,  according   to  the  native   legend, 
"  there  were  once  more  hearths  of  the  Omoki  on  the  shore  of  the  Kolyma,' 
than  there  arc  stars  in  the  clear  sky  "—they  were  hardly  the  men  to  husy 
themselves  overmuch   with  scientific   researches,  or  to    leave   records  to 
posterity.     The  Omoki  have  now  disappeared  from  even  the  mainland, 
and  the  islands  of  New    Siberia  are  alike   untenantable  by  man  or  beast. 

KOTZEBUE'S  ARCTIC  VOYAGE. 

To  these  surveys  of  the  northern   coast   and   islands  of  Siberia  was 
added  a  genuine  Arctic  voyage  of  exploration  in  1815.     To  the   public 
spirit  and  /.eal   for  knowledge  of  Count  Nicholas   Romanzof,  or  Riov- 
mantsof,  who  had  been  made  Secretary  of  State  in  1S07,  was  Russia  in- 
debted for  this  expedition.     It  consisted  of  one  vessel  of  iSo  tons,  which 
was   intrusted    to   Lieut.    Otto    Von   Kotzcbue,   son   of   the    celebrated 
German  dramatist  of  that  name.     He   had  accompanied   Kiuscnstcrn  in 
his   voyage  around   the   world,    1803-6.     As   his   chief  companions  the 
scientific  count  had  secured  the  poet   -.m^X  naturalist,  Chamisso,  and  the 
physician  and  naturalist,  Eschscholtz.     Twenty-two  men  constituted  the 
crew  of  their  ship,  the  «  Rurik,"  so  named  in  honor  of  the   first   king 
of  Russia,  the   famous   \'araiigian  chief  or  Norse  Viking,  who  founded 
the  first  Russian  dynasty  953  years  before.     They   left  Plymouth,  Eng- 
land,  in    October,    1S15,    and   in     March,    1S16,   arrived   ofi^  Waihu  or 
Easter    Island,  about   Soo   leagues  west  .,f  Chili— 27°  6'  south,  by  109" 
17'  west— where  they  were  prevented  from  landing  by  the  natives,  who 
were  embittered  by   tlie  injuries  received   a!  the  hands  ..f  foreign  visitors. 
On   the    17th  of  June    they  reached    the    Hay  of  Avatcha,   and    pushing 
norfi,    laiidal  on    St.  Lawrence    Islaiul   on  the   27th.     The   inhabitants 


UNWELCOME  llOSPlTALlTr.  ^ 

lia<l  nc'vcT   iKul   nny  intomnnsc  wifli    IC.uv.poans  :m„I    now   rcccivr.l  tlu. 
vis.tc-H  with  -rc.-,t  fricM.IIincss  a,,,!  trnwrlcnu-  hospitality. 

"So  lonjx  as  thi.  nalMiahsts  waiKJeml  ah„„t  „„  the  hills,"  says  Kot/t- 
I'lic,"!  stai.l  with  ,ny  aa,uaintaMccs,  who,  when  they  fo.nul   that   I    was 
tlH-  o.Miman.icM-,   invitc.l    mo   i,.to  their  tents.     Here    a   .Mrty   skin    was 
spread  on  the  lloor,  on  whieh  I  ha.l  to  sit,  an.l  then  tiu-y  ean.c  in,  one  af- 
t^'.  lheotiK-r,emhraee.l  me,  rnhi,e.i  their    noses  hard  aj,^n-nst  mine,  an.! 
finished  their  earesses  hy  spittin-  on  their  hamls,   and  then  slriUin-^  n,e 
several   times   over   the   faee.     Ah honj^h  these  proofs  of  friendship'^.ave 
mcvcry   littie   pleasure,    I    hore  ail  patiently;   the   only   thin,.    1    did    to 
l-^'hten  tl,e,r  earesses  somewhat,  was  to  distrihnte  U.haeco  leaves.     These 
the  natives  received  with  j^reat  pleasure,  hut  they  wishe.l  immediately  to 
renew  their  proofs  of  frien.lship.      Now  I  ),etook  .nyself  with  speed    to 
knives,  scissors,  and  hea.ls,  and  hy  .listrihntinj.  so.ne,  succeeded  in  avert- 
-i-U-  :.   nc-w   attack.      I>nl  a  still  jrrcatcr  calamitv  awaited,  when,  In  onler 
to  reh-esh  me  l,o,Iily,  they  hrou.^du  forwani  a   woo.ien    tray  with   whale 
l.l.-hher.     Nauseous   as  this   food  is  to  a  ICuropean  stomach,  I  hol.lly  at- 
taeke<l  the  <!ish.     This,  alon-  with  new  presnUs  whieh  I  disl  nn.ted    im- 
pressed tlie  seal  on  the  friendly  relations   hetwccn   us.     After   the    meal 
our  hosts  made  a.  ran.^^cments  for  dancin,.  and  sin^nnjr,  which    was  ac- 
companic<l  on  a  little  tamho,„-ine."     Two  days  later,  as  they  sailed  away 
to  the   north,  past  the  island,  the  n^Uives  killed   a  .lo,.  in  vi'ew    <.f  then, 
pirliaps  as  a  sacrilice  to  the  departin-  Europeans. 

I'assin,!,.  throuf,.h  Ik-hrin,,r\  Strait,  they  arrive<l  on  the  ,st  of  Au.rust 
withn.  a  hroad  hay  or  inlet,  he-innin-  at  66"  4,'  3,,"  ),,.  ,6,  ",  ^' 
50",  which  they  proceeded  to  explore  with  j,n-eat  .eal,  hopin.^  per- 
cliance  to  lin.l  ih.  lon,i,-soui,Hu  communication  with  the  Atlantic.  '"^They 
sjKnt  a  fortni.c,rht  in  its  survey,  and  thought  at  one  time  to  find  a  passa.^e 
south  ,0  Xor.on  Soun.l.  It  prove.l,  however,  to  he  evervwhere  stn-- 
••""•>'l-l  ''V  land,  and  was  name<l  Kot.ehue  Sound,  while  a  considerable 
.^I.Mul  an,!  hay  discovered  dnrin.^Mheir   exploration    were   nanied    respec 

Cv^lv  diamisso  and  Eschscholt/,  in  honor  of  his  companions,  the  natural- 
ists. The  attention  of  these  -entlemen  was  attracted  to  a  rema.ka],ie_ 
^n.<l  as  fn-  as   known   uniciue-island.      h  ha.l  an  elevati.Mi  of  about  ico 


228 


D  BAT  I  I  OF  KOTZEBUB. 


fee  ,  „,„,  „,„  ,,ppc.ar„„c„  „,a  chalk  cliO;  InU  „n  closer  observation  proved 
..  i.e  a  „,a»  of  ice,  on  which  had  lx.e„  deposited  i„  the  eot.rsc  of  ages,  a 

■■'^"■.""""^-  '■'">■  ■-' "■'■-"■.  ""ly  -  i-hes  .hick,  hat  covered  wih 

.,.„r,ant  vegctatio.,.     .The  ice  ,„ust  have  hcen   several  h„„dred  tho„. 
-...I  years  old,    says  Nordenskioid,  i„  descrihi,,;;  this  fi„d;  ..foron  its  hc- 
m.-  ..K. he,   a  lar,.c  ,u„„„cr  of  h„„c,  a„d  .„sk,  of  the  ,„ammo,h  appeared, 
■•"."  wh,ch  we,„ay  draw  the  eo„cl„sio„  that  the  ice  stratun,  was  fonnc.1 
■I'"-...!,'  the  period  i„  which  the  ,„a,n„,oth   lived    l,t  these  re^^ions  "     Its 
»cer,,„„c,l  la.ittale  vvas  ,5fi"    ,5'   36-,  and  it  was  thorough'lv  re^ex-,,,, 
med  by  Dr.  Collie,  the  s„rgco„  of  lieeehey's  e.peditlo,,  1„  tS,,,  „„,,  l,;,, 
later  l)y  the  traveler  Ball. 

Leaving  Kot.ehue  Sound  on  ti.e   15th  of  August,  for  the  Asiatic  side, 
they  beheld  the  wide-spread  Aretic   Ocean,  quite  free  fron.  ice  as  far  as 
tnc   eye  could    reach,   an.l    n.ight    perhaps   have    reached    what  is   now 
known  as   Wrangell    Land,  had  they  pushed   boldly  to  the  north      A 
contrary  course  was  taken,  an<l  returning  through  Behring's  Strait,  they 
wnuered  far  to  the  south  on  one  of  the  group  of  islands  to  which  Chat^ 
ham   Calvert,  and  Nautilus  belong.     In   ^Si;  Kot.ebue  set  out  for  the 
^"-th,  hut  being  violently  thrown  against  one  of  the  ship's  timbers  in  a 
sale,  he   lost   his  health  and   courage,  and  other  difficulties    not  bein^ 
vv.nt.ng,  he   returned  to   Europe  without   having  again  penetrated   tl,: 

wo.ld,  1S33-6,  wh,ch  ,s  foreign  to  our  subject,  and  died  in  .846,   i„  hi, 
fiftieth  year. 


CHAPTER    Wvr. 
«.A-,.AT„K„    MK„..:,,_c„„n„.„   „.„„   „,„,„    ,.„„„,„„„__■ 

STAIIT    lOli    CAPE     SCltlSI.AIJSKOI  -A    «,  T.-,,,,,     ,„.„,.„ 

TliADraO    IIUANDY  TO    MATIVl-S—l    «fi„„,.,. 

'-^        \   SIKJ.IilAN    r-AIIt UNWHI  COM!.- 

HOSI.,TA,,,TV-A    TCUKTCI    HANCE. 

Two  ,,„„„  ,,,,,„,„„  e.pc,«„„„„  „,.   raehor  „„c  o.pedi.i™,  ,•„  ,„„ 
•la  M„„s,  „.»  ,,,,„„„,,,  ,,,.  „,,  „„^,^„_  ,_,,^^^,  _|^^  ^^^_  wo 

,  wh.,  „„.  „„„  .„   ,.,  ,  ,„„„„„,^  ^,„_,  ,^^,^^  ^^^^^^^_^  ^^_^   ^  ^_^^^^^   ^ 

the  „.,K.,.  „  ca,pc„.c,..     Tl,.i,.  i„»,„,cH„„,,  i,,,,,,,,,^,  ^ 

c,  wc,.o  :,.  ,„„„»:     ..  r,.„,„  .„,  ,„„,,„,,, l^  .,„ 

<l...on»  „„„e„a,<e„  ,„  .„.  P„,,,.  Oce..,„,  ,  .„„e.,,  ,„,  ;,  ,,   i,„p„,,„„'  „ 

..I  n„mo,„sc  ,„a„t,ti„.,  „r  „,,«,,,,     „„  „„  ,„„,,  ,„„„,_  ,,  .^  ,^^_  j^^^^  ^^^ 
Scr^c-anl    Amh-oiow  .Irovo    over    .Ik-  ice    i„  ,ho  ,,pn„„  „f    ..g,    „,„, 

-yn  .n  .So,  ,S,„  a,„l  ,S,,,  „,,.„  ,„c  f,,,-,,..,.  .„„,.,,,  „,,  „„„. 
I»l-.l»,a,„l  ,ho  lau-r  ,lK.  I,aoh„„.  ,.,„„,.  a,„l  Ncnv  Sihoria.  V,  ,h^ 
^;,.,K.,»   ...   ,.e  ,,K.  „.„,   p,.a.Uca,    p,a„    r,„-  .„.  „.,,,„,,„   „,  ,„   ,     ,^:. 

".™,  ,.,  ,„o  a.l,.i,.al,y  wi,„  ,.,,p,,,  ,„   „„  ,,„„,.,,,,,  _,^;^.  ^_^  ^    ; 

Accord,,,,,,  „K.  ,„,e  divisio,,  „r  .ha,  o.poditio,,  ,»  ,,irocee.l  .„  p,.„,„..,  ,■„ 

»le.l,.c,  ,„  »„„oy  eho  coa.e  oa«twar,l  ,V,„n  .ho  „K„„h  o,' .he  K„lv,„a  a, 

;"•  -  Cape    Schola,.l<„i,  a,,.,  .he„ce  .0  p,„cce.l  i„  a  nonhcly' ,lirec- 

"V"  "'■''"■  '"  '^"'''"'  "•'- ■■  -'  "'habi.ecl  co„„.ry  exists  i„  that 

qii.„-te,-,  as  assc,-.u<l  l,y  .he  Tch„k.cl,i  an.l  o.he,-s." 

The    n,s.    clivisi,,,,    was   i„„.„s,e,l    ,„    l.ie,„c.„a,„    l.-enli„a„,|    Von 


.i'.tl 


'U 


it- 


WOOD  HILLS. 


Wran<,'ell,  with  tlic    midshipm.ni   Mati 


inschkin,  the  mate   K 


seamen — one  a  ear 


o.smni,  tvvo 


pcnter  and   the  other 


gcon  and  naturalist,  as  suhordinates.      T 


sur- 


of  I 


ieut.  I'eler  Feodoroviteh  Anjou,  wit 


a   smith— and   Dr.   Kyher, 
lie  second  was  placed  in  char<,'-e 


h  the  mate    Ilirin  and  I)i-.  !• 


rm,  sini^-eon  and  naturalist 


itrn- 


,  as  subordinates.     The  results  attained   l.y  Ihi 


second  division  were  never  fi 
dcntalh'  liuint.      I 


ormally  published,  as  their  papers  were  acci 


t   IS,  however,   known    that   thev  failed   to  d 


"iidiabiled   country   in   a    northerlv  direct 


isco\er  the 


tch 


i    and   others,"   wl 


ion,   as  alleifed   by   t 


!ie   -rchul 


iich    was  the   main   ol 


expedition,    and    that   tl 


)ject  of    both   sections  of   ( 


lie 


ley  surveyed    tl»e    New    Sil 


remarkable  Woo<!   Hills  of  those  island 
"They  form  a  steep  declivity  twentx    f: 


leria     IslancU 


Tl 


le 


s  are   thus   referred   to   by  Anjou; 


ithonis  hi"ii,  extendin; 


versts  (three  miles)  alon-   the  coast.      In  this   I 


aluiut  live 


th 


•ank,  which   i 


s  exiiosed   ti 


e  sea,  beams  or  trunks  of  ti 


■ees  are  found,  -enerally  in  a  horizontal 


tion, 


lar 


but   with   o-reat   irre,L,nilarity,    lifty   or   i 
nit    ten    inches   in    diameter. 


ircst   beiii; 


posi- 
nore   of  them   to^-ether,  the 


ah( 


T 


He 


hard,  is   (v 


wood    is   not    yer\- 


lahle,   iias   a   bla 


civ    color,  and   a 


the  (Ire   it   does   not  1 


ll;^rht     „■ 


OSS. 


w^ 


hen    laid    on 


)urn    with   a    llame,   liiit 


inous  odoi-, 


limmers,  and  emits  a  res- 


Th 


iSi 


ey   had     been    similarly   deseribed     by    I  led 


enstrom   in 


I,    wh 


I'    aods    some   particulai 


s     not   ^iven 


Dv 


miou 


thirty  fathom 


T 


I  ley   are 


s    lii^li,  and   consist  <jf 


^.orizontal   strata 


natiuii-  with  strata  of  I 


sandstone,  alter 


'ituminous  bea 


iui,'-  these  hills  fossilized 


ins  or  trunks  of  trees.      On 


ascend- 


charcoal  is  everywhere  met  \v 


cntly  with  ashes;  but  on  cl 


ith,  coyere<l  ai)iiar- 


)ser  examination  this  a 


])etrifaction,  and 


sh  is  also  found  t 


i>  l)e  a 


hard    that  it  can  scarcely  1 


On  the  summit  anoti 


)e  scraped  o(I    with  a 


niife. 


resenil 


ler   curiosity  is  found,  namely,  a  loi 
but  fi 


!''■  row  ( 


.f    1 


>i    I'cams 


1)1111-  the  former,  but  flxc.l  perpendicularly  in  the  san.lstone.  The 
ends,  which  project  from  se^  ,n  to  ten  inches,  are  for  the  most  part 
broken.  The  whole  has  the  appearance  of  a  ruinous  dike."  These  cu- 
rious remains  allord  stron-  presumptive  evi.lence,  that  sometime  in  the 
vast  -eolo-ical  a-es  (,f  the  past,  those  iv.^ions  enjoyed  a  far  more  tem- 
perate climate  than  now.  It  is  not  impossible  that  another  revolution  of 
the  -lobe  is  slowly  Jiro-ressin-,  whereby  all  parts  ..f  the  earth's  surface 
successively  pass  under  the  north  pole  of  the  heavens. 


DESCENT  OF  THE  LENA.  ggj 

The  members  of  i  he  expedition  left  St.  Petersburg  on  iho  4th  of 
April,  1S30,  and  proceeded  together  as  far  as  Moseo^v,  where  Anjou  and 
Kosmm  remained  behind  to  procure  the  necessary  instruments  for  both 
chv,s,ons.  Wrangell  and  Matinschkin  pushed  on  to  Irkoutsk,  n.akin<. 
the  journey  of  3483  English  miles  from  St.  Petersburg  in  fifty-six  days^ 
In  June  they  were  rejoined  by  the  other  members  of  the  expedition,  an,i 
o..  the  7th  of  July  Wrangell's  party  left  the  capital  of  Siberia.  ()„  the 
nnath,  having  made  a  rapid    land  journey  of   136  n.iles,  they  reached 


UARON   VON   WRANGELU 

Kotschuga,  on  the  Lena,  which  there  becomes  navigable.  The  next  day 
they  began  the  descent  of  the  great  river,  and  on  the  4th  of  Au-^ust 
arrived  at  lakoutsk,  having  been  twenty-five  days  making  a  distance  of 
.  \  11  n.iles.  This  city  is  the  great  center  of  the  interior  trade  of  Eastern 
S.lH.r,a.  About  the  middle  of  August  Anjou's  division  reached  la- 
koulsk,  a..I  Mati.ischkin  went  forward  in  advance  of  his  chief  to  Nishni 
that  is,  Lower-Kolymsk,  Wrangel!  following  on  the  .4th  of  Septem- 
l.n.     His  route  now  lay  across  country  to   the   northeast,   and    measured 


r  i 


232 


FATHER  MICHEL. 


over  i,3oo  miles,  occii 


of  operations,  Lower  Kolymsk— latitude  6S 
the  14th  of  November,  h 


pyin.,^  fifty-one  days.      Wran-cll  arrived  at  h 


lis  base 


Pctersburjrin  234  days,  of  which 
forty- 


,  )-iavui<,r  made  a   journev  of  6 


lys 
nine  at  lakoutsk,  besid 


thirt 


32  ',  lonjritude  160"  35'_on 
,300  miles  from  St. 


y-six    were   spent  at    Irkoiitsk  and 


es  mnioi 


horseback,  Wran<rcll  and  his  t 


stopp, 


aLTcs. 


Th 


e  journey  was  made  on 


wo  companions  headiii"-  a 


pack-horses  strun<r  to-ether.  the  first  and  last  only  I 
tween   that  city  and  the  Aldan  River  tlu-  people  were   [ 


ca\alc.ide  of  te 


n 


n;L,nn;  beyond  the  Verchoiausk  M 


liavniq-   drivers.      ]Je- 
dvuts  of  Tartar 


of  Tartar  ori< 


in.  I 


ountains  they  met  some  T 


unLfuses, 


dilHculty  in  climliin; 


n  crossin^j  the  mount, 


also 


unsthey  encountered  about  eciual 


P' 


snow  in  the  rav 


•ecipices  ami  clearin-  a  passa-e  throu-h  the  .1 


ines.      On  the  ninth   of  October  th 


eei 


ey   crossed    the   Y 


,  ,  ,  ".'    ^■"■^■^Lu    iiie    1  ana, 

and  on  ,he  :5th,  at  the  suation  of  Tabalo,,  n:et  Dr.  Ton,aschewski,  who 

was  on  h,s  return  to  civilization  after  three   years'   service   at  Xishni  Ko 

lyrnsR.   On  the  ..d  they  crossed  the  Indi^irka  at  Sasclm  ersk,  where  thev 

enjoyed.br, wo  .lays    the    hospit.nlity    of  ,he    venerable    Father    Michel 

a^ed  e.^hty-seven,  who,  in  a  residence  of  fbrty    vears    ha.l    bap.i.ed    an.! 

-strucce.1  In  the  .l.>ctrines  of  Christanity,  about  is,<kk.  |aku,s,  Tun^uses 

-<  Jukahires.   Next  reaching  f.ake  Orinkino,  they  entered  the  .list.^t  of 

Kolymsk,  and  traveling  150  n.ilesover  an  cntirelv  uninha],i,e.i  waste,  fbr 

the  n.ost  part  In.t  little  better  than  a  ^r...,,  n.>rass,    (hev    arrive.l    at    ,he 

Alase,  Range,  which  constitutes  the  watershed    between  the  river  of  that 

name  an.l  the  Indigirka. 

At  Sar.lach  station  ..n  the  ..1  of  Noven.ber,  Wrangell  luvn-.l  (he  first 
tKhngs  of  Matinschkin's  salb  arrival  at  his  .les.ina.ion,  and  of  .h..  prepa 
-t.ons   be  was  there  n.aking  fbr   ,he  expedition.      Crossing  a  low  ran.^e 
of  hdls  which  divi<le  the  waters  ofthe  Alasei  tron.  ,l,e  KoUuk.,  thev    n- 
.W  a,  the  latter  river  on    the  6,h,  a,  the   .own  of  Sre.ine  K..lvn,si:,  the 
oftcal  headquarters  of  the  .listric.      Here  a  .lav  was  spent    in  pr.Hurin.. 
the  heavy  fur  clothing  necessary  f.,r  ,l,e  eol.ler  region  ,l,ev  wcae   hasten" 
-"g   .0,  though   .he   teniperature  was   lar   from    genial    where   thev    wer.- 
the  thermometer  ranging  on  the  .lay  of  tluar  arrival  (Von)  ,;o  .0',,     ],,' 
low  .en..      At  length  on  the  ,yst  of  October,  on   the  banks  of  thc'on.o- 
Ion,  having  ma.ie  their  last  trip  .>f  ,85  miles  .,n  lu.seback,  they    .dadly 


l^.ir 


;!,'? 


234 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  SLEDGE   JOURNET. 


exchan<,.ccl  that  .ncans  of  travel  for  the  doK-sledgcs  of  the  country,  a.ul 
reached  Lower  Koly,„.sk  two  .lays  I.ter.     Here  they   wintered    to  recu- 
perate and  prepare  for   the   exploring  expedition    in    the  sprin-.     Tlie 
Kolyma  at  this  point  is  usually  frozen  over  heforc  the  middle  of  Septem- 
l>cr,  and  so  continues  tuUil  June.     Durinj,^  the  three  summer  months,  the 
sun  remams  for  fifty-tvvo  days   constantly  above  the  horizon,  hut  so  near 
>t  tliat  he  gives  but  little  heat,  and  may  usually  be  gazed  upon  with  the 
naked  eye  w.thout  serious  inconvenience.     The  inhabitants  are  very  jeal- 
ous  ot  the  distinction  of  the  seasons,  and  insist  that  it  is  spring  when  the 
sun  becomes  visible  at  noon,  though  the  thermometer   is  usually  35"  be 
low  zero  at  night;  and    autumn  begins  with  the   freezing  of  the  "river 
when   the  thermometer  often  points  to  47^^.     But  visitors  are  content  to 
d.vule  the  year  into  nine  months  of  winter,  and   three   of  summer.     In 
June   the  temperature  sometimes  rises   to  73°,  but  before  the  close  of 
July  .t   sinks  to  the  genial  warmth  of  a  pleasant  autumn   d.-v   in    more 
favored  climes.     In  January  the  thermometer  goes  down  .  .  65"  below 
zero,  thus  showing  a  range  of  137"  in   five  months.     Clear  days   are 
very  rare  .n  winter,  vapors  and  fogs  almost  constantly  prevailing  ^   And 
yet  the  climate  is  not  unhealthy;  catarrh  and  ophthalmia  are  conimon,  cs. 
pecally  in  the  foggy  period,  but  scurvy  and  other  dangerous  diseases  are 
very  rare. 

It  was  the  3<1  of  March,  .S21,  before  they  set  out  for  Cape  Schela-^s- 
I<o>.      1  be  mtervening  coast  is  uninhabited,  the    Russians    makin-^   occa- 
^>nal    hunting    excursions    as    n.r  as    the    Baranow    Rocks,    .uul    the 
Ichuktchi,  from  the  other  side,  to  the  greater  Baranow  River,  while  the 
unsubdued  Tchuktchls,  with  their  numerous  herds  of  reindeer,  roan,  over 
the  nuervening  moss-covered  plains,  and  are  an  object  of  dread  to  those 
who    have    occasion    to    cross    their    territory.     Reaching    Sucharnoi 
Island  -  latitude   6y"   31',   longitude    .61°. ^'-at  the   mouth   of   the 
cast  branch  of  the  Kolyma,   on  the  5th   they  made   their  final  arran-a^- 
ments  for  the  trip.     There  were  nine  dog-sledges  with  their  drivers;  a>ul 
tlic  ecpupuK-nts  were  as  follows:     A  tent  of  reindeer  skin,  witi,  a  skele- 
ton frame  of  ten  poles,  and  the  necessary   cooking   utensils;   a   bear-skin 
apiece  to  he  on,  and  a  double  coverlet  of  reindeer  skin  fo,-  each  pair-  the 


^  SLEDGE  LOAD.  ggg 

outer  clothinj,  of  each  comprised  a  f\„-  shirt,  or  kan.lcia,  an  overcoat   or 
outsKle  wrapper  of  double  fur,  called  a   kuchlanka,  fur-lined   boots,  a  fur 
cap  and  j,doves  of  reindeer  skin,  with  some  changes  of  linen.     Each   per- 
son  was   supplied    with   a  gun,   filty   cartridges,  a  pike,  a  knife,  and  the 
-ncans  of   .f.iking  fire.     The  instruments  were  tw..  chronometers,  a  sec- 
onds' watch,  a  sextant  and  artificial   horizon,  a  spirit   thermometer,  three 
a.nnuth  con.passes_one  having  a  pris>„-two  telescopes,  and  a   measur- 
-ng  iMie.      The  provisions  for  each  ,ness  of  five  for  one  month   were  .00 
11.S.  of  rye  biscuits,  60  lbs.  of  meat,  10  lbs.  portable  soup,  3  lbs.  tea,  4  lbs 
candy,  8  lbs.  grits,  3  lbs.  salt,  39  rations  of  spirits,  13   lbs.  tobacco,  and 
smoke<Iy..^W«  equal  to  1,000  herrings.     The  food  provided  for  the  do^s 
consisted  of  frozen  and  dried  fish  of  difibrent  kinds  equal  to  8,150  dried 
herrings. 

Each  sledge  carried  about  900  lbs.  avoirdupois,  besides   the   driver 
I  he  whole  was  so  carefully  covered  and   tied   down   with  thon.^s  and 
straps  that  nothing  could  be  displaced  or  injured  in  the  event  of  a'^sled-.e 
l.c.ng  upset.      The   driver   sits    about  mi.lvva^,   holding   on    by    a  thon.r 
wh.c!i  runs  from  end  to  ..,,\  of  the  sledge,  and  carryu.g  in  the  odier  hand 
a  long  staff  with  a  prod  or  spike  at  one  ^n.\  and  small  I>ells  at   the   other 
w.th  which,  an.l  his  voice,  he  .Inves  an.l  guides  his  team,  and  which    he' 
uses  also  as  a  support  in  an  emergency.     The  six  provision  sled-^es  ear- 
ned most  of  the  stores,  and  were  to  return    as  soon    as   unloaded;  but   a 
portion  was   also  placed  on  the  traveling  sle.lges  of  tiie    explorers    as  a 
.ncasure  of  precaution.      The  latitude  of  the  islaml  was  found  to  be   69- 
3.',  and  the  longitude   161"  44',  and  the  thcrmonaeter,  at  noon,  showed 
hall  a   degree   below    zero.     On  the  morning  of  March  6,    ,821,  they 
started  for  the  lesser  P.aranow  Rock,  tvventy-four  miles  distant,  and  ar- 
nvcdata   hut  erected   by  Capt.    Billings,  some  thirty-three  years  before, 
which  ihey  found  in  a  good  state   of  preservation,   but  filled  with    snow 
and  .ce.     Dislodging  the  boards  which   formed   the    roof,  they   cleared 
tlK'  hut  in  half  an  hour,  but  it  proved  only  large  oiough  to  accommo<late 
lour  persons.     The  j.arty  at  this  time  consisted  of  Lieutenant  Wrangell, 
tlie  mate,  Kosmin,  and  nine  drivers.     Seven  were  housed  in  the  lent."'    It 
was  found  that  their  observations  corresponded  with  the   careful   surveys 


In 


i    I'; 


m 


i 


980 


TENTTNG  TN  ARCTIC  REiilONS 


of   Capt.    nillinprs.      On    their  way   they    had   scvn    tin-   woodiii    tower 
erected  hy  Lieut.    Laptew,  in  17,^59,  at  the  incuth  ..f  the  Kolyma. 

Tile  next  day,  witli  the  tiiermonieter  at  jo    helow  zero,at  noon,  thev 
readied  tlie  vicinity  of  the  -reater  iJaranow    Kock,  havin-   made    ai.oiil 
twenty-five  miles.      Here  they  saw  the  enormous  masses  of  n.ck  noticed 
by  Sarytschew,  some  of  which  looked   like   ruins   of  vast    huildinj^-s,  and 
others,  colossal  fi<,'ures  of  men  and   animals.      On   the   Stli,    Iiavin--  made 
about  twenty  miles,  with  the  thermometer  n.nirin^-   from    fom-   to   eleven 
degrees  lower  than  at  noon  of  the  day  before,  they  pitched    liie    teni    on 
the  bank  of  a  small   stream  of  .rood   water,  beyond    which   no  Russian 
had  penetrated   since  the   ill-fated   expedition    of  Schalarow.      Here   also 
they  erected  a    depot  of  provisions   for  the   return    trip.      This   consisted 
of  four  ])osts  (h-iven  into  the  snow,  on   which   was   placed    a   rou-h   box 
made    of  driftwood  at  a  hei-rht   „f  nine   feet.      Tn    this   were   p'aced    the 
stores,  covered  with  wood  and  snow.      The  tent  was  twelve  feet  wide  at 
the  bottom,  and  ten  feel  lii-h  at  the  center;  and   around    the   central  lire, 
with  their  feet    toward    it,    and   their  Ixxlies    radiatin-  from    it    like   the 
spokes  ot  a  wheel,  they  lay  down    to   sleep,  and    i^rcnerally   rested       ell. 
Risin<r  :it  six  they  were  ready  to   start    at    nine,   and    usually    made    their 
day's  journey  of  twenty  miles   in  eij,rht   hours,   includin,t,r   stoppajres    fo, 
observations.      At  ni<,rht  they  laid  the  sledges  bottom  upward,  and  pomvd 
water  on  the  runners  to  form  an  ice-coating,  l)y  the   help   of  wiiich    thev 
could  glide  more  smoothly  over  the  snow,  the  drivers   always    making   a 
special    effort  to  keep  on  the  snow   to    preserve    the    smoothness    of  the 
runners. 

On  the  (jtli  they  made  only  twenty  miles,  a  severe  snowstorm  ex- 
hausting the  dogs,  and  the  next  day  their  route  lay  over  the  sea  ice  at 
the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  shore.  As  far  as  the  eve 
could  reach  they  could  see  nothing  ])ut  a  level  sheet  of  snow,  which  made 
traveling  much  easier  for  the  dogs,  l)ut  very  monotonous  for  the  men. 
They  halted  early  to  make  observations  for  ihe  longitude,  which  was 
ascertained  to  be  166°  11',  and  to  erect  another  depot  of  provisions. 
At  noon  on  the  nth,  a  mile  from  the  coast,  tlie  latitude  was  ascertained 
to   be  69"  30',    the   longitude    166"   27'.       The   temperature   falling  to 


5    t 


I 


TCHUKTCHl  H  ITS. 


287 


37"   hulow   zero,  it   became    necessary   to  protect   the  (lo<rs   l,y    clothing 
their  bodies   and  feet,  while    the  s.iow  became  less   smooth,  and  thus  the 
progress  of   ih,-  animals  was  ,lo„bly  hin.L^rcd,  so  that  they  were  able  to 
make-  only  fifteen  miles.      The  travelers   had   now  reached  the  crreat  Ha- 
raiiicha,  where  the  coast  jrradually  rises  as  it  trends  to  the  north.     In  the 
distance,  to   tlie  south   and   southwest,  could   be  seen   the  hazy  outline  of 
some  mountains,  and  f.   the   north    the  white  <rlint  of  a  line  of  ice  hum- 
mocks.      Observations  'became  dilHcult    and    uncertain,  the    instruments 
bcin-  alFected   by  the   intense  ct.ld,  and  at  a  temperature  36"  below  zero, 
uvrc  discontinued.    On  the  I3th  they  encampe.l,  after  a  journey  of  sixteen 
miles,  at   tiie  foot  of  a  hill   in   latitude  69"  38',  and   lon^dtude    167^'  43', 
with  tiic    temperature  at   29".     Here  was   <leposited   another  lot  of  pro' 
visions.      At  noon  of  the  13th  they  were  5'  farther  north,  and  at  the  foot 
of  a  low  bluir  they  saw  a  Tchuktchi  hut,  which  had  tlie  appearance  (,f 
havin-  been    recently  occupied.     About   three   miles  farther  on  they  en- 
tcrc.l  the   strait   lyin-   between    the  mainland  and   tiie   Sabadei  Island  of 
Schalarow,  in    the  middle  of  whicii    they  fell   in  with  several  Tchidvtchi 
huts,  built  of  drift   larch   wood,  in   latitude  69"  49'  ajul  lonjritude   i6S° 
4'.     At    no,m  of  the    14th,  in  latitude   69^53',  they  saw  from  the  top 
of  a  hill  which  tiiey  ascended  for  the  purpose,  a  stretch  of  open  water  in 
the  distance,  extendin-  east  and  west  as  far  as  the  eye  could   reach,  with 
-real    hummocks  of  ice  to   the   north,  which   they  had  at  first  supposed 
vvas   lan<l.      Within   two   miles   they  identified    Laptew's   Sand   Cape,  in 
lon-itude  16S ',  where  the  low,  Hat  coast  gives  way  to  the  more  elevated 
surface.     At  the  end  of  a  journey  of  twenty  miles   they  made   a  fourth 
and  last  deposit,  and  dismissed  the  last  of  their  provision  sledges. 

There  now  remained  Wrangell,  Kosmin,  and  three  drivers,  and  their 
point  of  departure  was  now  69"  58'  by  168°  41'.  They  gave  the 
dogs  a  (lay's  respite,  and  on  the  i6th  of  March  they  proceeded  toward 
the  hills  of  the  east,  but  after  making  thirty-five  miles  they  were  com- 
pelled t.)  hail  for  the  night  among  some  ice  hummocks.  Finally,  on  the 
lyth,  having  traveled  some  eighteen  miles,  they  reached  the  northwest 
point  of  C'ape  Sclielagskoi,  with  ice  hummocks  and  icebergs  all  around. 
Pushing  on  for  live  hours  longer,  during  which  they  had  only  made  live 


RETURN  RIVER. 

milt-s,  oviT  hummncks,  ;in)Uii(l  l)er,<,'s,  tliroujj^h  loosi'  snow,  and  n<,'litin[^ 
("or  fviM  V  loot  of  the  way,  they  reached  a  sheltered  cove  and  encanipe<l 
for  tlie  \\\'^h\.  Here  they  had  the  jLjood  fortune  to  find  some  drift- 
wood, and  l.nildinj,'  a  rousiiifr  lire— a  privile<re  they  had  not  enjoyed 
for  some  days—they  recruited  their  stren,<>:th,  with  tlie  .Scheia<,'skoi  tow- 
erini;-  west  of  them  to  the  iicifjhi.  of  3000  feet. 

Willi  only  three  days'  provisions  remaining,',  Wran<jcli    and    Kosmin, 
ieaviuL,'-  one  sledije  fiehind  to  await  their   return,  proceeded  to   test,  as  fin- 
as  mi<,'ht  he  possil)Ie,  the  theory  of  Admiral    James   Bnrney,  recently  ad- 
vanced in  ICn-rland,     He  conjectured  that  an  isthmus  mi<,rht  l)e  found  ex- 
tending- from  Schela<,rskoi  to  the  main  land   of  America,  north    of  Uehr- 
inji^'s  Strait.      I[avin<^-   ^hmic  ten  miles  east  from  the  camp,  at  noon  of  tlie 
18th,  they  Ibund   the   latitude  to  he   70"  3',  and   seven   miles   farther   on, 
with  twenty-four  miles  of  coast  in  view  to  the  east,  the  main  trend  «.f  ijie 
land  was  southeast,  and  therefore   not  confirmatory  of  nnrney's    views. 
Namint,'  the  farthest  point  seen    Cape  Kosmin,  in  honor  of  his    compan- 
ion, and  markinj^  the  limit  they  had    reached  by  a  can-n  on  a  hill,  in  lati- 
tude 70"  i'  and  longitude    171"  47',  on  tiie  bank  of  a   stream    signifi- 
cantly named  the  Return,  Wran<,'ell  with  his   three  companions  returned 
to  camp.      They  had  traveled  341  miles  since   leaving,'    Snchanioi    Island 
—an  averap^c  of  twenty  miles  a  day.      They  erected  a  memorial    cross  at 
the  cape,  and  set  out  on  the  retuin  trip  the  next  morniny.     They  reached 
Staduchin's    Wolok  (porta<,fe)  three  miles  from  camp,  but   farther  inland 
than   the   route  previously  taken,  and   at  noon   were   at  69"  44'  by  170' 
47',  and  to  a  cape  three   miles  away  in  a  southwest   direction,  Wrant^all 
<,^ave  the  name  of  his  midshipman'Matinschkin,  then  absent  on  a  nii-^^ion 
of  peace  and    inquiry   amon<:j   the    Tchuktchis.      Next   dav    they     made 
across  Tschaun    Hay   to   Sabadei  Island,  and  late  in  the   eveninj^   of  the 
2 1st   reached   their   fourth  depot  of  provisions — none    too   soon,  for  thev 
had  used  U[i  all  they  had    taken    with    them,      h   proved    their   salvation, 
havinc:  escaped  the   <lcpredations  of   foxes  and    wolverines,  b\-  wliich  the 
other  three  were  successively  found  to  lia\e  been  rilled.      To  add  to  tlirir 
disappointmiMit,  no  supplies  were  found   at   Sucharnoi    Island,  as  ordered, 
and  the  hungry   travelers — men  anil   dogs — had    to    wend    their   way   to 


A   IWSS/AIV  FArrf. 


230 


Lower    Koly.nsk,    svIkmv   llu-y    ar,ivc-,l  ,.„  ,ho  .r.th,  l.avin,.    l.v„  ..I.s.nt 
Ufmiy.iwu  days,  the-  h.sl  (wo  without  Too,!. 

'>^'-  '••"■".I  «np,  as  .na.lc,  was  6j7  ,nilcs,  or  a,,  avc-ra^e  ofncarlv  ihir- 
ly-oM.  ,n,k-s  a  .lay  lor  tl,c  twcUy-onc  .lays  actually  consunu..!  i„ 
li'avi'IiiiLf. 

On  the  last  , lay  of  March    Wran^^cll   was    rcjoincl  l.y    Matinschkiu 
who  ha.l  hccM.  well   receivcl  l.y  the  Tchuktchis,  an.l  pro.nisc.l  a  kin.l  re- 
ception whenever  the  expe.lition  shoul.l  reach   their   settlements.      They 
l.^.'l  never  seen  or  hear.l   of  a  lan.l  to  the  north  of  their  coasts,  an.l   here 
■^'^■^^n  Unrney's  theory   faile.l  of  support.     He  ha.l  left    [..nver    K..lyniKk 
-.the  ,6th  ..f  March,  accompanied  ],y  an  eccentric  British  naval  ..Ihcer 
C'aplan,  jolm  Dun.las  Cochnuie-sunuuneU  "The  I'e.leslrian  Traveler"' 
'iH'n   on    his   fam.n.s    trip   an.nn.l    the   w.,rl.l-a   Cossack  servant   an.l 'a 
.h'l^i't  uuerpreter,  an.l  in  f.,ur  .lays  arrive.l  at  Fort  ()str.>wn..i,  where  an 
^".nnal  fair  is  hel.l  f.,r  tra.lin,^^  with  the  Tchuktchis.     This  fort  comprises 
:i  k-u-   hnts  snrr..nn.le.l    hy    a  palisa.le,   an.l    is   huilt  .,n   an    isla.ul  in  the 
lesser  Aniuj  River,  in  latitu.le  68  '  an.l  lon-itu.le  njG'  ,./. 

On  the  3ist   a  caravan  of  Russian  merchants  arrive.l   with    135  pack- 
Imrscs  I.Kule.l  with  commo.lities  suitahle  f.,r  the  Tchuktchi  tra.le.  "  These 
ueret..hacc...l,ea.lsof  various  c..l..rs    an.l    hardware,   the   last  cmsistino- 
mostly  01    hatchets,  knives,   an.l  kettles,  with    other  culinarv  utensils,   hi 
si.les  some  smu-de.l  hran.ly,  very  si<r„incantly  calle.l  hv  the   Tchuktchis, 
"w:l.l-n,akin,^-water"--.a  much  n,..re  appn.priate   name  than  the  French 
"water-..i:iitl,"  i^iven  it  in  the   earliest  peri.,.l  of   Iun-.,pean  a.-.,uaintance 
wilh,.s,lelusive   stimnlatin,^^    p.nvers.      IJut    th.,u,^di   unfortunately    nu.de 
^H.inanUe.1  with  its   frenzyin.L;-    properties,  the    n,is.^M.ide,l  ahori^nnes    will 
i.-l  hesitate  to  exchan,i,^e  their  preci..us  fm-s  to  the  value  of  two  hun.lred 
'l<.ll:ns  f..r  a    few    Ix.ttles   ..f  ha.l  hran.ly  costin,^.  perhaps  tw.,  dollars  at 
i.il^oiitsk. 

IJesi.Ies  this  race,  the  fair  is  visitc.1  hy  the  other  native  trihes  within 
n  nulins  .,f  six  h.m.lre.l  miles-the  Jnkahiri,  T.m,t,n.si,  Tchnwan.i  an.l  the 
knraki  -together  with  a  few  scattered  Russians,  for  wh.,se  hen.'llt  the 
"•^•'vhants  hrino-  :,  small  stoek  of  tea,  su-;,,-,  el.,th  and  hran.lv.  To  trade 
m  this    last    with    the   ah..ri,rin..s   i.  duly  !orhidd.-n    hv  the    Russian    c^ov- 


11  ! 


^  N 


I 


840 


A/AT/NSC//h'/.V  IXTEIiViniVS    THE   CHIEFS. 


eminent,  luit  incaiiH  are  easily  louiul  to  evade  tlie  law,  ami  the  pdor 
sava;;es  are  only  the  more  heavily  lleeied  because  of  the  eontrahand 
charaeli-r  llnis  ^'iven  to  the  tralKie. 

The  i-onunndities  hroiij^ht  lo  this  market  hy  the  Tehuktchis  consisted 
chielly  of  \\\c  furs  of  various  animals  intli;,fenons  to  iheir  tonntry  and  the 
opposite  shores  o|"  North  America,  hesiiles  the  skins  of  hears,  reindeer, 
seals  and  walruses,  as  well  as  walrus  teeth.  Most  of  these  they  barter 
for  with  the  American  tribes,  ^iviiii^  them  in  exehan^'e  tlu-  lob.ueo 
and  trinkets  which  they  procure  from  the  Kussians,  The  ehii-f  arliiles 
of  their  own  manufacture  are  sledfjfe-rumurs  made  of  whalebone,  cloth- 
ing; made  from  reindeer  skins,  and  seal  skin  bail's.  IJefore  the  open- 
inij  of  the  fair,  a  basis  of  barter  is  settled  by  the  principal  personaj^es 
on  both  sides.  The  value  of  i^oods  exchanj(ed  annually  was  estimated 
at  this  time  at  about  $1^0,000.  The  Russians  make  a  profit  of  about 
60  pi'r  lent.  on  what  the  i^oods  cost  them  at  liie  homt-  market,  and 
the  'I'chuktchis  about  x^iHt  pi'r  cent,  on  wliat  thev  .u'ive  for  the  ftns  to 
the  American  aborit,nnes.  HiU  tiu'  laltei'  are  several  months  on  the 
road,  while  the  Russians  are  only  a  few  weeks  from  bomi'.  The  lair 
lasts  only  tinre  days.  The  Russians  are  vehement  and  noisy;  the 
Tehuktchis  calmly  wait  for  wliat  they  consi<lei-  an  eciuitable  olFer,  which 
they  at  once  accept.  I'he  noise,  press  and  bustling-  activity  on  the 
j)art  of  the  too  career  Russians,  together  with  the  jarj^on  of  mixed 
Russian,  Tchuktchi  and  jakut  words,  in  which  they  proclaim  the  value 
of  their  wares,  creates  an  indescribable  confusion  and  uproar,  in 
marked  contrast  with  the  silent  composure  always  maintained  by  tiie 
b..rba 

Here  Matinschkin  took  occasion  to  introduce  his  mission  to  the 
notice  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Tchuktchi.  These  were  Makamok  and 
Leutt,  from  the  Bay  oT  St.  Lawrence,  Waletka,  whose  mmierous  herds 
of  reindeer  crop  the  <:^reen  moss  of  the  plains  to  the  east  of  Cape 
SciielacTskoi,  and  Ewraschka,  whose  tribe  of  nomads  roams  the  lowlands 
round  the  Tchaun  Hay.  lie  explained  to  tiiem  that  the  miu^bty  Czar 
of  all  the  Russias  wished  to  ascertain  if  his  ships  could  reach  his 
Tchuktchi  friends  by  the  northern  sea,  and   brinj^  llieiu  the  wares  they 


UNWEl.  COME   1 1  OS  PI  TA  L I  TV. 


2-11 


lunlid  l.y  tlut  r.M.U-  i„  j.,eaUT  ;.l..in<l;in<v,  .-.n.!  Mt  ,.  rhcipiT  rali-.  I  le 
iM.|'«iinl  uliHlur  i„  |,n,si-niti..M  <,f  UmI  .Irsi-,,  tl.f  ..crvaiils  of  Hk^  lO.u- 
IKHM  ...ul.l  ,vly  ,.„  a  tVa-n.lly  .v.cptiun  an...,,-  tlu-i,-  ,.c<,,,lc,  a„.l  ,„„. 
ii..v  lu,  ||k„,  s„cI,  supplies  as  they  ,ni-l,t  „ee.l,  l.y  payi„jr  f,„-  ,1,,.  same 
in    Slid,  ru„u„.,<lities  as  the  Tchiiktchi  we,e  w..„t   t..  p.iivhase. 

'I'm  all  llirse  ..vertures,  amm.paiiied  l.y  p,vse„ls  ki,„|lv  s.„t  ihi.„,  |,y 
"'^'  i:.npn<.,,  tlu-  chiefs  ;.avc  thei,-  willi,,,;,.  asse„l,  pn„,",isi„j.  that  ihc 
cxp.(li,l„„  w..„l,l  reedve  ihei,-  o„clial  supp..,i  vvhe„eve.' a„.|  wherever  it 
mi.Lrht  he  lecjuired. 

Lemi    ieceive.1  hi,,,  with  -real  .,.r,Iialityal    his    (er,t,    whe,-e    he    par- 
tonk  of  his  h,.spitality  which,  however,  he  vv.ul.l  have  I.ee,,  ;^la.l  tu  dis- 
pense with,  a,ul  wheie  he  was  ah.u.sl  snllbeated  l.y  the  finnes'^of  sli„kl„jr 
oil  .m.l  the  evapi.ratic,  f,„m  six  dirty,  and  alm(.st  naked  people.      His  ilN 
concealed  squinnishness  excited  the  hilarity  of  the  wife  and   dau-hter  of 
his  l,..st,  who  we,e  l.nsily  enj^,-ed   decoratin-  their  pe,s<.ns   with   niany 
coh.red    heads  in  honor  of  his  visit.     Makom<.l  invite.l   hi,,,  to  witness  a 
sled-e-i-aee  in  which  the  three  pi-ize.s  were,  a  hlne  fov  skin,  a  heaver  skin, 
;.nd  a  pair  of  walrus  teeth.      The  spee.I  of   the  ,eindeei-,  and  the  dextcity 
of  the  drivers  elicited  his  admiration,  and  the  applause  ..f  t         n.ultitudc 
was  as  sincere  as  it  was  well -deserved.     This    was  snpple,nente<l   i.y   a 
foot-.ace,  in  which  the  contestants  wo,e  their  usual    heavy    fur   clothin-, 
hut  seenied,  nevei-theless,  to  run    <.ver   the   course  of  „ea,ly    nine    miles, 
with  as  nuich  ileetness  as  the  li-ht-dad  runners   of  ,n(.re   -enial    clinies.' 
Matinschkin  „(.ticed  that  the  Tchuktchi  evinced  a  ,iuich   hi{,rher  appred- 
atioi,  of  the  previous  performance,  which  is  ,„   harmony  with  what  niay 
also  he  ohserved  amon-  civilized  men.     At  the  close  of  the  -a,nes,  spec- 
l;itois  and  peitormeis  were  entertained  with  princdy  hospitality  at  a  l.an- 
MHct  of  l.oiled  reindeer,  cut  i,p  in  small  pieces,  and  served  in  lai-e  wooden 
lu.wls  .list,-il,ute.l   a,-ou„d  over  the  snow.      The  <iuietness  and  -ood  onler 
Mianifeste.l  l.y  the  jieople  who  pa.took  of  this  wide-spread  repast,  elidted 
thr  a(linirati(.n  of  Matinschkin,  who  could  not  fail  to  contrast  it  with  the 
joNlliii-  and  cnishin-  and  sul.dued  (luarrdinj,^  which   so  often   character- 
i/e  puhlic  l.aiKiuets  in  civilized  communities. 


lis    \is,ts    \v 

1« 


e,v    toiinally    ivturned    hy    a   party    „f    the    Tchuktch 


h  I  i- 


•■H\ 


242 


A   TCHUKTCHI  DANCE. 


on    the    followincr    day,    to    the    ladies    oi     which    he    presented    red, 
white    and    lihie    lieads,    and    for    refreshments,    some    tea    and    candy; 
of    the    hitter    onl}-    did    they    partake,    tea    having     no    cliarms    for 
the   fashionable   ladies  of  Northeastern    Asia.      Then   they    danced,    if 
dance    it    may    l)e    called,    where    the    feet    and     bodies    are     moved 
back  and  forth,  without  change  of  place  or  evolution  of  any  kind,  while 
the  performers  beat  the  air  with  their  hands.     In  the  next  stage  of  the 
performance,  three  of  the  most  competent  dancers  signalized  themselves 
in  a  \'ery  energetic  and  complicated  series  of  evolutions — dignified  with 
the  title   of  the  national  dance    of  the  TchuktchI,  in    which  jumpings, 
grimaces  and  contortions  formed  the  chief  attraction — until  forced  by  ex- 
haustion to  desist.     Thereupon  it  was  whispered  in  the  ear  of  Matinsch- 
kin,  by  the  interpreter,  that  the  etiquette  of  the  occasion  required  him  to 
give  to  each  of  the  three  distinguished  artists,  a  cup  of  brandy  and  some 
tobacco,  which  was  accordingly  done,  when  the  whole  partv  took  leave 
of  the  Russian,  charging  him  to  remember  to  return  the  call  in  their  own 
country.     The  chiefs  also  made  him  a  formal  visit,  to  renew  their  assur- 
ances of  friendliness,  and  disposition   to   forward   the  cxplcation   of  the 
Icy  Sea.     Leaving  on  the  2Sth,  he  rejoined  his  chief,  as  has  been  said,  at 
Lower  Kolymsk,  on  the  31st  of  March,  1831.     Dr.  Kyber,  the  remain- 
ing   officer  of  the  expedition,   had    arrived  from  Irkoutsk   the  day  after 
Wrangcll's  departure  on  his  first  sledge  journey ;  but  was  so  feeble  that 
he  was  not  able  to  take  part,  even  in   tiie  second,   for    which   they    now 
began  to  make  preparations. 


■  ^t  "^    •       ■'■■^ 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 


WRANGELlJs  SECOND  SLEDGE  JOURNEY— ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HEAR  — 
A  SAI/r  MOOR— SURPLUS  PROVISIONS  DEPOSITED— ATTACKED  RY 
REARS-RETURN  TO  LOWER  KOLYMSK  -  SUMMER  OCCUPATIONS 
—ALMOST    AN    ACCIDENT— WINTER    AT    NISHNI    KOLYMSK. 

The  outfit  for  this  journey  was  substantially  the  same  as  for  the  pre- 
vious one,  with  some  few  improvements  and  additions.     The   most   im- 
portant of  these  was    a  portable  boat    made  of  skins  for  crossing  open 
cbainels   in  the  ice,  a  crowbar  for  breaking  through  the  ice  when   nec- 
essary or  desirable,  and  whalebone  shoeing  for  the  sledge-runners  to  be 
attached  where  the  loose  snow  or  the  crystals  left  by  salt  water  overflow, 
made  the  passage  diflicult.     To  the  instruments  were  added  a  dipping' 
needle  and  sounding-line.     The  traveling  sledges  were  six,  and  the  pro- 
vision  sledges   fourteen,  besides  two  sledges  belonging  to  the  merchant 
Bcrcshnoi,  who  had  asked  to  be  permitted  to  accompany  the  expedition, 
making  in  all  a  train  of  twenty-two  sledges,  with  340  dogs.     The  load 
of  each  sledge  at  the  outset  was  nearly  i,,oo  lbs.  avoirdupois.    Wrangell's 
immediate  companions  were  Matinschkin,  Reschetnikow— a  retirecrscr- 
geant  who  had  joined  him  at  lakoutsk,  and  who  some  twelve  years  be- 
fore had  accompanied    Hcdcnstrom  in  his  exploring  expcditi(,u    to  the 
New  Siberia  Islands— and  the  sailor  Nechoroschkow,  who  had  accom- 
panied him  from  St.  Petersburg. 

On  the  7th  of  April  the  start  was  made,  as  before,  from  Sucharnoi 
Island,  and  the  first  halt  was  at  Billings'  hut  near  the  lesser  Baranow  Rock, 
whence  a  more  northerly  direction  was  taken  than  on  the  first  jourtiey.' 
A  mile  and  a  half  from  the  siiore,  on  the  second  day,  they  encountered 
.nuch  difficulty  in  threading  their  way  among  the  ice-hummocks,  but 
setting  clear  after  three  hours'  labor,  they  found  themselves  five  miles 
n-n.n  shore  on  a  level  plain   tmbrokcn  as  far  as  the  eye  couhi  reach,  save 

243 


1    j 

.     '; 

:'.     IS 

'    .1 
1      f 

':■  1! 

'     '4 

:' 

244 


FOUR-PJLLAR  ISLAND. 


wlierc  an  occasional  small  hummock  stood  like  a  rock  above  the  surface. 
Having  made  seven  miles  farther,  the  traveling  sledges  stopped  to  await 
the  coming-up.  Here  they  encountered  an  enormous  hear  which  they 
succeeded  in  killing,  mainly  through  the  dexterity  and  courage  of  one  of 
the  Cossack  drivers. 

When    the    i)rovisi()n   sledges    arrived,    they    reported    two    of  their 
numhei-    missi.ig,    having    had    their    sledges    upset    among    the     hum- 
mocks.       Three    sledges     were    quickly    unloaded     and     sent    back     to 
their     relief,    and     in     two     hours    the    rescuers     and     the     rescued     re- 
joined the  otiiers  umnjured,  but  tired  and  cold.     It  was  therefore  deemed 
advisable  to  camp  for  the  night  where  they  were.      Wrangell's  tent  was 
accordingly  pitciied  in  the  center  with  four  smaller    tents   belonging  to 
the   merchant   and    the   wealthier  drivers,  round  about,  the  whole  being 
encircled  by  the  twenty-two  sledges,  with  the  dogs  tethered   on   the   int 
side.     On  the  ptlr,  one  provision  sledge  returned  homeward;  and  at  noon 
they  found    themselves    in    latitude  69°  58',  with  the  greater  Baranow 
Rock   to  the  southeast.     By   night  they  had  made   twentv-eigiit  miles, 
reaching  latitude  70°  12'  30".     On  the  10th,  after  a  journey  (if  twenty- 
seven  miles,  they  camped  in  a  small  bay  on  an  island  which  they  judged 
to   be  the    most  eastern  of  the  Bear   Islands,  though  they  found  the  lati- 
tude only   70°  37',  while   Leontjcw,  in    1769,   had   determined    it   to  be 
7i"5S',and   the  longitude    iGz'  25'.       VVrangell    named  it  the   Four- 
Pillar  Island  from  the  remarkable  pillars  of  granitic  porphyry,  the  tallest  of 
which  measured  forty-eight  feet  in  height  and  ninety-one  in  circumference. 
The  form  was   somewhat  like  a  gigantic  human  Ixxly  with  a  turban  on 
its  head,  but  without  arms  or  legs.     Finding  here  an 'abundance  of  drift- 
wood, they  concluded   to  remain  one  day,   which  was  devoted  to  making 
observations  and  collecting  a  store  of  firewood. 

Two  provision  sledges  returned  from  this  point,  when  0.1  the  12th 
of  April  our  travelers  set  out  toward  the  northeast,  and  at  n.jon  Ibund 
themselves  5'  north  and  4 '  east  of  the  island,  having  made  between  six 
and  seven  miles.  All  this  time  the  temperature  kept  a  few  degrees  above 
zero,  usually  between  seven  and  fourteer..  Now  they  encountered  the 
salt  covering  on  the  ice  surface,  which  made   progress  slow,  :,m,|  a  thick 


4' 


A   SALT  MOOR.  g^j. 

fog,  which  ma,le  then-  clothing  wet  a„,I  „„c™f„„„bk.,  B„eh  circm. 
s  a,K.o,,  ,,  ,„  ,„„icatc.l  ,,„  :,pp,.„„ch  ,„  „„en  „:„„■;  a,„,  .„  „a,l  .„  their 
;K.ng„,,  the  w,„d  h,ew  a  ,alo,  threatening  the  .ii.nption  „f  the  iee. 
.       •     ,  ^  ^'"'  ^'''''*'''   "^  •■'   linmmodv  thirty  feet   hi.rh,  and 

:::,. ;;  ^-7':  :!'""^'  -™-  -  ^^  -■-'>  "-.v  wejah.  t;,,;.:;, 

vate,  ht  f,„-  .lr,nk„,.  and  eookin,.     The  ten,  wa»  torn,  an,l  w„nl,.  have 
>oe„  swept  away  l,y  the  win.l  ha.l  they  a„t  ,ee„re<l  it  by  extra  fa*ni„„ 
...  t  e  hnntmook.     By  four  in    the  ,n„n,in,.  the  stornt  ha.l   ™bside<l,  and 
.he  temperature  rose  to  .3".     By  ^^^  ,„„  ^,,^,^„„,_^ 

rnnnersan.,   walKin,  heside  the  sled^eMhey  continued  to  aavaLe,  hnt 
the  surface  was  ,0  ron.h  that  i,  took  seven  hours  to  ,nake  nineteen  „,ilc, 
witde   the  provision    sledges   were  away  beltind,  out  of  sight      In  the 
evennrg  the  temperature  again  sank  to  7",  but  rose  on  the  morning  of 
A,>.      .4  .0  ,8",  when  thcy  again  took  the  road.     Eight  miles  further 
on     hey  saw     hrce  seals,  which,  however,  got  safely  away  to  their  hole, 
...  .1  e  .ce.     Havmg  traveled    twenty  miles,  they  camped  at  7,"  3,'  by 

•SS    -'.....d  sent  back  three  more  sledges.  I       i         ^ 

They  now  adopted   the  plan  of  trav'eling  by  night,  and  started  after 
sunset  on  Apnl    ,5,  hut  after  traveling  nine  miles  they  found  them.,elve, 
...;vhat     Vrangel,  calls  a  deep  sal.   moor,  with  the  fee  o.ly  five  i„che 
*,ck,  and  s„  rotten   that  it  could   be  cut   through  with  a  common    knife 
Hastemng  on,  of  „»  dangerous  place  two  miles  to  the   southeast,  they 
fon.,d  the  ,ec  sntooth  an.l    so.ntd  an,I  fourteen   inches  thick,  and  the  sea 
■lopth   twelve   fath„m.s.       They    camped  at    ■,.' ^y   ,,y    ,630        ,,  „„j 
»pc...  the  n,ght  in  great  alar.n,  as  a  high    northern    wiu.l  so  li.ated  the 
"1.0..  sea   somewhere  .0    the   north,  that  the  ice  benealb   the^r  fee,  was 
made  to   vd.rate   by  .he  disturbance  of  the    water.     Leaving  this  camp, 
W.angell    w,tb    two  sledges  only  proeecled  fo.n-  miles  farther,  when   I 
"......1  .  .e  ,ce  so  broken  by  lissures,  and  so  unstable,  that  he  eonelude.1  to 

seek  s.afety  u,  quitting  the  neighborhood.  The  highest  point  reache<l  was 
7.  4.?  ,  a.  an  air  line  distance  of  ,.4  miles  from  the  lesser  Baranow 
ivOck. 


II 


iviiiir 


made   al)oiit    thirteen  miles  to   tl 


limit,  they  encamped  for  tli 


10   south-.southea'^t  i 


le  n 


i^ht  of  the  1 6th  of  April 


rom    t!ic 
in  a  circular  hoi- 


t?^' 


246 


EASTER  SERVICE. 


lo^v  foi-med   by  ice  hills.     At  noon   the  next   day  they  were  at  70°  30' 
hy  ^63"  39';    and  resuming  their  journey  after  sunset  toward  the  east 
they  soon  fell  in  with  a   labyrinth  of  hu.nmocks,  with   what  they  con- 
ceived to  be  an  island  i.i  the  distance.    Breaking  througii  the  intervening^ 
obstacles  by  the  free  use  of  the  crowbar  for  three  hours,  they  reached  the 
foot  of  the  towering  mass,  which  proved  to  be  only  an  ice  hill  of  uru.sual 
dmiens.ons.     Here  were   carefully  deposited  the  surplus   provisions,  thus 
rchcvmg  eight   sledges,  which,  with   their  drivers,  in    charge  of  Ser-t 
Reschetnikow,  were  sent  on  to  Nishni  Kolymsk.     There  remained    ten 
persons  including  the  merchant  Bereshnoi,  who  wished  to  see  the  adven- 
ture through  to  the  end,  with  six  sledges  and  provisions  for  men  and  do-^s 
for  fourteer.  days.     On  the  iSth  at  noon   the  point  reached  was  71"  15" 
by  164°  4',  and  at  night  they  encamped  about   600  yards  from  a  recent 
ice  fissure,  in  the  shelter  of  a  large  block  of  ice,  still  moving  in  a  south- 
easterly direction  along  the  margin  of  the  fissure,  with  the  clefts  becom- 
mg  more  and  more  numerous. 

^  Having   made  thirty  miles  they  halted,  at  sunrise,  on  the  20th,  at  70° 
56',  by  164°  49'.     In  the  evening  they  ferried  themselves  across  a  wide 
fissure  on  a   floating  block   of  ice,  and   at  a  distance  of  eighteen   miles 
from  the  halting  place  of  the  morning,  they  sighted  the  greater  Baranow 
Rock,  about  sixty  miles   away  to  the  southeast.     Ile,.^  while  on  a  short 
excursio.i    from    the    main   party,   in  pursuit  of  a   bear,  Wrangell   and 
Matmschkin,  in  two  unloaded  sledges,  got  among  the  breaking   ice,  and 
w.th  the  utmost  difficulty  and  haste  succeede<l  in  rejoining  their  compan- 
ions on  the   stronger  ice,  at  70°  46',  by  165'  6'.     After  resting  for  the 
night  they  resumed  their  course  to  the  southeast  on  the  31st,  but  findino- 
the  hummocks   impassable  t<.   their  broken  sledges,  they  returned  to  the 
same  place,  and  rested  on  the   next  day,  which  was   Easter  Sunday,  and 
which   they  observed   as  nearly  in  accordance  with  the  customs  of  their 
country  as  they  found  practicable.     They  made  a  block  of  ice  do  service 
as  an  altar,  before  which  they  burnt   the  only  wax  taper   they  possessed, 
while    Bereshnoi   read    tiie    prescribed    service,  and    the   Cossacks  a.ul 
sledge-drivers  sang  the  customary  hymns.   On  the  23d  one  of  the  drivers 
was  suddenly  takcn^sick,  causing  a  <Ictention  of  another  day,  which  was 


247 


'.^•<i'hB«{iiifc*^' 


f  I 


!■ 


fi 


i 


d48 


ATTACKED  Br  BEARS. 


devotcl  to  repairing  sledges,  with  the  temperature  at  iS°  above,  and 
the  stiUncss  relieved  from  time  to  time  hy  the  thunder  of  crashing  ice  in 
the  distance.  It  was  now  determined  to  go  back,  and  having"  made 
thirty-seven  miles  due  west,  they  encamped  at  70°  39',  by  163°  39',  with 
Four  Pillar  Islands  twenty-two  miles  to  the  southwest.  Then  turning 
north  they  fell  in  with  the  tracks  of  the  sledges  dismissed  homeward, 
and  having  made  twenty-eight  miles,  they  halted  in  latitude  71"  4'. 

On  the  36th,  after  eleven  hours  of  dangerous  traveling  — Wrangell's 
eight  dogs  were  once  precipitated  in  the  water,  and  he  was  saved  from  fol- 
lowing them  only  by  the  length  of  the  sledge-they  reached  their  depot 
of  provisions,  which  they  found  intact,  though  numerous  tiaces  of  bears 
and  other  animals  were  found  on  all  sides  of  the  ice  hill.     The  next  day 
they   rested,  and  found   the  latitude  to    be7i°  2S'.     During  the   night 
they  were  awakened   by  the  barking   of  the  dogs,  and    on'getting  "up 
saw  two  bears,  which  they  pursued  without   success  until  morning,  leav- 
ing Wrangell  a  solitary  guard  over  the  camp.     A  third  bear  soon  put  in 
an  appearance,  and,  after  a   moment  of  painful  suspense  to  the  beholder, 
scampered  off,  soon  falling  in  with  two  of  the  'mnters,  by  whom  he  was 
wounded,  but  without  being  prevented  from  making  his   escape.      This 
fruitless  night's  hunt  necessitated  another  day's  rest;  and  on  ^hc  29th  they 
crossed  their  own  tracks  of  April  ist.     They  noticed  three  halos  around 
the  sun,and  made  over  twenty-three  miles  before  encamping,  at  71°   26' 
by  162°  27'.      Finding   himself  on  the  scene  of  Plcdenscrom's  labors  in 
iSio,  Wrangell  now  concluded  to  direct  his  attention  to  the  land  they 
had  seen  from  Four  Pillar  Islands.    "  The  inhabited  country  to  the  north, 
as  alleged  by  Tchuktchi  and   others,"  had    failed   to   heave  in  sight,  and 
he  lost  all  hope  of  finding  it  on  the  present  trip.     Having  made  Uvcnty- 
four  miles  in  a  driving  snowstorm,  during  which  they  tied  the  dogs  of 
one  sled  to  the  end  ..f  the  one  preceding,  so  as  not  to  become  separated 
.n  the  thick  darkness,  and  being  guided  only  by  the  compass,  they  halted 
on  the  oiDcn  ice  plain,  In.t  were  unable  to  pitch  their  tent  or  light  a  fire, 
thus  spending  the  worst  night  they  had  experienced  on  the  trip? 

On  the  1st  of  May  they  reached  a  bay  on  the  north  side  of  Four  Pil- 
lar  Island  after  a  journey  of  thirty  miles  in  the  continued  darkness;  show- 


SUMMER  OCCUPATIONS.  j^g 

ins  the  accuracy  of  compnss-,.uida„cc.     Two   blazinj,  fires   which   they 
soon     -.ncled    on   the    lan.l,   restored  their  spirits,  and  on  the  ..ornins  of 
the    3d,  they   were    re,.aled    by   the   notes  of  some   linnets  as   they  an- 
proached    the   secon.l   island  of  the  ,roup_the  first  cheerful  sound  they 
had  heard  since  taking  to  the  ice.     On  the  5th  they   examined  the  west- 
ernmost of  the    Rear  Islands,  and  found    that  the  group  comprised  in  all 
S.X  >s  ands,   including  the  one  they  had   previously  named   Four  Pillar 
Island.     Proceeding  south-southwest  on   the  6th,    they    reached    Cape 
krestowoi,  having  traveled  only  twenty-five   miles,  and  enjoyed  the  lux- 
ury of  resting  under  a  roof,  and  within   walls.     Provisions   runninc.  low 
and  the  season  being  well  advanced,  it  was  now  deter.nined  to  maL  the' 
hest  of  their  way  to  Nishni  Kolymsk,  which  was  reached  on  the  zoth  of 
May,  after  an  absence  of  thirty-four  days,  and  a  journey   of  700  miles 
w<th   the  same  dogs,  and   without  serious   accident  of  any  k,nd  to  men, 
dogs,  or  ijrovisions. 

SUMMER  OCCUPATIONS  OF  WRANGELL'S  PARTY. 

The   scarcity  of  provisions  at  Nishni   Kolymsk  rendered  it  necessary 
for  Wrangell  to  make  special  efforts  to  secure  supplies  for  the  expedition. 
F.shn.g    parties  were  dispatched  under    Sotnik   Tatarinow,  Wran<.ell's 
Cossack    sledge-driver,  in    whose  intelligence    and    experience  he'^had 
earned  to  place   great    confidence.     A  party  was  placed    in  charge  of 
Alatmschkm  to  survey  the  coast  from  the  Kolyma  to  the  Indicirk-,      A 
small  dwelling  and  depot   of  provisions  was   to  be  erected   by  another 
party   under   Sergeant    Reschetnikow,  at   the  mouth  of  the  Great  Bara 
n.cha   River.     Dr.  Kyber,  who  had  now  recovere.l,  was  at  his  own  re- 
quest to  explore  the  banks  of  the  Greater  and  Lesser  Aniuj.     A    fourth 
section  under  Wrangell's  imme.liate  oversight,  was  to  survey  the  mouths 
01  the  Kolyn...     The  mate  Kosmin,  Wrangell's  companion  on  the  first 
sledge  journey,  had  been  occupied  during  the  second,  in  making  a  laroe 
hoat  or  shallop,  which  was  successfully  launched  on  the  33d  of  June  and 
ngged  with  sails  and  anchor   from  those   which  had    been  used  by  Cap 
tan,  Bdhngs   a   generation  before.     A  small    boat   had  also  been   con- 
structed, cajjablc   of  holding  three  persons. 


n  i 


1 


2S0 


A  BLAZE. 


The   whole  party    now   embarked    in    the    shallop,   but   were  pre- 
vented   by    contrary    winds    from     making    much    headway.       With 
four   oars    they   laboriously    made    their    way    three    miles    down    the 
river,    when,   in    inakin<j    a    landing,  one  of  the    dogs    fell    overboard, 
and     becoming     entangled    in    a     rope,    would    have    been    strangled 
had     not     Matinschkin     sprung     to     the     rescue.       Unfortunately    in 
cuttnig   the   rope  he   cut  his    own  thumb  so  severely    that  Dr.    Kvber 
thought  it  migiit  easily  become  dangerous;    and  Wrangell    insisted  that 
patient  and  physician  should  return  to  Nishni  Kolymsk,  also  instructing 
them  to  explore  the  Aniuj  together  as  soon  as  the  wound  became  healed. 
On  the  loth  of  July  Wrangell  and  Kosmin,  with  their  companions,  ar- 
i'.ved  at  the  Tschukotschie  River,  whither  the  fishing  parties  had  been 
sent  forward,  ami  where  they  were  glad  to  see  that  success  had  crowned 
their  efForts.     Here  they  landed,  proposing  to  make  the  coast  journey  to 
the  Indigirka   on  horseback,  and   while  waiting  for  the   arrival   of  the 
Jakut  o'.vners  and  the  horses,  they  succeeded   in   killing  three  reindeer. 
With   only  five    animals— all  that  could    be  procured— two  to  serve   as 
pack-horses  and  three  for  himself  and  two  companions,  Kosmin  under- 
took   to  traverse  the   desert  waste  between   the  two   great   rivers,  and 
started    off  on    the   14th   of  July.     His  companions  were  a  Jakut  and  a 
Cossack,  and  they  took  with  them  two  light  canoes  for  crossing  streams. 
Wrangell  occupied  himself  with   determining  some  positions  on  the 
river,  the  north  being  still  blocked  with  ice.     On  the  27th  of  July,  while 
absent  in  the  middk'   of   the  river  with   the  two  companions  who  alone 
remained  with  him,  the  tent  on  shore  took  fire  and  was  destroyed  before 
they  could  reach  it.     Wrangell  had,  however,  the  good    fortune  to   save 
his  papers  and  instruments;  but  the  survey  of  the   Kolyma  was  aban- 
doned, and  he  returned  to  Nishni  Kolymsk.     He  found  Matinschkin  and 
Kyber  ready  to  start  for  the  Aniuj,  as  previously  agreed,  and   under  the 
advice  of  the   latter   he   retired   to   the   more  genial   climate   of  Sredne 
Kolymsk,  in  the  hope  of  being  relieved  from  the  rheumatism,  which  for 
some  time  had  been   growing  more  troublesome,  and  now  threatened  to 
unfit  him  for  prosecuting  his  future  sledge  journeys. 

After  spending  nearly  seven  weeks  among  the  hospitable  Jakuts,  near 


WINTER  AT  LOWER  KOLTMSK.  jgl 

Sredne  Kolymsk,  Wrangell,  much  invlj^oratcd  by  the  repose  and  kincily 
treatment  he  had  enjoyed,  proceeded  down  the  river  in  his  shallop,  arriv- 
■ng  at  N.shni  Kolymsk  on  the  ..th  of  September.  Here  he  found  Res- 
chetn.kow  returned  fn.n  his  mission  to  the  Haranicha  River,  wnere  he 
had  completed  the  recjuired  buiUlings.  Soon  Nechoroshkow  joined 
then,  from  the  fishin,  .rounds,  and  reported  exceptional  .access  in  that 
wMdertakm,.  On  the  nth  of  October  Matinschkin  and  Kyber,  and  a 
week  later  Kosmin,  arrived  in  safety  from  their  respective  expeditions, 
and  the  whole  party  was  thus  re-united  for  the  winter  at  Nishni  Kolymsk 


I 


1 


CITAPTEK    X.WIIT. 

\VI!.\N(;F.I.I.'s    TIIIUI)    SI.ICDCK  jOUUNKY EASTICU  SUNDAY VIEWS  THE 

OI'KN     SKA  KXI'I.OUK     [UK    TirNDKAS  —  MKKT    KOSMIN —  IMl'OU- 

TUNI'I'Y    OK     UKKKSHNOI — OKXEIIOSITY    OK    A    JAKUT — IIETUIIN      TO 
KOLYMSK. 

In  prcparinjir  for  the  third  journey,  VVranijcll  and    liis   party  encoun- 
tered a  very  serious  difficulty.     An  epidemic   broke  out  amonjf  the  do<rs, 
in  which  four-fifths  of  the  whole  stock  perished.    Ry  great  exertion  they 
were  able  to  procure   forty-five  dojrs   instead  of  the   ninety-six  Wran<?cll 
had  (icsif^ned  to  use  on  his  third   trip  to  the    north.     The   Cossacks,  who 
were  the   fortunate  owners  of  most  of  the   do<^s  tiiat   had   survived   the 
epidemic,  now  volunteered,  in  conjunction  with  some  of  the  other  inhab- 
itants, to  fit  out  twenty  sledjjfcs,  eat-h  with  twelve  doj^s,  for  tlie  use  of  the 
expedition.     Wranfjcll  now  selected  five  traveling  sledges,  and  ninetei  !i 
to  carry  provisions,  which  last  were  to  be  sent  back  as  soon  as  possible,  as 
out  of  the  whole   number  of  dogs,  amounting  t^   nearly  three  hundred, 
only  enough  for  the  traveling  sledges  could   be   found   which   were   fit 
to  make    the  whole  journey,     His   immediate   companions   for  the  trip 
were  Matinschi-in,  Kosmin  and  Nechorovvsky,  Kyber  being  again  pre- 
vented, very  much  against    his   wishes,  liy  the  weak   state  of  his   health, 
from  accompanying  them.     Wrangell  proposed  to  make  this  journev  a 
continuation  of  his  former  one  by  proceeding  as  directly  as  possible  to  the 
limit  previously  attained,  and  prosecuting  his  labors  from  that  point. 

With  forty  days'  provisions  for  the  men,  and  thirty-five  for  the  do'^s, 
they  set  out  once  more  from  Sucharnt)i  Island  on  the  36th  of  March, 
1832,  reaching  the  greater  Baranow  Rock  on  the  next  day.  On  the  3Sth, 
after  clearing  the  rock,  they  directed  their  course  toward  the  northeast 
for  the  intersection  of  71°  30'  wilh  the  meridian  of  Cape  Schelagskoi, 

at  a  distance  from  the  same  of  a'lout  ninety  miles.     At   a   point  about 

252 


f:ASTEJi  S  UNO  AT. 


U&8 


cm 
oh 


c^htcen  .n.les  .ast   of  tl.  .i.„it  of  th.  p..vi.,us  j..,..-..,,  they  .„ade  the 
iMtcn.Ie.l  deposit  ..t'pn,visions  on  the  6th  of  April,  an.l  next  .lay  dismissed 
tl>elast  th.rtecu  of  the  provision  sle.l.es,  si.   havin,.   l.een   already  sent 
•-^'i^  -">  '>ne  intennediate  .leposit  ..f  provisions  havin^  bee..  estal.lishe.l 
on  .ho  .St,  at  70'  ,,'  l,y  ,  ^'  ,,,st  of  ,he  ,nvatc-r   Maranow   Rock.      M-,- 
t.Mschkn,   was   sent   to   ,i,o   ....rthoast   on    the  6th,   with    live   days'  provi- 
sions an.l   two  sied,..s,  and   Wranj^ell   and  Kosmin  set   ont  on   the   7th 
w.lh  the  three  remaining  sledges  and  three  days'  provisions,  toward  tin' 
-•'^'-th   parties   ,0    .vf-n    on   .he    ...h   to   the  depot.      No  land  had 
l.vn  discovered  hy  ei.her  p.ny.      On  .he  ,  .,!.  ,hev  .-esumed  their  explo- 
-.H.a  together   towanl   the   nor.h,  having   fonnd   hv  .he    p.evions   short 
M-.,,s   .hat   the   way  was   more   open    in    that    direction.      The    ,  ^.h   was 
K:.s.er  Snnday,  which  .hey  devoted  .0  rest,  the  nnld  weather  an,l   hri-du 
sunslnne  adding,  to   their  enjoyment  of  the  occasion.      It  was   the  i8th  of 
Apnl  before  they  a.-.-ived  a.  the  limit  reached  hv  Wran,.cll  and    Kosmin 
the  y.h,  newly.fonne.l   hnmmocks,  as  well  as  the  enlar<,cment  of  the 
1  ones,  hein:^  the  chief  cause  of  this  ^reat  <lisparitv  in  the  .-ate  of  pro- 
j^rcss.     A  s.ck  sledj^e-driver  was  se.U  hack  with  two  compa.dons  and  a 
.louMe  .can.  of   twenty-fonr  do<,s,  releasing,  one  sledge,  which  was  used 
for  .epa.r:n,g  the  others.     A  small  <leposit  of  p,-ovisions  was  also  made. 

Ti^eix  we.-e  now  hut  five  men,  with  three  sled<rcs  a.ul  two  small  tents, 
tlu.  lar^.est  tent  havin.^  been   turne.l  over  by  Wrangell  to  the  use  of  thJ 
inval.d.     On  the   3.st  of  April,  havin-   reached   ^x^  ^z'  by  3-^  23'  east 
of  U,e  ,<,n-eat  IJaranow  Rock,  and   .I,e   increasing   number  oV   new   hrm- 
n.ocks  ren.lerin,^.  further  pro^^ress  ext,-e,nely  dhBcnlt,  it  was  detcrniined  ' 
to  .vlurn.      They  had  about  reached  the  limit  of  the  shore  ice  of  Sibe.-ia 
as    .hey    judged,  but    before    turning    their    backs    to    the  threatenin.' 
north,    Matinschkin   i,i    a    lightly-equipped   sledge   jn   cecded    six   milc^s 
farther  .0  the  north,  where  ail  fui-ther  advance  was  stopped   by  the  com- 
ple.e  breaking  up  of  the  ice,  and  the  near  a,,p,-oach  to  the  open  water  of 
th.  Polar  Sea.     Jle   here  ^'  beheld   the   icy  sea  breaking  its  fetters;   c.um- 
."on.  hehis  of  ice,  raise.l   by  the    waves  into   an  almost  vertical   position, 
'Invn,  against   each  other    witi,  a   ..vmendous   c.-ash,  pressed   downwanl 
by  the  force  of  th 


le   foaming  billows,  and 


reappearmg  agam   on  the  sur- 


Plis: 


U4 


IN  THE  TUNDRAS, 


I 


face,  coverctl  with  the  torn-up  green  mud  which  everywhere  here  forms 
the  bottom,  and  which  we  Iiad  so  often  seen  on  the  hij,'hcst  hummocks. 
On  his  return  Mr.  Matinschi<in  found  a  great  part  of  the  track  he  had 
passed  over  already  gone,  and  Large  spaces  whicii  he  had  just  traversed 
now  covered  with  water."  He  had  been  gone  six  hours.  Now  striking 
to  the  west-northwest,  they  reacheil  72"  2'  on  the  24th,  at  a  distance  of 
151  miles  in  a  straight  line  from  the  nearest  land,  the  great  Haranow 
Rf)ck,  and  about  2°  50'  east  of  its  meridian.  Progress  in  this  direction 
was  stopped  by  the  same  obstacles  as  before,  and  it  was  now  determined 
to  make  for  the  central  depot  of  provisions. 

On  the  4th  of  May  at  the  distance  of  forty-six  miles  from  Cape 
Schelagskoi,  with  a  clear  sky  and  an  open  horizon  to  the  north  and  cast, 
extending  twenty-nine  miles,  and  no  land  in  sigl  they  concluded  that 
the  "inhabited  north  country"  was  probably  not  to  be  found  in  the  me- 
ridian of  that  cape,  nor  of  the  Baranow  Rocks.  Five  days  later  they 
reached  their  provision  depot,  which  they  found  uninjured,  and  resting 
one  day  for  the  refreshment  of  men  and  dogs,  they  started  for  Nishni 
Kolymsk.  On  the  i6th  of  May,  at  Pochotsk,  they  met  Lieutenant 
Anjou  and  party  on  their  return  to  the  Yana  River  from  the  islands  of 
New  vSiberia;  and  on  the  17th  arrived  without  serious  disaster  of  anv 
kind,  at  Mishni  Kolymsk,  after  an  absence  of  fifty-three  days,  and  a  jour- 
ney of  7S3  miles. 

EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  TUNDRAS. 

The  only  important  expeditions  of  the  summer  of  1S22  were  Matinsch- 
kin's  journey  across  the  Eastern  Tundra,  and  Wrangell's  own  trip 
through  the  Hilly  Tundra.  They  parted  company  on  the  13th  of  July, 
at  Pantelcjewka,  a  few  miles  north  of  Nishni  Kolymsk,  the  proposed 
scene  of  Wrangell's  exploration  lying  almost  due  north  of  that  point,  and 
Matinschkin's  away  east  toward  Tchaun  Bay  and  Cape  Schelagskoi.  The 
'ntter  was  accompanied  by  the  merchant  Bereshnoi,  who  was  bound  on  a 
trading  journey  to  the  Tchuktchis  of  Tchaun  Bay,  taking  Ostrownoi  on 
the  way  with  the  hope  of  securing  an  interpreter.  v\rriving  there  on 
the    2 2d,  they    hired     Mardowskij,  a    Tchuwanzian    chief  who  under- 


TJtACES  OF  TCHUKTCIIl  355 

stoo<I  the  Tchuktchi  language,  to  accompany  them.     A  week  later  they 
nrnvecl  «t  the  Fedoticha  River,  on  the  confmes  of  the  wide-spreading 
ttnulra.s.     Ry  this   name  are  designated   the   mossy  flats  or  vast  plains 
uh.ch  border  on  the  Arctic  Ocean,  chiefly  in  Siberia,  but  also  alon^^  .he 
nor*.h  coast  of  Europe.     The  word  originated  with  the  Finns,  who"  call 
these  wastes  tunturs.     Th^  are  of  the  same   general   character  every- 
where,  being  great  tracts  of  swamp-la.Hls,  partly   covered  over  with  a 
th.ck  layer  of  bog-moss,  and  partly  with   a  dry  snow-white  coverin..  of 
rcMuleer-mossand  dilFerent  kin.ls  of  lichens  and  similar  Arctic  vegetation 
There  are  no  trees,  or  even  shrubs,  and  it  is  only  the  reindeer  that  ren- 
ders  these  frightful  wastes  habitable  for  the  hordes  of  aboriginal  nomads 
A  great  portion  of  them  can  onl>   be  traversed  in   winter  when  fro.en 
over;  and  to  these  belong  the  tundras  of  Northern  Siberia  which  retain  a 
covering  of  snow  throughout  the  year. 

On  the  2d  of  August  Matinschkin  rejoined  Wrangell,  who  had  mean- 
tnne  reached  the  buildings    previously  erected  on  the  Great    naranicha- 
and  on  the  12th  crossed  the  three  arms  of  that    river  in  Kosmin's  boat' 
On  the  14th  they  met  Kosmin  himself,  in  the  shallop,  who  had  come  to 
fish  in   those  waters,  accompanied   by  four  companions.     With    his  aid 
a  l.ght  boat  was    co.istructed  for    Matinschkin,    who  pushed  forward    on 
the  15th  with  Bereshnoi,  the  interpreter,  three  Jakuts,  and  sixteen  horses 
On  the  26th  of  August  when  they  had  about  determined  to  abancfon  the 
li.thcrto  fruitless  search  for  the  Tchuktchi    and  turn  back,  they    reached 
the   Taunmeo   River,  and    the   ensuing   day,  on    the  other  side,  found 
aluMKlant  as  well   as  recent  traces  of  that  people,  who,  however,  had  all 
disappeared  some  short  time  before  their  arrival. 

Bereshnoi  was  now  importunate  to  turn  homeward,  and  proceedin-. 
..p  the  river  until  the  first  of  September,  they  then  turned  their  faces  to 
the  west  for  Nishni  Kolymsk,  striking  the  route  of  the  Tchuktchi  to  the 
■n.nual  fair,  at  Ostrownoi.  On  the  3d  they  were  without  food  of  any 
kind  except  a  single  wild  duck  which  one  of  the  Jakuts  had   killed    un 


;ii() 


wii  to  the  rest  of  the  party.    This  h 


■saying:     «  There,  take  and   eat  it  alo 

of  us  and  you  a 


e  furtively  ofltred  to  Matinschl 


kin. 


you  are  very  tired."     The  jrcnero 


ne;  it  is  too  little  to  do  good  to  all 


us  offer  was,  of  cour 


"se,  re- 


w 


iiiiiii 


■jii 


M      ! 


|vi'' 


25G 


RETURN  TO  KOLTMSK. 


fused,  and  the  Jakut's  duck  was  put  into  the  kettle,  the  broth  makinc.  a 
rcfreshn.g,  thouj,.h  U.^^ht  repast  for  all.    On  the  5th,  after  three  days'  fast- 
ing  and  jrreat  labor  in  crossin-  snow-covered    lulls   and   ravines,  they  l-.y 
down  at  ni,,d.t  on   the   bank  of  a   stream,  in    which   they  exerted    ti.eni- 
selves  to  place   a   net.       xVIatinschkin   ha.l   sngj,.ested   the   kiUin.^^  of  one 
of   the    horses,  but   this   was  overruled,  as   the   [akuts   declare.l   that   in 
the  heated  state  of  their  blood  the  use  of  their  flesh  would  cause  serious 
:Ilness.     Hopin-,  and  yet  fearin-  the  downfall  of  tlieir  hopes,  they  hesi- 
tated  to  draw  the  net   next   morning,  and   were  delic^hted  to  find  three 
large  and  several  small  fishes.      They  reached   the  Aniuj  the  same  day 
anu  found  more  fish  than  they  could  consume.     The  surplus  they  were' 
thoughtful   enough  to  place  as  a  deposit  for   some    future   travelers-  and 
were  rejoiced  to   learu,  some  months   later,  tliat  the  5000  fishes  they  had 
thus  taken  the  trouble  to  store,  were  found  by  some  distressed  wanderers 
and  supplied  them  with  food  for  a  n.onth.     And  as  if  in  direct  retur-.  tor 
then-  thoughtfulness,  they  themselves  found  a  similar  deposit  of  clothin- 
which  they  much  needed  in  the  daily  increasing  cold.     On  the  I3th  they 
resumed  their  journey,  and  four  days  later  arrived  at  a  sn.all  settlement 
where  they  rested.     Math.schkin  now  concluded  to  devote  the  remainder 
of  the  season   to   a   survey   of  the  country  from   the   Aniuj   to   Nishni 
Kolymsk,  a  dista.ice  of  n-early  300  miles,  and    took   his  departure  on  the 
iSth.     lie   reached   Molotkowo   on    the   25th,  in  the  boat  of  his   friend 
Karkni,  by  whom   himself  and    Dr.  Kyber  had   been   hospitably  enter- 
tamed    the   year   before.       Finally,  on   the   r>tli    of  October,  he   reached 
^.shni    Kolymsk,   after    an   abse.ice   of   eighty-six    days  since    leavin- 
Pantelejewka.  ° 


CHAPTER    aXIX. 


\\l!.VN,,KI.J,',s    lOUKTII     SI.,,;,,,;,,.     „,n,-V.v 

."o,  with  Li„,„.  A„j„.„  who...  ho„.,^„anc,.  we,  ' .     h        '•       "r," 
"...  "l..ainc,I  .he  p,.„,„lse  of  nftoc.  „ood  te-un,  s^         '    '         ""• 

K..,„n  ..,,.o<,  o„  ,,  „eci.>  e.po,n.io„,  wlh   .„„  1,  .  "^ T''^ 

l«l»...l»,    1..    »s<:o«.i„    Joilnildy    whether  the.,.  u  ' 

lluv  ha,l  helbie  ,ee„       TT        ,  "  "*^'''  """    "'"«■■ 

"-  - .."-  isia,..,  e.i.te.,  i„  thrw:;:.' "' """  ^^'"^""'  "'"'-"• 

All  preparations  hciim  made  Wrmm.ll    i-  ■  i    .   ,  • 
*ctio„s,  one  ,„uler  M-tH„r  I,  ■  '   ''"  P""y'-'»" '«« 

-....  ,0  :;"■ : ,  ':'::-;:;r ": ";;"- '"  -  '■■™""- 

"■111,      innabited   country  "    hi    flio  L-.r  « 
noitli.  ^        '"    ^"''  ^'-y  >^ca  to    the 

patches    ,Vo,n    the    ^oven^or-^encrnl    o      S  ''"""''"- ^"^■ 

^'e<l'.^c.s.     They,e-.ch,cnh    1      ,  ^      '"'    ""'    "'"'    '^^"^'^    ^^^^ 

AMC}  it.ichod  the  buildin<.s  the  s-itdp  n;,r!-.         s   • 
17  25^        •""''  "'S''^  '"Hi  loinul  the  extra 


258 


RUMORS  OF  A   NORTHERN  CONTINENT. 


shelter  very  desirable,  the   thermometer  having  sunk  to  42"  below  zero. 
Three  clays  were  consumed  in  final   ,M-eparation,  repackin-,^  the  nineteen 
remaining   sledges   with    what    they  had    brought   along,  and    what  had 
been  previously  stored  in   the  buildings.      The  Ibtn-tii  day  was  so  stormy 
that  they  could  not  set  out,  and  it  was  therefore  tiie  17th  of  Mmcii  before 
they  were  fairly  under  way  on   the  fourth    and    last  sledge    jomney  over 
the  ice  of  the  Polar  Sea.     In  three  days  they  reache.i  Cape  Schelagskoi, 
where  they  met   a  kabnakai,  or  chief  of  the  Tchuktchi.     A  sul,.,rdin-,tJ 
governor  in  Turkey  is   known    as  kahnakam,  which  suggests   a  possible, 
relationship  between    this   remote   aboriginal  tribe;  or  possibly  tiie   word 
in  that  form  may  have  been  borrowed  from  some  of  the  Tartar  hordes  ,.f 
Siberia. 

Our   travelers  found    tlie  Tchuktchi  chief  friendly  and  serviceable,  as 
soon   as   he   became   satisfied    that   their  intentions  were   entirely  paci'lic 
From  him  they  learned  that  the  region  of  the  cape  was  only  tcnporariiy 
ndiabited  by  his  people  for  bear   hunting  purposes,  a.ul   that  it  iiad  been 
previously  „ecupied  by  the   Schelagi  and  Tchewani   tril,es,  wliose  names 
survive  in  Cape  Schelagskoi  and    Tchaun  Bay,  but  wlio  had   themselves 
migrated    westward    many  years    ]>efore.      Wben   cjuestioned    about   the 
".nhabited  country  to  the  r.o.th,"  he  said:  "There  is  a  part  of  the  cast 
between  the  capes,  where  from  some  cliffs  near  .Ik-  mouth  .,f  a  river  one 
might,  on  a  clear  summer  day,  descry  snow-covered  mountains  at  a  -reat 
distance  to  ilie  north,  but  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  so  f.r    iu  win'ter." 
These  distant   mountains,  in    his  opinion,  belonged  t..   an  extensive  coun- 
try,  not  to  islan.ls;  and    he  had  heard  from    his  father  that  a  kain>akai  of 
then-  race  had  migrated  thither  with  his   horde  years  before  in  boats,  b„t 
what  had  become  of  them  was  never  learned  in  the  o„mtrv  lluy  had'lell 
He  had    himself  ^een  herds  of  reindeer  conn,.g  from  that  land  on  the  iee" 
an<l  lan.ling  on  the  Siberian  rontinen,.      He  also  attributed  to  the   inhahi- 
tants  <,f  thai  land  the  wounding  of  a  whale  whieh  was  f„und  stranded  un 
an  .slan.loirihe  coast,  with  slate-pointed  spears  still  adhering  f,  its  body 
Hut    Wrangell    thought  it    nn.re    likely  that  it  had  been    attacke.l  by  the 
mhabitants  of   the   Aleutian   ishuuls,   who   are    known   to  use    just  such 
spears. 


CAPE  KrUEIi. 


aso 


'^Jic   latitude  of  the  isthmus  l.-.nl-     r  /. 


cucdiiij.-  cast 


-y  ^'i-nvcd  at  Cape  Kos 


111111,111  70 '^  I'  ],y 


as 


171 


''      '^    -"""oiiiul    theruasl    line  |u    ,),,...,  . 

""•"- \v..ko„,  „,,,,, ,  ,    ,         ""'  ""™  •""'  '•illy...  ,hc 

^.'^'  Kvl.,,  ii,  , ,;,"''''^'''''';'''"'  '•'"-'>-'•  ^V.a„,.nna...d 

'''^''-i^lcveaaudah,      V         T'^'''''^'^'^''''^'-'-      ^'  '^^^^ '- 

"  ^-^-Pl-al  iiulc.  distant  in.m  ,,,,  ,,,,  ,,^^ 


,;iit"" 


260 


AFLOAT. 


PI' 


cm  l);iiil<  of  (lu-  river.  To  the  small  island  two  miles  to  tin-  iioitli  lie 
gave  the  name  of  Sehalarow  Island,  in  lionor  of  the  menhani  navigator 
of  tliat  name,  who  perished  in  this  \ieinity  in  1765.  Ahoul  Ihrei^  miles 
from  the  shore  and  in  the  loiiL^dtude  of  the  east  hank  of  the  Werkon,  tliev 
eonslrneted  a  depot  of  provisions,  on  the  i^th,  and  sent  l)aek  (he  em])ly 
sledges  to  Xishni    Kolymsk. 


The   next    day   they   fell    in    with    Innnmoeks   at    the   dista 


nee   o 


f  ( 


en 


miles     Iroin    the  depot,    where    the    c-rowhars    were    lir()iiL,dit     into     reti- 
ihe      27th     was      eonsiuned     in     making-      llni'e      miles. 


uisition : 


and 


Anotl 


ler    deposit    was    now    made    to    liijiiten    the    sledges,    and 


t'l'-lil 


of  these  were  sent  homeward.  A  twenty-three  days' snpply  for  men  and 
<loj4s  \vas  here  hnried,  and  only  lour  sledt^^es  and  live  men  remained  in 
VVranj^elTs  section.      This  was  at  70"  12'  hy  174'  .     On  the  zi)\\\  the  ice 


on  which  they  were  hecainc  detached  from  the  main  1)od 


V  ill  a  storm,  Init 


on  its  snhsidence  became  a-^ain  united.      On  th"    ^ist  thev  mad 


e  onl\'  SIX 


miles,  and    were  on 


lyt 


en    miles 


rom 


liie    coast.      Fin(lin<^   the  way  d 


ue 


no 


rth    or   northeast   lilockcd    by  impassable   hummocks,  thev   struck 


out 


'401U'  ahotit 


m,  new  ice. 


toward  the  west-northwest,  on  the    ist  of  April,  and    havin.i;- 

llv  •   miles   they  came  to  a    phice  wdiere   the  coverini,^  was   th 

loo  fr.,]l  to  venture  on,  and   encamped  on  its  inar<,nn.      !>ut  the  next  day 

seeiiiL,'-  no  alternative,  they  risked  the    new  ice,  and  had  the  _L,^ood  fortune 

to  j^et  across  in  safety,  owiiiiL,'-  largely  to  the  alertness  of  the  do^s  and  llie 

lijj^htncss   of  the    s]cd,!::es,    which    liore    at    this   time    oidy   a    few    days' 


■ 


)royisions. 


Notwithstanding^    these    advantnijcs    the    trial    w; 


IS     extremely    dan 


i^crous,  as   shown    by  the   fact   that    the    heaviest   of   the    sledi^^es    broke 
thi()u,t,^h   the   thin  crust   several    times,  l)ut  only   to   be   whisked   out    ll 


nio 


re  rapidly  by  the  doq-s,  whose  encrj^ics  were  evidently  stimulated  1 


le 


y  a 


cecn  sense  ot   danp^cr, 


T 


lis  was   at  70     20     i)y  174     13   ,  as  ascertained 


after  crossing-.     On  the  ni^ht  of  the  3d,  after  havini^r  madi'  twenty  miles, 


they 


camped  amoni 


uimmocks  and    surrounde( 


1  by  t 


y  lissures,  yv'here   the 


j^ot  detached,  hut  succeeded  in  reaching;'  the  main  body  in  the  moinin^-  by 
a  pontoon  brid'j^e  of  ice  blocks.  Two  slcdj^es  were  here  ordered  hack 
to  the  depot,  and  their  provisions  transferred  to  the    rcmainint;  two,  with 


m  ■' 


DANGER. 


261 


wh,ch  W,-„„KoU   .lc,cr,„i„e,i  i,'  ,„ssi,,,,  ,„  ,„„,,   „„  ,„  „,^  _^^_^,^      ^^^ 
the  .,,h,  a,  7„"  5,  -  I,,  ,;-.  3y,_  „,„,  ,|.^,,,_„  .,_  ^^  ^^^,^.^^1^^   |,^^  ^_^^^^^    __^^^^ 

.'l-o...    »My  ,„ilc,,  „K,.  c„c„u„teml    UK.  open   w,„c,-,  not  los,  than  3C0 
yan Is  w.,  .,  an,l  ox.uncih,,.  .«t  a„,l  wc,,  a,  far  as  the  eyo  could  ,c„ch. 

VV  .  ohmh„l  one  of  the  ,„f.i,st  i,„  ,^,,.  ,„^,  Wrangdl,"aff„„,i„„  a„ 
.■..c„»,ve  v,c„  towa„l  ,hc  north,  an.l  fr„n,  thence  we  heheld  the  wide, 
■mmeasnrahle  ocean  spread  on.  hefore  onr  ....e.  It  was  a  fearful  a„c 
n.a,,„.hcent  spectacle,  though  ,0  „s  a  n.elancholy  one.  Frasn.ents  of  ice 
o.  ononnons  si.e  were  „„at!n,  on  the  surface  of  the  agitated  ocean,  and 
were  dashed    hy  .he  wave,  with   awfid  violence    against  the  edge  of  the 

"^■' '  '"•■■  "'■■'"^■»'  »"'<'  '"-'l-  •^'-'-■l  l-'-o..e  ,„.     These  collisions  wc,-e 

so  .remendo.,s  .ha,  large  n.asses  were  every  ins.ant  In-cken  away,  an.l  it 
was  ev,den.  that  the  po.-tion  of  ice  which  stil,  dividcl  the  channel  fron, 
he  open  sea  would  soon  he  con.pletely  dest.oyed.  Had  we  ,nade 
the  attempt  to  ferry  o.nsehes  across  upon  „„,.  of  ,he  detached  pieces  of 
K;e,  there  wo.dd  have  heen  „o  lirn,  footing  „„  reaching  the  opposite  side. 

Uven  on  our  own  side  fresh  lanes  of  .vater  were  eons.autlv  Torn, ,  and 

e.tendmg  thcnselves  in  every  direction  in  the  field  hchind"  ns.    We^-onld 
,l;"<»  no  farther." 

"■■  Ihc  nigh,  of  the  5th  they  canrped  at  the  second  depot  of  provi. 
^-sw  e,.e  they  found  the  two  ret.uned  slc.lges  and  the  supplies  in.ac. 
0".l,e,S,h  .heywcvn,  innninen,  danger,  having  heen  dcached  , Von, 
e  u,an,  1,0,  y  „„  a  ,l„e  of  only  „„  ,a,-ds  wide.  .  Eve,,.  ,„„n,en,,"  says 
\Vrangell,..h„ge  .nasses  of  ice  lloa.ing  a,.ound  us  wc-e  dashc.1  a-ains.  . 
■■■■"■I.  "tl.e,  .-u,,!  hroken  in,o  a  thousan.l  frag,„o„ts.  Meanwhile,  we  wc-e 
.ossed  ,0  and  ,Vo  l,y  the  waves,  and  ga.ed,  ,„  helpless  inactivi.v,  o„  .he 
-ld.,,„he,o,  the  clcnrents,  expecting  every  „,on,e„t  ,0   he   swallowed 

"|..     U  e  ha.l  heen  th.-ee  long  hours  in  ,his  painful  position,  and  s, „r 

;'","     '"'''    "'••'•■'"-■•  ""™   - -">■  i'    "-as  caught   hv  the   s.onn   and 

-1-1   ^..-..st  a   la,-ge  liel.l    of  ice.     The  crash  was  tc^rilic,  and  we  felt 

■•■  ."-s    hcncath  us  giving  way,  and   separating  in  everv  direction.     At 

'  ;"   'l'-"'"l    n.on.en,,  when  .Icsfncion  see.ne.l  incvi,al,le,  .he  in,p,dse 

"l-l,.preserva.ionin,pla,„e evcy  living  heing  saved  ns.   rus.inctively, 

""'  """  "'^-  '""^■'"'-»  "'■  "-"="».  "-0  sprang  on  ,he  sledges,  and  .rZl 


962 


GRAVE  OF  SCIIALAJiOW. 


I 


the  (logs  to  their  utmost  spcetl.  They  flew  across  the  yielding,''  fraj^ments 
of  the  (ickl  against  which  it  hail  hecn  straiulod,  and  safely  reached  a 
part  of  it  of  (inner  character,  on  which  were  several  hummocks,  and 
here  the  dogs  immediately  ceased  running,  ajji^arcntly  conscious  tiiat  the 
danger  was  passed." 

Proceeding  forward   they  soon  reached   the   first  depot  of  jirovisions, 
and  taking  with   them    all    they  could,  tliey  hastened    to   tiie   shore   and 
camped  under  a  clilF  near  tiie  mouth  of  the  Wcrkon.     Thev  spent  the 
night  in  hringing   away  the  remainder  of  their   jirovisions  from    tiie  first 
depot;  hut  some  they  had  left  at  the  second  coukl    not   he   reached.     On 
the  loth  they  rested,  and  ascertained  tlie  location,  uhich  was  found  to  he 
^9'\Si'J'y    173"  34',  on    the   east    side  of  the    Werkon.      On    the    nth 
tiiey  made  anotiier   efFort   to    reach   the   second    depot   .^f  provisions,  hut 
encountered  too  many  water   lanes,  and  returned    in  six  hours,  Wrangell 
occupying  tlie  interval  in  examining  and  naming  Cape  Kekurnoi,  in  69  ' 
51'  hy  174"  3|.'.      They  started  eastward    on    tiie    i^tli    in    the   iiope  of 
falling  in  with   Matinschkin,  as   their   |)rovisions  were   running   low,  and 
their  northern  depot    on  the    ice  c(Mild    not  he    reached.      Tliev  had   gone 
over  forty  miles  witiiout  meeting  Iiim,wlienit  hecame  necessary  to  make 
for  the  ci'utral  depot  at  the  Greater   IJaranicha,  two  himdred  miles  to  tlie 
west,  witli  a  very  poor   jirospect  of  heing  ahle  to  reach   it,  as   tiieir  pro- 
visions were  nearly  exhausted.      They   had   scarcely  proceeded   six   miles 
when,  to   their  great  joy,  tliey   fell   in   with   the  ohject   of   their  seaicli, 
whom  they  found,  as  anticijiated,  in  possession  of  full  supplies.    ATatinsch- 
kin,  during   his  survey   of  tlie   tundra  t  ast  of  the  Werkon,  discovered  a 
hut  on  the  coast,  which   hotli    lie   and  Wrangell   concluded  was  the   hist 
resting  place  of  Schalarow,  in  1765,  wlio,  therefore,  succeeded  in  (lie  great 
ohject   of  his  amhition,  the  douhling  of  Capi-   Sciieiagskoi,  hut   did   uot 
live  to  return  to  civllixatiou. 

Before  leaving,  they  here,  69"  4S'  hy  176"  10',  cstai>iisiied  ;,  depot  uf 
provisions,  and  sent  hack  eight  sledges,  retaining  tiircv  for  Matiuschkiu's 
party,  and  four  for  WrangeU's.  On  tlie  2otli  the  latter  r..;ulie(l  Cajie 
Yakan,  69'  .|j',hy  176  32 ',  whence,  according  to  certain  I'chuklrliis, 
"the  northern  countrv  "  was  sonicliincs  vlv;ilil,j.      \\n\  \\    j-iiUv!  1,,  :inj)e:ir 


A   NATIVE    TRADER.  g^g 

.^     v:..„l      'V;     1  '■'    "'  ""'■  ^"  '"■'"  '''•  "^  ''^'"  5'^'-  ""-  --"'I.  " 
.   vca  lK.,„l„„o„  U,e,„  .„  ,.,„..•      „„,    ,|,ey  o,„orv.,l    .,„„.,„,■„,. 
wh  .o,.,.ck  „,„.,„„   „,.  „„„,„,„    „^  ,,^,   ^^^^^^^   ^^^^^^ 

h,ch  ha,,     ,»a„poa,.c.l.     T,,,vdi,„,  f„«,  „„.,  f„„„  .Ik-I,.  I.al.in,  place 
y  ar„ve    a.     ,■•  ..S-,  „,  ,„..  ,^,,  „„„,.^.  ,„       ,_^,„  ,,_^^ 

'"  '■."  m  w,th  a  lot  „f  ,lriftwoo.l,  mostly  llr  and  pi,„ 

0„  the    .,«t    MatlnschUin    ,„a,le    „,.,     „„„,,    ,,,,,„    f„,.    ,„^, 

k„„      ho     ..,    ,vith     his     throe     s,o.„os,    a.,.,    p,.,„,s„a.s     „„.    nftoo,,' 

•      «.  wh,.o  Vyn.,„on,  K„s,„i,„a„..    Kyho,.  p,.„coo,.,,,   oa„    „,,h    tho 

""'     '."     »>e<l..os,  a,„,  provisions  fo,-  thirtoon    .lays.     Tho    last-nanu-,, 

.  ..sso,,^  K,.yo.an   ,.i.o,.,  .won.y-oi.ht  ntilos  .„  .l,o  oast,  a..,,    .oaoinn^ 

■-   .  '.y    .79      .3',  »von  an.l  a  half  ,„iles  farthor,  hy  ,ivo  oVlook 

I-    next    n„„.,.n,.,  they    hal,o,l.       Havin,    j,„„.„oye,l    thirteen    an.,    a 

'f  -'.■»    a  -n,    the    ooast,  which    here    tre„„s  a  ,i.t,o    sonth  ..f  oast, 

hey    reaehe,     o„    .he   n,.,rni,„  of  t,to  33.,,  the   ,,0: „„,    „,,io,,  Cap. 

C...  .  ha.,    „,h.e,,   in    ,„,S.  an.,   ,ro,.  Cape    North.     Irco  thoy  no 

■"•I    -'      -  trihe  .„■  Tohnluchis,  „,,.,  evince.,  a  frion.lly  ,„„,. 'i.i.,n 
— .  Wra.,,,o„  to  his  .en.,   ..  Thc-e,"  s. ,e,  ..  ,„„„  J,  „„     „"    ' 

T'  vr '''^™ "'"' ^•™' '"'^■' "■■■' '^-^ ---■"■■••■•-".  ™ 

''7  :;■"  t"' ": '  ■"'■  ""'■>■  ''"■'"  "'■ ""■^'.  -'  -.« »..- 1  c;„.  „so 

.-....„  hotter  than  the  ,n.,„„tain   TchnUtchis,  an,on«  vvhon,    1   „nce  saw 

""";"".:' ■'■"•       -''"'"^"-   "-  ^-n---'    '■"■■"-•.-..    sea,, ,  a 

;"'''■'■    '"      T""''-  '''-*  ---    —  v..,na,,le    than    a„   the    ho„seh.„, 
;-,„.s  .,r  the  chier.     Wi.h  Etc    a,  ,ni.,o,  they  set  on.  on  the  . 

'""T""'-  ^'   ^ '  '■"■■""'  ""->'-I«la...l,  .n.,  havin.  ,oa,,      ,i,t 

;•■'-'    -Mte,.i,,.,,c,,i,,,.   at    .,te,,,.ts,.,-  two    Tc,,,,,;,,i,.: 
--  -  .No   Cnet.     Twenty-thrco    ,„i,os    farther  ..n  .hoy  erosse.,  „ 
;■-•;-.  R,ver,a,so.hroe  snral.or  s„v.a„,s,  which  .,„  „,„  ^  „,„,,,  , 

■"." ''"""■^""  "'"■'■•      '--i"'"  "'il-  '-•.v.,n.,,  whor..  .he  t,„„,ra  .a-a 

:::""  "■;'[  "■  .'"'7  f™'^-'   ' '•  "-y  -certaino.,  the  ,a,itn.,e  ...  ..o^S'^ 

•I'-  ■  *".  .v--h.n,  a  s,„al,  scttie.oent  .,n  the  west  ,,ank  ..f  .,,c  \Vanka,e,., 


;a^^ 


264 


I 


A   ST/iANGE  INSTITUTION. 


R.vor,  an<l  near  the  Capo  nf  that  na.nc.  «  There  is  a  remarkable  simi- 
larity," says  Wran,irell,  "between  (he  three  promonu.ries  of  Schel-  -skoi, 
Ir-Kaipij  a.ul  Wankarem.  They  ail  consist  of  line  j^raine.!  syenite,  with 
J,n-eenish  white  feldspar,  dark  j,n-ecn  hornblende  and  mica,  and  are  united 
to  the  mainland  by  a  narrow  isthmus.  The  elevation  of  the  headland 
.■n.<l  breadth  of  the  isthmus  are  -reatcst  at  Cape  Schelaj,rskoi,  and  least 
at  Cape  Wankarem." 

On    the    27th,    doublin-    Cape    Onman,    they    sij^hted    Kolyutschin, 
or    Hurney    Island,    about   twenty  miles   to     the    southeast     in     the    en- 
trance   to    the    bay  of  the  same    name,    lookin<,r    like    a   circular   moiu.- 
tain.        On     the     southern     shore     was     a     Tchuktchi      villa-e,     xvhcre 
•some   seventy  men   soon    -athered    around    the   stranf,^ers,  ea-er  to  trade 
Whale's  flesh,  of  wliich  they  ha.l  an   abundance,  for  tobacco  and  trinkets. 
They  rested    two  days  on   the  islan.I,  and  not    bavin- wherewith  to  con- 
tinue his   barter  witli   the  natives,  Wran.i^^ell    now   determine.!  to    re-tra- 
verse  tiie  600   miles  tliat  separated  him  from  Nishni   Kolymsk.      He  had 
reached  the   jx.int  where  Captain  JJillin^rs'  siu'vey  from  the  east  ha.l   left 
off,  a  -eneratio.i  before.     Ascertaining  the  location  of  tlie  southern  point 
of   the    islan.l   to  be  67"    27'    by    1S4"    34',   they   set  out    on   the    ret,n„ 
trip  on  the   evenin,<r  of  the   29th,  and    tliree   days  later  arrived   at   Etel's 
villa-e,  back  of  Cape  North.     A  peculiarity  n.)ticed   anion-  the  Tchuk- 
tchis  of  the  coast  was  the  existence  of  a  class  of  servants,  entirely  depen.l- 
entupon  the  weaUhie,  of  the  natives,  by  whom  they  were  fe.l  and  clotlu.i 
in  return  for  tiieir  services,  and  not  entitled  to  hold  jM-operty  of  anv  kind; 
in  fact,  slaves.     Of  this  institution  no  history  or  explanation  was  offered' 
other  than   that   "it   had  always  been   so,  and   must   always  continue  to 
be  so." 

On  the  6th  of  ^ray  tliey  reache.l  the  point  whence  ^ratinschkin 
had  started  norlhwanl,  an,l  found  a  cross  erected  by  him,  with  a  notice 
attached  statin-  that  he  ha<!  not  been  able  to  -et  farther  than  ten  miles 
from  the  coast,  owin-  to  the  breakin-  up  of  the  ice.  On  the  7tl>  thcv 
■slept  at  Schalarow's  hut,  and  six  days  later  reached  the  villa-e  t<.  the  rear 
of  Cape  Schela-skoi,  with  their  provisions  for  men  an.l  do^s  exhauste.l. 
The  natives  had  had  a   bad  season  of  huntitig  a.ul  lishin-  since  their  de- 


PL'   )    i 


^  CLOSE  OF    WRAWGBLL^S  EFFOliTS.  305 

loarturc,  and  could  ,,mvc  then  hut  Httl.  assistance.     So  .hero  was  nothin-^ 
to  'lo  except  to   push  on  for  the  Greater  Baranicha,  with  doj,.s  foot-sore 
:..Hl  weary,  l,ut  ea^er   to  .,et   ahead  as  ft.st  as  possihle.     Reaching  their 
supphes  on   the  .5th,  they  remained  two  days  in  camp  to  rest  the  over- 
worked animals,  and   on   (he  ,7th    resumcl    their   iourney.      On    the^>d 
they  arrived  at  Nishni    Kolyn.sk,  after  an  ahsence  of  seventy-ei<Hit  <lavs 
and  a  round   trip  of   1330  miles.      Matinschkin  ha.l    arrive,!  on    the  ^M^ 
\v.xvnv^  taken  occasion  to  sm-vey  Tchaim  IJay  on  iiis  return  fro.n  his  fruit- 
less journey  to   the  north.     He  and    Kyher  left  for  St.  Petersbun-  about 
the  middle  of  July,  and  Wrangcll  and  Kosmin  followed  toward  the  vnA 
ot  Aujji-ust,  rS23. 

Thus  closed  this  remarkable  series  of  sledj^e  jotn-neys  over  the  ice  of 
tlie  Polar  Sea,  leavin-  the  parties  enga-cd  therein  still  disposed  to  believe 
n.  the  existence  of  the  alle-e<l   northern  country,  the  discoverv  of  which 
was  .lenicd  to  their  Ion-  continued  e/Torts  a.id  heroic  en.hnanee.      Wran- 
-ell  su-rested  that  if  the  attempt  should  be  resumed.  Cape  Vakan  ou-ht 
t..  l>c«  selectcl  as   the   base  of  <,perations.     T.)o    much   time,  enerc,ry  Tn,! 
provsH.ns  were  necessarily  wasted    before  -ettitig  fairlv  under  way  from 
Xishni  Koly.nsk.     The  ice  kin.i,r  of  the  north  had  proved  tmconquerablc. 
I'om-  well-planned   campai.^nis   had  been  fou-ht  and  lost,  the  va.uiuishcd 
.vtirin,,.  with  only  the  sense  of  havin^^  bravely  done  their  utmost  to  obtain 
an  aim.  .0  impossible  victory.     Had  they  started  from  Cape  Vakan  there 
is  little   reason  to   doubt   that   they  would    have  discovered  the   object  of 
their  search,  of  which  the  southwestern  corner  was  only  about  one  ,le-ree 
to  the  east,  and  a  de-ree  and  a  half  (o  the   north  of  that   poiut,  or  about 
10,^  miles  in  a  direct  line  to  the  northeast. 


IfflBI 


CIIAI'TKH     \XX. 


.'.. 


PAiiKvs  sKiovn   v(.va(;k  to  thk   NoirnrwKST  — shaki'   vativks  — 
rAiKvs   nrscovKUKP-     xumickous    i,isi  f)VKurKs—  Kxi-i.oitAiroN 

IV     1U)ATS-IN    WIXTKIt    CJU AKTKK S— THK ATiac AI.S    AS   A    I'ASTIMK 
—  KSQiriMAUx    SNOW    HUTS_mTKLI.I(;KNCK    AMOX(;     MATIVKS V 

xoiniiKitN   (;ko(;i{apuki{— A  sokceukr— kim^ko   mv   a  t-ai.t,. 

The  second  expedition  undei-  Commander  Parry  comprised  the  Fury 
of  377  tons,  and  the  Ilccla,  of  the  previous  expedition,  of  375  tons,  to  !>,■ 
accom])anie(l  l^y  tiie  transport  Nautilus  until  they  reached  the  ice.     The 
instructions   were   to  proceed    to  Hudson's   Strait,  an.l    thence   throu-h 
Hudson's  Hay  to  Rowe's  \V\-lcome,  or  throu-h  Fox  Channel  to  Repurso 
J5ay,  on  the  soutli  coast  of  Melville  Peninsula.     From  the  neiohhorl      ul 
thus  indicated  it  was  hoped  a  channel  mi^^ht  he  found  to  the  Pacific,  and 
if  they  should  succeed   in  reaciu-n,tr  that  ocean  hy  any  route,  they  were  to 
proceed  throu-h  Tlehrin-  Strait  to  Kamchatka,  and  thence  to  the  Sand- 
wich  Islands,  „r  to   the   Canton    River,  in    China,  where   they  were  I., 
refit   and    re-victual    hefore    returnin-   to    En-land.       Thou-h    Parry's 
commission  was  dated    Dec.  30,  1S30,  they  did    n..t   leave   the    coast  ..f 
En-land  until  May  i,  1821.     The  Hecla  was  under  the  immediate  com- 
man<l  of  Capt.  Geor-e   Francis   Lyon,  and    the    Nautilus  was   in  char-c 
of  Lieut.  Scym-our.     On  th.-  14th  of  June,  in  latitude  60    48',  and  Lm- 
-itude53^    13',  in    the   entrance  to   Davis'  Strait,  they  met   the  first  ice- 
her-,  and  in  obedience  to  instructions  took  the  surplus  stores  of  the  trans- 
port al)oard  the  Fury  and  llecla. 

The  Nautilus  was  ready  for  dismissal  on  the  first  of  July,  when 
she  proceeded  on  the  homeward  voya-e,  and  her  late  consorts  made 
for  the  ice.  Two  days  later  these  were  stopped  hy  the  ice-lloe, 
with  over  thirty  icel)er-s  in  si-ht,  .■md  on  the  5th  were  completely 
heset    hy   the    ice,    against    which    they    were    often   driven    willi    some 

206 


ffJVNA  TURA I.   IW niiN VS. 


2fl7 


violence,  Imt  willionl 


MTMiiis  iiijiuN ,  !)(>ih  heiii" 


well  adapted  (or  ilu-  lou-,--!!    iis,,l;i'  (1 
si,i,dited  t\v<,  vessels  „r  tl,o    Iluds,,,,  15;, y  C 


very  sln)ii,L,rlv    l„|ii|'^  .,,„i 


U'v  i\eeiveil 


iiL'lit  (lavs   I, 


Hit   Ilu 


l-'ird  VVelliii^rfon,  with  160  set  1 1 
(.r  the  North.      .\   wrrk   later,  I 


oinpaiiy,  and  on    the    1  iil 


1     'It- 


ers, mostly  roreij,niers,  \\  ,■  ilu-  U,.,l  Ki 
y  iiiiislanl    i-d'orl  fn  t; 


\  er 


i:iKin--    a<lv;mta'4c  ol 

--.y  opeu.,^,  an.l  In    l-ren,^  th.i:    .,,y  ,vhe s.uh  opening  ..IR-re.!, 

tlH'.-  rea.^     d    6,      50'    ,^"    1„   ,,7  ■  ^>   ^..^   ;,,    j,^^.    ^.^.^^..^^^^  ^_   ^^^.    ,  ,^^_,^,^^__,^ 

S.ra,t,an,ll,;si^h.  r  s.ddled-ack  Island.  I  lere,  while,  anehored  t.,  .„ 
'"■"''"  "''""'^  '•""■  '"■  "^•^-  "'il'  '  '-".n  land,  M>ev  were  vi.i.ed  hv  over  n„e 
l-.'dred  !■  .inimaux,  ,„ale  and  lanaK.  dl  verv  ea^er  to  traflie,"  hut  l-v  no 
-ans  wdlin,.  .„  p.,t  with  their  wares  at  a  saeridce.  I'arrv  lound'this 
"•'•-"^•'^"•■''^•-'u„h  less  honorahle  than  the  small  h.U  he  had  .un-nn- 
•'•'-lliio  previous  ^ear.  They  were  rea.ly  .,.  ..al  all  .  hev  eonld,  and 
c'V.n  ofTl-red  to  hart.r  their  ehiKhvn  lor  ^oo,i.  ■  I'm.  nn  to  h.ve 
-•.|"n-ed,"   says    Par-y,  u  ,,3.    ,„    ^,„„„^,,    ;,„,,.^^,„.,  „    ^^,.  ,,    ^^_^,    ^,^.^^^    ^,^^, 

.H.irlv  a  Innulred  vears,  ,na,  .  ofthe  .-es  whirl,  unhappilv  at.eful  a  first 
•nl-v.„n-se  with  the  elvilix.d  ,  orl.l,  without  Iku  ,n^  imhilu.d  any  of  the 
vntn.'s  or  relinemenis  which  adorn  an.I    ren.ler  it  happy." 

On  Sunday,  the  ..d  orjulv,a  I'.n  orahle  wind  arose,  and  tlu-vpro- 
avde.l  rapully,  un.lerall  sail,  through  tlu  Strait.,  fin.l  .■■  .  .K/open- 
in^s  hetween  th.-  iee-lW.  Thev  weie  .ot  a  attle  .nrpris.d  at  th. 
•■"no>n,t  ol  roeks,  shells  and  wcvds  whieh  thevnoiieed  on  tia.se  Hoes 
"Masses  of  roeks,"  ^vs  the  ol.servaut  eonnnander.  -m,.,,-  1,.s  thn,  a 
l"""l'vd  pounds  in  weight,  an  M.nn.times  ohserved  iu  the  middh  of  a 
"'H-,  n.easurin^  half  a  nule  or  ,nore  eaeh  way,  an.l  of  whieh  the  whole 
surface  ,s  more  or  less  cvered  will,  suiaMer  stones,  sand  and  shelN." 


<)ii    ihe    first 


ol    .\n,i,nisi    thev    arrived       n 


uerr    visited    hy  sonie    natives    with    who 
"  Ma 


•inliamptou  Island,  and 
'"  '  ^  -  \;'ed  eonnnodities. 
'.Many  of  , In-  jackets  of  these  people,  and  particniarlv  thos.  ,.,  ,h, 
l-nalcs,  were  liued  with  the  skins  of  hirds,  h.vin;,  the  ll-athers  inside" 
Skn-tn,^  thenorlh  coast  of  this  lar^e  island  or  ^roup,  ih^v  arrived  on 
'iH'  .S>h,  at  a  hold  hea.lland,  which  Parrv  named  C  >e  I5ylot.  jud.dn.-  i, 
'"  'h.  the  most  wa-stern  point  seen  hy  the  navigator  of  that  nanu.  i^,  I^,, 
U,anucl,in  .r,,^.      I  lavin,,;  soon  arrived  within    liv  miles  of  tl    • 


Ill  I 


I  '  1  r  ''I 


inn 


/l.V  AfiCTlC  xi:ch 


\'npor./s. 


-m.v,n^    il-n..s,  line,  lor  al..H,t    600   .nil.s.      Tlu-y  .lisone.v.l    Ih.ni's 


ntFFlCUL  TIBS  OF  ICE  NA  W/GA  T/OJV.  ^ 

Channel^  ...  calU.1  i.  l,.,,,.,.  „f  Thomas  Hnr.!,  hy.|.-o,n,.lu.,  ,..  „,. 
MrmsU  A.I,„M-aUy,  (io.c  Hay,  I.you  I.Het,  Iloppun  .„,.,  ....,  „,..,  „..  , 
Lcsulcs  n..h,n...„,  V..,n.ittar,,  a.ul  Stu,,..  M„„nu.  IsI.n.Is,  Can.  Mo  - 
...u.  a,ul  M..OOI.V  Mh.n;na,nc.Ii..„ono.ortlu.  o„loc..•sorUK..xpc,li- 
'-"•  IlH-y  l,c-,.an  ,lH.ir  slow  nur.hcMn  progress  o,.  the  .,1  ..f  Au'a.st 
a.ul  went  i.uo  ui.uc.,-  quarters  on  the  Sth  of  Octoh..-.  M.„,,  „...  ^h.J 
.  K,  ha.l  lo,n..I  ,u.v.  i.c  of  the  seaso,.  he^nun,.;,  ,o  ,>„■„,,  ,„.,  p,,,,,  „,„^ 
.k-scnhes  ,ho  ohstnictioM  i,  p,,scnts  to  successful  .>avi.ratio„  • 

"'''''^'    '"''"''l'""    ••'■    youn;,     ice     upon     the    surface    .,C    ,he    water 
-    .he    cn-cunistance    which     „.os,    .Icci.lcliy    he,^i„s    to    p,.,     a    stop    ,o 

"-    nav,;,a.ion   of  these    -as,   an.l    warns  the    seaman, ha.     his    J 

':'-"-•    "l-'-tions  i.  nearly   a,    a.,    cn.l.      I,    is    in.leed   scarce! v    pos- 
^''''^'    •"    ----     .he    decree    of    hindrance    occasionc.l     hy    this    in.- 

I^'dnncnl,     Irillin-     as     it     always     aDpears    hcfor..     I.     ;         " 

....  ,  ,  •'       •'|'F'-''is     nctoiL     It     IS     eiK-onn.cred. 

Ul.en    the    sheet    has    ac.p.ired    a    ihickness    of    ahout     half    an    inch 
.nul  isol   considerahle  extent,  a  ship   is   liahlc  to  I.  stoppd  hv  i.  unless 
l.'v-.red   hy  a  strong  an.l   ireewiud;   and   even   when   s.ill    re.ainin.^   her 
u.iy.hron^h    the  water  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  an    hour,  .nir  conrs.    i^    „., 
always  under  the  control  of  our  hehusman,  hi.t  depends  upon  son-e  acci- 
''^■'•<=''    'l-ease   or   increase   in    the   thickness   of  the   sheets   of  ice  with 
-l--'^  <""e   how  or  ,hc  other  comes   in    contact.      A  ship   i„  this   helpless 
^'."cJKM- sails  in  vain  expanded   to   a   f.vorahle   hreexe,  her  ordinarv   re- 
-nces    .ailing,  and    suddenly  arrested    in    her   course   upon   the  eluaei. 
tln-..u;;h  which  she  has   heen   accustomed    ,o  move  without   restraint    has 
""-    reminded    n.e  of  (Julliver  tied  down    hy  ,hc   techle   hands  of  LiUi- 
MU.uns.      Xor  are  the  stru^^^les  she   makes  ,o  efll-ct   her    release,  and  the 
■Tl-vn.    insi^nillcauce   of  the    means    hy  .vhich  her  eflbrts  are  oppose.l 
'!"•  leas,  just  <,r  least  vexatious  part  of  the  resemhlance." 

They  were  at  one  time  driven  across  to  Southampton  Island,  flndinc. 
|.nse.vcs,on  the  .1  of  Septemher,  almost  a,  the  spot  thev  had 
•^"  '••>  the  r.tho,  Au,a,st,  which  serves  u  ^o  show,"  says  Parrv,"  "the 
-1-  o,  even  the  snudlest  geographical  inn.rmation  in  sc:,s  where  not  an 
'-"-  must  he  thrown  away,  or  unprodtahly  employed."  On  the  .th  of 
bcptemher  they   again   sailed   nortluvani,   and    leaving   the  ships   in   as 


r-r-r 

IfliiMI 

n.i.^  mmn 

1 

jfi. 

I 

1 '      1 

[   i    is  ■   ; 

ny   WINTER  QUARTERS.  g^j 

cas   ,„  ,.op..a..,   .,,„»  ,.,  1,,,,.,  „,,„„,„„  .„,,„,  „  ,,l.,,  I 

-  ■!  .1       S  h  „f  Octobo,  whe„  ,hc  now  ice  was  al,..„lv  .h,-ce  ..,.1  ^  „i- 
.....on       ,.,«   P.,,,,  „„,„.,    ,,„„.,^,„^    ^^,^^^^  

".■■    .■„,.„    ,„.  „,,j.,,  „,,„.  ,„,,„,.„.  „„  „_^.  ^.,^^^      ^^^^^  ^^_  ^      . 

;:":':"":  t  :'"';"■• '-""  ^'^  ""■  -" *•-- '»" '- ...»., 

sccunty  lor  the  season." 

IN   WINTER  QUARTERS. 
TIK.  ,v,v  .etectal  r,„.   „,,„,,-  ,,„„,„,,   „^„    „  .^^ 

'■'-■'.-    'l.-™-nc.    ..  Ly,.nV  I,,,e,,  .Mvas,"  savs  ,.,,,.,,,..,.  ,i,K 

■;'.'''■""  V  "f"  '■' ™-"""''-'™  ---i« "-"  r-n  .ho  .,„;„, 

■...„s  >W„ol,  ll,o,  ,„i„„  ,„  ,„,,,„  ,.,„,„  ,-.,„„  „_^.,.  ,^_^^^^^.  _        • 

■""■  "';■  .-"1..     Tho  ohier  p,,„ccu„„  was  „.„,„    Hk-  „ow.,„a,,o-  i™  ho 

;  '■  7  '■'■  "-  P-i"..^  .•xpcii.io,,,  ,„„  wi,„  ,ho  i.np,,,vo,„o,„s'.„.,. 
..-■^1  hy  .ha,  o.pono„oo_„u,v  uv,...  ,.oa,lv  ,„  „o  ann.sC.  AHo.  a  a.; 
''•'y^  n.u,.   ,„  ..„,,,„,  ,„o  u,oa.o,,"  ,1,0  .season  .,r    „S„..  „,,,„,,,  ,, 


i 


I 


373 


ESmi/MA  (rx  SNOW-// UTS. 


cioiisly   on    llu-    cjih    of    NovcmhIht,   willi    SuTid.iirs   romcdy   of  »  Tli 


K 


iv;i 


Is,"  Capt.  Lyon  lakinL;-  tlif  place  of  iiianaiLi^cr, 


o  atiH'ptahl)'  lillfd  l>y 


usical    c-oiu-tTls   all(.'riiat(.'<l 


Lii'iil.  iK'c'chi-y  of   llu-   roinior    cxpcdilion        M 

with    tlu-atric-al    i-cpivscMitations,  and  a  m.'1ioo1    was  opened,  hnt  ll 


papiT    vrnlnro   does   not    seem    1 


o    hvw    lu'en    lenewei 


i.      Clirisl 


eelcliialed  with  sneh  of  tlie  usnal  oIis.tx  anres  and  festixities  as  ti 
eoinniand,  and   the  ■'eiieral    iiealth  was  e\ 


le    news- 


nias   was 


ie\  eonid 


eellenl,  lliere   heiu''-  only  a  sin 


Ic   ease    ol    sickness,  tlie  eariunter 


s    mail'.      " 


1 1    nieiease   onr  ordinal" 


issue  of  anti-seorI)utics,    lilie 


ral  as   it    alrea(!\-  was,     sav: 


anv 


we    liad 


lioni 


tlie  eoinnieneeineiit  of  tlie  winte;-  adopted  a  re'^'ula 


r  s\slein  < 


it    ^IDW 


ni''-  niiistar( 


1  and  cress,  wliiili  the  ,Mi|)erior  wanntli  of  the  slii] 


)s  now  ena 


hied  us  to  do  on  a  lan^ir  scale  than  hefore,      IC.-idi  mess,  hoth  of  the  olli 
cits'  and  slii|)\  lompany,  was    lor  this   pui| 


)ose  lurnislied  witii   a  s 


hall 


l)o\  lilled  with    mold,  in  which  a  crop  could    ,i;eiierall\-  he   r;tise(l  in  fr 
I'i'^hl  to  IfMi  days."      On  the  iSth  of    | 


ow 


(itn 


iiiuar\-    I. Si  J,  ihf  St. 


i>ve-pipe  in  t  lie 


commaiidir's  cahin  toolv    ll 


re,  creatiiiL;'  a    momentary  alarm,  hut    ao  daiHi- 


ai^e.      On   the  ist  of    I\'hruar\-  thev 


were    \c  rv  aL;"reeahlv  sninrised    1 


•  V  a 


i|uarters 


visit    hom    a    party  of    ICscpiimanx,  who    liad   settled    in    wiuti'r 

ahoul  two  miles  from  the  sliijis.      A  small  party  of  i:n-lish  accompanied 

them  to  the  xillan'e,  which   consisted  of  lr\-e    huts  recenti\-  erected.      The 


.tahl 


ishmeiit    comprised    sixt\'   person-- 


with    their 


(lo;_;s,    sieil'^'es    ;iiid 


canoes. 


On 


examination  it  war,  found  that    the  hnl-   were    m, 


ol  snow  iiiHt  ice. 


A I 


ler  creepiii''-  throu'''h  tw 


o  low  ])assa;j^es  iia\iiiL;-  eat'h 


ide  cut  1  rely 


Its  arilied  doorwa\-,  wc  canu 


^mall 


ciix'ular  ai)artment,  ol" 


winch  I  he 


roof  was  a  perfect  arched  dome.  I'lom  this  three  doorwavs,  also  arched, 
and  of  lari^-er  dimensions  than  tiie  outer  ones,  led  into  as  nianv  inhahitt'd 
apartments,  one  on  each  sidr,  and  the  other  facin--  us  as  we  entered.     'I'he 


woiiU'ii  were  seated  on  the  heds  at  the  sides  of  the  hnl 
little    lireplace  or    lanii).  with   al 


s,  eac:h  havin<'-  hi' 


her  doim-stii-    utensils  ahout 


tier, 


T 


ie 


children  crejjt  hehiiid  ihi'ir    mother-,  and 


llie 


doLi^s    slunk    jiast    us  ni  dis 


maw 
that  of   th 


he  construction 


.f   t 


Us  iiiiia 


hited    pari  of  ihe  hul   w 


IS  similar   to 


lat  ot  the  .niter  apartment,  heinir  a  .Ionic  loinu'd  hv  sfpanu,.  l,lo(  ks  of 
snow  laid  with  ure.at  rc'^nilarily,  an.i  n,,  small  art,  each  luan-  ent  into 
the  shape    rcjuired    to  form  a    siihstantial    arch,  from    seven  to  ei'rh.i  fee! 


^■1 


''•1 
111 


!Sk 


:''«*.*.  :r^ 


;is 


..-  _  J: 


il   - 


I 


I 


374 


PAimr'S   EULOGT  ON   THE  NATIVES. 


hij^h  in  tho  center,  and  having  no  support  whatever  except  what  this  prin- 
ciple of  buildin;.^  supplies.  Sufficient  light  was  admitted  into  these  curi- 
ous edifices  hy  a  circular  window  of  ice,  neatly  fitted  into  the  roof  of  each 
apartment."  The  imexpected  cleanliness  of  these  huts  astonished  the  vis- 
itors, Init  they  afterward  found  that  it  was  largely  due  to  their  newness. 
The  usage  of  a  few  months  made  them  much  less  attractive,  but  the  tribe 
were  nevertheless  judged  to  be  more  neat  than  most  of  their  race.  With 
one  or  tv/o  exceptions  they  were  found  to  be  honest,  and  in  their  domes- 
tic relat'ons  (juite  afFectionate.  One  of  the  boys  declined  all  overtures  to 
leave  his  parents  because  it  v/ould  make  them  cr^.  The  women  were 
occupied  with  the  usual  domestic  cares,  and  not  required  to  take  part  in 
fishing  or  hunting.  But  few  of  them  could  count  1t)eyond  five,  and  were 
slow  to  learn  English.  Yet  within  the  range  of  their  own  experience 
they  were  sharp  and  alert.  They  kept  themselves  comfortably  and 
neatly  clothed,  and  were  ingenious  in  devising  means  of  2:)i'oviding  for 
their  wants.  When  their  supply  of  food  ran  low  for  a  few  days,  and  the 
ship's  bounty  was  extended  to  them,  it  was  noticed  that  their  first  care, 
before  partaking  of  any  of  it,  was  to  hurry  back  to  the  village  to  feed  their 
little  ones. 

There  was  noticeable  among  them  the  usual  variety  of  disposition 
and  intellect;  and  Parry  grows  enthusiastic  over  one  of  the  boys  in 
whom  lie  recognized  an  aptness  to  learn,  which  would  have  made  him  a 
famous  scholar  in  England.  His  sister,  Iligliuk,  also  attracted  their  no- 
tice by  her  marked  intelligence  and  love  of  music,  and  became  useful  as 
an  interpreter  between  the  English  and  the  more  stolid  or  indifFercnt  of 
the  tribe.  Having  observed  that  they  were  acquainted  with  the  four  car- 
dinal points  of  the  compass,  tlic  commander  marked  them  on  a  sheet  (jf 
l^aper,  on  whicli  he  designated  also  a  spot  to  represent  the  location  of  the 
ships.  Iligliuk  was  then  requested  "  to  complete  the  rest,  and  to  do  it 
mikkec  (small),  when,  with  a  countenance  of  the  most  grave  attention 
and  licculiar  intelligence,  she  drew  the  coast  of  the  continent  beyond  b"r 
own  country,  as  lying  nearly  north  from  Winter  Island.  The  most  im- 
jiortant  part  still  remained,  and  it  would  have  amused  an  unconcerned 
looker-on   to    have   observed  the  anxiety  and   suspense   depicted   on   the 


SOUVENIRS. 


275 


countenances  of  our  part   of  the   ...roup   till    this  was   acco.uplished,  for 
never  were  the  tracings  of  a  pencil  marked  ^vith  more  earnest  solicitude. 
Our  surprise  and  satisfaction  may,  tiierefore,  in  some-  de-ree  he  imagined, 
when,  without  takin-   the   pencil  from    the   paper,  Iligliuk  hrought  ihJ 
continental  coast  short  round  to  the  westward,  and  afterwanl  to  the  south- 
southeast,  so   as   to  come   within  a  few   days'   jomney  of  Repulse   P,ay. 
The   country  thus   situated    upon   the  shores   of  the    Western    or    Polar 
Sea  is   caW^d  Akkoolcc   (now    Melville   Peninsula),  ami  is  inhahited  ],y 
numerous  Esquimaux;  and   halfway   between   that   coast   and    Repulse 
15ay,  Ili<rliuk   drew   a   lake   of  considerable   size,  havin-   small   streams 
from  it  to  the  sea  on  each  side.      To  this  lake   her  countrymen  are  annu- 
ally in  the  habit  of  resorting  during  summer,  and   catch  there   large  fish 
of  the  salmon  kind,  while  on  the  banks  are  found  abundance  of  reimleer. 
To  the  westward  ofAkkoolcc,  as  far  as  they  can  see  from  the  hills,  which 
she  described   as  high  ones,  nothing  can  be  seen   but  one  wide,  extended 
sea.     Being   desirous  of  seeing   whether   Iligliuk    would   interfere   with 
Wager   River   (about  loo  miles  to  the  south  of  Wi.iter  Island,  opening 
to  the  west  from  Rowe's  Welcome),  as  we  know  it  to  exist,  I   requested 
her  to  continue   the  coast   line   to   the  southward  of  Akkoolcc,  when  she 
immediately  dropped    the   pencil  and  said  she  knew  no   more  about  it." 
"  Others  of  the    more   intelligent  of  the   tribe   being  tested    on  the  sa.ne 
subject,  "  their  delineations  of  the  coast  made  without  any  concert  among 
them,  agreed  in  a  surprising   manner."      Fmm  the  head  of  Repulse  Bay 
to   (he   northern    sea   of   these   Esquimaux,  now  known  as  the   Gulf  of 
Hoothia,  was  three  scnicks  (sleeps),  or  days'  journey. 

"Considering  it  desirable,"  says  Parry,  "  to  increase  by  all  the  means 
in  our  power  the  chances  of  these  people  giving  information  of  us,  we 
distributed  among  several  of  the  men  large  round  P.elaUions  of  sheet 
cojjper,  having  these  words  punched  through  them:  '  j !.  B.  M.  S.  Fury 
a.ul  liecla,all  well,  A.  D.  1S22.'"  Smaller  medals  with  "  Fury  and 
llecla,  1823,"  only,  were  given  to  the  women,  to  be  shown  to  any  Kab- 
Ioo»a  ( Europeans)  they  might  tall  i,i  with.  Five  or  six  of  the  most  de- 
serving men  were  i)resented  with  st 


for  their  spe 


;irs,  uito  the  wood  fjf 


Inch  w  ere  driven  small  nails  forming  tlu 


g  the  words  "1'  ury  and  llecla,  1833." 


•iaii^Hi^ 


fill!  I 
III 


[t   I  ifK  VI'  i 


376 


A   SOJiCEROR. 


As  the  weather   grew  warmer,  tlie  huts  were  felt  to  l)e  too  conlincd, 
and   they  proceeded    to  euhirj^e  them  in   a   manner   his^hly  creditable  to 
their  injfenuity.      They   built    the  new  around    and   over   the   old,  which 
they  tlien   removed  iVom  within.      They  had   early  exhibited  to  their  vis- 
itors, at   the  commander's   retjuest,  the  method    of  construGtion,  erectin" 
one  in  their  presence    in  a    few    hours,      i'arry  and    some    others    accom- 
l)anied  them  in  one  of  tlieir  seal-l]silin^•  expeditions,  and  noted  with  sur- 
prise and  admiration  the  skill,  patience  and   endurance  with  which   they 
carried  on  that  imi)ortant  business.    -'It  was  impossible  not  to  admire  the 
fearlessness  as  well    as   dexterity  with  which    the   Esquimaux  invariably 
pursueil  it."     Among  other  noteworthy  characteristics  of  these  jjeople  it 
was  observed   that,  although    tlie   seal    or   walrus,  or   whatever  else  they 
succeeded  in   catching,  was   invariably  taken  to  the   hut  of  tlie  party  im- 
mediately  concerned    in   securing  it,  all   others    were    made   pa'lakers  of 
this  good  fortune.      Early  in  March  a   number  of  them   tiarisferred  their 
residence  to  the  ice,  some  live    or   six    miles   from  the   ships,  perhaps   for 
greater    convenience    in    lishing,    and    ipiickly    erected    four    new    huts. 
Some   two  weeks  later  they  were  joined   by  others  from  the  old  village, 
and  a  few  erected    huts  near  the  ships;  but   far  or  near,  intercourse   was 
kept  up.      The  English  noted  many  superstitious  practices  among  them; 
and  one  was  found  to  l)e  an  acknowledged  angetkook,  or  sorccror,  who 
was   liclieved    to   have   a   ioorngoxL',  or  familiar  spirit,     lie   was   about 
forty-five  years  of  age,  and  1)ore  tlie  name  of  Ewerat.      He  did  not  seem 
to  be  a  conscious    impostor,  Init  on  ihe  contrary,  was  a  sensible,  obliging'- 
man,  and  a  lirst-rate  seal  catcher.      When  appealed  to  on    occasion  of  ill- 
ness, or  for  other  purpose,  to   exercise  his  art,  «  his   lips  l)egan  to  cpiiver, 
his  nose   moved    up   and   down,  his   eyes   gradually  closed,  and   the    vio- 
lence of  his    grimaces    increased    until   every   feature   was    hideously  dis- 
torted; at  the  same   time   he   moved   his   head    rapidly  from    side  to  side, 
uttering  sometimes  a  snuffling   sound,  and  at  others  a  raving  sort  of  cry. 
Having  worked  himself  into  this  ridiculous  sort  of  frenzy,  which   lasted 
perhaps  from   twenty  to   thirty  seconds,  he   suddenly  discontinued  it  and 
suffered  his  features  to  relax  into  their   natural    form;  but  the    motion  of 
his  head   seemed  to  have  so  stupefied  him,  as  indeed  it  well  might,  that 


Pi ! 


VI 


DEATH  FROM  A   FALL  ^ 

.hero  ,.™„i„e,,  ,,„  „„„,„„,  ,,,,,^„^y  ^,,,,  .^  ^^^^^ 

-anc.  f„..  ,„™  .„„e  .fterwur,!.     To,a..,,  hi.  wife.  .,  J|  ,„„   „,  ,";  . 
no„,  .one  some  questions  .ospecing  me,  wl,ich  he  „s  seriously  answered  » 
Early  n,   May  Cap..  Lyon,  aeeompanie,,   hy    Ueu,,  Pal.ner,  fivHl 
."cn  an.,  three  n.arines,  was  <,ispatche„  „„  „n  exploring  expedition,  with 

.".0".  to  prooee.1  a,„„,  .ha.  eoast  .o  the  northward,  careful,;  exa.nininl 
=";y  hen     or  ,„,et  he  n,i«ht  ,„eet  with,  so  as  to  leave  „o  d„„h  ,  if  possi  I? 

;:;:::",""""' "-:'  ^^ ''-'--  '^^-"^  .-^...in; .,:.  nee : 

•      ',""     '^'""  '■■'"■■■"'«  "  "■>  "- rival  there."     The  result  of  this 

ped,t,„„   frou,  whieh    .hey  returned   i„  safety  on   the   evenin,  of  the 

-.».,was  tocounrn,  what  they  ha.l   learned   fr„,n   Ili.liuU,  of  tire  cou- 

.rn,at,„n  o,  the  ntainland,  around  the  northern  ex.re.ni.y  o    whieh  th  ' 

H-    ...  find  the  eoveted  passage  ,o  the  .ol.ar  Sea.     (. 'the  ,  ,th  Ta.nes 

nn.de,  a  seaman    was  instantly  killed  l.y  fal,i„,,  f,„„,    ,„,  ,    „,;^,  ,„ 

Aedeekof  the    Hecla;  and    f.rty  days  later  they  lost  two  m '„  „n  the 

rury    l,y  d,sease;    Willia.n   .S er,  „.,ar,er,naster,  after   a  short  illness 

i'lKl  tho  invalid,  Roid.  'uncss, 


I' 


EWEUAT 


n1 


I  in;   i 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 


PAURY    ATTEMPTS    TO    KRKK    HIS    SHIPS  —  lOI.OOKMK    ISLAND  —  A    NE- 

CUOPOMS SUPPOSED      DISCOVERY    OK     THE      I'OEAK      SEA ItECLA 

AND      FURY      STRAIT  —  OLUTTONY  UNUSUAL      PHENOMENON 

MELVILLE    PENINSULA    EXPLORED SUCCESSFUL    ANGLINO STILL 

RESET    -    OE  \TH       FROM       SCURVY  WELCOME       AT       SHETLAND 

ISLAND;-^. 

From  the  3(1  to  the  3ist  of  June  they  were  cn<2^agcd  in  cuttin-,^  canals 
for  the  ships   to   escape    to  sea   whenever  an    opportimity  ofTercd.     This 
opportunity  Avas  supplemented  1)y  tlie  action  of  the  ice  itself  toward  the 
close  of  their  labors.     On    the    19th  a  body  of  sea  ice   was   driven   by  a 
southerly   breeze  aj^ainst    tiie  bay  ice,  which,   weakened   l)y  their  labors, 
broke  asunder,  forminjr  a   new  channel,  l)ut   closin<,r   the  canal   tliey  had 
constructed.     In  a  few  days  the  action  of  the  wind  and  tide  reversed,  re- 
opening the   artificial    channel,  into  which   they  hastened    to    float   some 
loose  masses  of  ice  to  keep  the  sides  from    bein<,r  aj^ain   driven    to<:fethcr. 
It  was  not,  however,  till  the  3d  of  July,  after  almost  nine  months'  deten- 
tion, that  the  ships  were  able  to  leave  the  roadstead.      Sailing  northward, 
they  were   in    <,n-eat  dauLjer   from    ice-floes  and    iceber-rs    until   the  12th, 
when  they  reached,  in  latitude  67°  iS',  the  mouth  of  a  river,  where  they 
anchored.     This   they  named  Barrow  River,  in   honor  of  Sir  John  Bar- 
row, secretary  to  the  admiralty,  and   an    active    promoter  of  Arctic  voy- 
ages.      On    tile    next  day,  in  pushing   their  exploration   up  stream,  they 
found  a  beautiful   cascade  of  two   falls  of  ninety  and  fifteen   feet,  respec- 
tively. Higher  up  they  fouuc'  two  other  smaller  cataracts;  and  were,  alto- 
gether,  much  delighted    with   the   novelty   of    the   experience.       Their 
pleasure  was  further  enhanced   by  the  richness  of  the  vegetation  on   its 
banks,  and  the  killing  of  some  reindeer.     Leaving  Barrow  River  with  a 
favorable  wind  they  soon  reached   a  headland,  which  they  named  Cape 


IGLOOKLIK  ISLAND. 


279 


Pcnrhyn,  .ind  on  the  next  day  encountered  great  numbers  of  walrus,  as 
they  had  been  led  to  expect  from  the  accounts  jDreviously  given  by  Ilig- 
liuk  and  the  other  Esquimaux.  They  were  seen  lying  in  large  herds 
upon  loose  pieces  of  drift-ice,  huddled  close  together,  and  .-ven  upon  one 
another,  not  less  than  two  hundred  being  in  gunshot.  They  killed  a  few 
and  found  the  flesh  palatable,  though  somewhat  objectionable  at  first, 
because  of  its  dark  color. 

On  the  1 6th  they  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the  channel  which  Ilicr. 
link  liad  marked  on  the  chart  as  opening  to  the  west,  but  only  to  find  it 
closed  by  an  unbroken  sheet  of  ice.  Here  they  encountered  some  Esqui- 
maux, with  whom  they  landed  on  Iglooklik  Island.  The  encampment 
comprised  sixteen  tents,  in  two  divisions 
of  eleven  and  five,  half  a  mile  apart. 
These  natives  were  found  willing  to 
exchange  commodities,  but  altogether 
uiKiccustomed  to  receiving  anything 
without  giving  an  equivalent.  Unfor- 
tunately the  visitors,  in  tlieir  desire  to 
win  the  confidence  of  these  simple  ~^ 
]x'ople,  began  to  bestow  piesents,  and 
naturally  they  soon  became  as  willing 
■as  tiicir  kindred  on  Winter  Island,  and 
others  of  the  same   race  elsewhere,  to  take  gifts 

in  the  tents,  to  which  they  had  been  driven  back  from  the  sea 
by  the  stress  of  weather,  the  visitors  gained  their  ships  and  stood 
to  tlie  west.  They,  however,  made  but  little  progress,  and  landed 
a-ain  on  the  33d,  to  visit  the  village,  having  meanwhile  been 
visited  on  shipboard  by  the  Esquimaux.  This  time  they  had  an 
opportunity  of  inspecting  tiie  permanent  villages  at  tiie  distance  of  less 
tlian  a  mile  inland  from  the  tents.  These  were  of  the  same  shape 
as  the  snow  huts  on  Winter  Island,  but  of  different  material.  Here 
the  lower  part  of  the  circle  was  of  stone,  and  the  rest  of  bones  of 
the  whale  and  walrus,  gradually  inclining  inward  and  meeting  at  the  top, 
with  the  interstices  filled   with   turf,  a   layer  of  whicli   also  covered  the 


ILIOI.IIK. 

After  a  night  spent 


^ 


I 


J-.' 


280 


SUri'OSED  DISCOVERT  OF  POLAR  SEA. 


whole  of  the  outside.  This,  with  the  added  layer  of  suow  which  envel- 
oped the  whole  structure  in  winter,  made  these  huts  (juite  warm.  The 
entrance  is  always  from  the  south,  and  consists  of  a  passaj^e  ten  feet  \mv^ 
and  not  more  than  two  in  heit^ht  and  width,  tln-oti^h  wiiich,  therefore, 
it  is  necessary  to  crawl  to  <rain  the  hut.  Tiiese  passages  are  made  of  flat 
slahs  or  lar<ife  stones,  and  like  the  huts,  are  covered  with  turf  to  keep  out 
the  cold.  Lying  all  arounil  were  seen  great  quantities  of  bones  of  the 
whale,  walrus,  seal,  as  well  as  bears,  wolves  and  dogs.  The  visitors 
were  not  a  little  shocked  to  find  human  bones  among  the  others.  HiU  ,i 
greater  surprise  was  in  store  for  them;  for  as  soon  as  they  were  seen  to 
put  a  skull  or  two  into  their  bags,  the  natives  volunteered  to  hunt  up 
some  more,  which  they  thrust  into  the  s:nne  receptacles,  with  no  more 
compunction  than  if  tliey  had  been  the  skulls  of  wolves,  instead  of  p';r- 
haps  their  own  grandfathers. 

On  the  24th  they  were  able  to  get  some  salmon  from  a  late  arrival  in 
the  village,  who  stated  that  more  could  be  <)l)tained  at  a  distance  of  three 
days' journey.     Capt.  Lyon,  accompanied  by  George  Dunn,  volunteered 
to  go  with   the  new-comer,  Toolemak,  in  search  of  the  coveted  salmon. 
Equipped  with  the   necessary  supplies  and  Ibtn-  dav^'  provisions,  tliey  set 
out,  but    were   prevented    by  open    water  from    reaching    tlie    designated 
fishing-ground    in   their  sledges.     On  tlie    27th,  wiiile  on   tliis  I'xcnrsion, 
Lyon   discovered  o\er   thirty  small    islands,  \-arving   'wi    size  from  a  hun- 
dred yards  to  a  mile   or  more  in  length,  which  he  named  Coxe's  (iron]). 
Meanwhile,  the  ships  wailed   in  vain  f  )r  the  breaking  iip  of  the  ice,  and 
could  onlv  gain  at    intervals  of  several  davs  a  half-mile  or  so,  as  an  occa- 
sional break  would  occur.      On  the  14th  of  August  the  commander,  with 
one  otHcer  and  four  men,  and  ten  davs'  provisions,  set  out  to  reach,  if  pos- 
sible, a  point  on  the   mainland  whence  he  could   overlook  the  strait.      On 
the  iSth  thev  reached  tlie  desired  point,  whence,  looking  to  the  west,  thev 
coukl  see  no  land,  and    quite  naturalh'  inferred    that    thev  had  discovered 
the  Polar  Sea,  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  (iulf  of  IJoothia.      The  nar- 
row chamu'l   at   their  feet,  comiecting  I'^ox  Channel    with    tiiis  sea,  Parry 
named  the  Strait  of  the  Fury  and    Ilecla,  which  it  still  retains.      It  varies 
in  width  from  eight  to  forty  miles,  and  is  studded  with  islands.     Its  west- 


".  „  i 


I r EC LA   AND 


erii  ciUrancc  is  i„   latitude 


7o 


Joth,  th 


le   s 


tl 


hips   slowly   lahorc. 


y  STJiMT. 


'iijritinlc  ,Sk    .      Rot 


ic  einraiice    lo    th 


I  he   west,  :in<l 


281 

uminpf  on  the 


'•II    ihc 


•til 


o    narrows. 


were  at 


l)loeive(l  hy  a  continuous  lii 
This  they  tried    to    hore    ti 


leir    w 


■'y 


as    .1     liii 


)f  unhrokcM  ice  lyinj^ 


I  a 


lly 


r  rii'-li 


11      II! 


hy  '■r()^•,•dinff  sail,  and     .,,1 


si  rait, 
"ced  in 


C.  .■„«„„.,„,,.  „„  .,,0  .,«„  ,„■  ,„„  „„..    ,„.,        .„„„i„.l ,,„    "^ 

wcM,  ,„  ,„e  v,ci„i,v  „f  „„ae  „,„  artc-wa,-.,    „a,n...,  a',„„.,..  I,,, 

'.-    c..pl,„.„„     „a„ie,,   „„.L.,.    Capt.   Ly,.„     an.l    ,.io,.,.    R, ,u 

....     .0..   ,,,,„    ,.pa.e,..,   i„    „.. .,,  „ , „„„    ,      ; 

:^j::  :  :,^';::";;;~;7'--"---^-e.,.a,,.. 

I>ail},  a„<l  K,t,sfii,l  h„„.,„lr  ||,,„  ,1,^,,^  ^^,,^  ,_,, 
..a  lo  ,„.„,,..  ,■„,.»,,,,„  |„  ,„„  ,„„„,„.     ,,,,,^.   i,,,,,    ,,,,,„,^  ,„. 
..  ,  lc„,  c,.„„n„  ,hi,  „„i„i,„„  ,. ,.„,„^  ,.,. .,^.,,   ,^^^^  ^^^ 

tat  »ea»„       „  ,„  „.,■  >av  „,„;,   I,,.,   .y.h.wi.ho,,.  any  ..pponanitv  ,„ 

■"'";7; "■'"■-  ' >"'  -  -P«"y  f-nnin,,  an,„„.l  ,l,o  .hip.,  .I.c-v 

"■•■>■  ^■'■nv.,,    ,,,  f,,„,  .„■  ,.„„,   .,,,    ,,^,„,,„.,„^   ^,,,^^^^,^^  ^^^^^^^^^   ^^^^^^    -+ 

""™  ""■^-  ""''  '"■»'  ---I  ">-  "-.-»,  and  , ,  »a„.  .hci,-  „l,|   nU-,.* 

M-ainpi.,-,,,.,.  1V„,„  tl,,  |,„„  „,  ||,„  |„,,,|,  ,„  ^.^.^,^,j  ^|_^^^_^ 

AfU-r  »,„„,,,,„   ,,„,„  i„   „,„,„., ^,  ,,^  „„i,H,„„H„,,  i,,,„„ ,,„^, 

-I    —■„,.   a,,,,,i„„„   ,„„„,,„„„„   „„,,^   „,^    „^,.^.^_^^,   ^1^^    j,_^^^   ^^   ■ 

:;■''■'  7:"  '";■  ■■"'-'■  ^''"^''  "■ "- »»«.  •"-•  -"i^ w„  .„  ,„o  „,.* 

"I   l.cr,l„n,,  .,..  sh,p,.     Thi,  „„,„,„.„,  ,,^,  ,,,^^^  ,^^^,,.  ^^^,  ^  ^^^__^ 

»."nc-  P.-..V,.,,,,  „.,,.  ,„a,lc  r,„.  ,„„  scanity  „r  ,hc  ships  a,„l  storos,  as  n-dl 
»»     "-  tiK-  hc,.l.h  „,„,  „,„„•.„,  ,„■  .„,  „„„_  ^,^  „,_    ,,,,.,,^^^.  _^^^,__^.^^^^^^      , 

-I-  >  >,s,u  „r  ,„e  r,.ic,„lly  „a.ivc.s  u-cv  a  ncvor-cali,,.  »„.„.,„  „r  i,,,.,,,. 
-'    -— -n.   ..,„ni™,,    a,„l    ,„.„,  „.|,id,    „„    ,vs,„„a,    ,.fth.i,.   „„„ 

;■';'"''   ■;;'7'"-"   -Pl"-I-     This  cabled    ,hcn,. sp,„s„„.i.h  .h, 

W-  "I  llu.a„,cal  ,x.pros..„,a,i„„s,  whiol,  ha.l  al,„  l„s,  .h,ir  „„vd,v  a„.l 
|;H,ao„v..„c,s.  They  sc.c,„.o.l  a  shcl.ored  space  f,,,- oxcoiso  and  recrca- 
I'-n  I'V  .avcl,,,,!;-  hi-li  s,„nv  wall,,  which    „„l  „„ 


■  ly 


Iccl   se 


nsihly  to  the 


: 


'^ri% 


«.  ^' .% 


rv   ^JV 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


7 


5r     ^/. 


#/.  % 


1.0    Ifritt  IIIM 


I.I 


I «-  IIIM 


1^ 


IL25  III  1.4 


1.6 


Sciences 
Coiporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


283 


^ 


GLUTTO.yr. 


warmth    of  the    sliips,   but   was    moreover   a   protection    against  snow 
drifts. 

The  Esquimaux    suffered  from  scarcity  of  provisions  before  the  close 
of  the  winter,  though  with  anything  like  economy  they  could  easily  have 
lived  on  the  supplies   they  had  provided  in  advance,  as  it  seemed  to  their 
English  friends.     It  had  already  been  often  noticed  what  immense  (,uan- 
tities  of  food  they  could  consume;  and  it  was    now  thought  worth  while 
to  make  a  careful  test  of  their  powers  in  t\vM   direction.     For   this  pur- 
pose a  young  man,  scarcely  full  grown,  was  selected,  and  left  at  entire  lib- 
erty to  eat  all  he  wanted  ot   staple  food    previously    weighed.     It   was 
found  that  in  twenty    hours  he  had  consumed  Sj^  lbs.  of  sea-horse  flesh 
—half  being  supplied  frozen  and  half  boiled— and  13^  lbs.  of  bread,  be- 
sides  11^  pints  of  gravy,  soup,  i  gallon  of  water,  i  tumbler  of  whisky 
and  water,  and   three  wine  glasses  of  raw  spirits.     There   was    no    evi- 
dence of  gorging  or  over-feeding  in  this  performance,  and  the  party  con- 
cerned did  not   manifest  any    sense   of  having   consumed   an    al^iormal 
quantity  of  food.     The  English  had,  however,  noticed  a  tendency  to  de- 
liberate    gorging    in    other   instances,  especially  when  plenty  succeeded 
privation.     Some  were  seen  in  the  huts  so  distended  by  the    quantity  of 
walrus-meat    they  had  eaten,  that  they  were   unable  to   move,  and  com- 
plained of  severe    pain,  which  the    observers  could    only  ascribe  to   that 
cause.     They  inferred  that  a  great  part  of  the  illness  from  which  the  in- 
habitants of  Iglooklik  suffered,  and  of  the  deaths  which  ensued,  was  due 
to  the  frequent  changes  from  excessive  to  insufficient  feeding.     On  Win- 
ter Island,  where  there  was  less  fluctuation  in  this  respect,  there  had  been 
but  little  sickness  and  no  deaths,  the  preceding  winter,  among  the  natives. 
P^or  the  first  time  in  Parry's  Arctic  experience,    he    frequently    saw 
"hard,  well-defined  clouds,  a  feature  he  had  hitherto  considered  as  almost 
unknown  in  the  winter  sky  of  the    Polar  regions."     And  in  the  spring, 
about  the  time  of  the  sun's    reappearance,  "the  glowing  richness  of  the 
tints  with  which   they   were    adorned,"    excited    his    admiration.     "An- 
other peculiarity  observed  in  this  winter,  was  the  rare  occurrence  of  the 
Aurora  Borealis,  and  the  extraordinary  poverty  of  its  display  whenever 
it  did  make  its  appearance.     It  was   almost  invariably  seen  to  tlie  south- 


ainst  snow 

e  the  close 

iasily  have 
ed  to  their 
inse  (juan- 
orth  while 
this   pur- 
entire  lib- 
.     It    was 
lorse  flesh 
bread,  be- 
if  whisky 
3    no    evi- 
oarty  con- 
abnormal 
icy  to  de- 
succeeded 
jantity  of 
and  com- 
e  to   that 
:h  the   in- 
,  was  due 
On  Win- 
had  been 
e  natives, 
lit)}'    saw 
as  almost 
le  spring, 
ss  of  the 
n.     "An- 
;e  of  the 
vhencver 
le  south- 


MELVILLE  PBmMSULA  EXPLORED. 

serve,     ,„  the  c„,„,e  „f  the  preceding  winter;  ,„ul  did  not  p„K|„ee    .nv 
sensible  effect  „„  .|,e  gold  leaf  i„  tl,e  electro„,eler  "  ^ 

On  the  .oth„f  April  the  c,„„,„„„dcr  announced   to  the  officer,  and 
-■w  of  both  »h,p,  that  the  Hecla  was  to  return  to  England  on  the    p " 

..yfnav,g„.,On,  and, ,„.r.„„it,  was  given  to  Ih  of  h=r  olC 

n      -^a,  cho»e  to  volunteer  ,„  regain  with  the  expedition,     o     .^ 
.*  "-   May,  w,th  the  ai,l  of  their  dogs,  the  necessary  transfer  of    '  ovi 
-n.  and  stores  for  one  year  was  ,nade  fro™  the  Hecla  to    tl  e  P  rT 
w..hou    any  exposure  or  lahor  to  .he  crews  outside  their  respective  ^ps' 
As  an  „l„s  r„t,on  of  what  the  dogs  could   achieve.  Parry  state        hat' 
-..ogs  of  Captain  Lyon's  dragged  ,,6„  pound,  a  distance  o     ^t 
■d    .n„,ne  ™n„tes,  and  that  they    worked  in  a  similar  way   hetv      " 
.he  sh,ps  for  seven  or  eight  hours  a  day."     The  road  was,  howeeer  ve  ! 
good  at    h,s  t™e,  and  the  <logs  the  be.,,  that  could  be  pro^red  ' 

O'- the  7*  ofjune,  having  previously  made   all    neecary'  prepara 
..ons,  Cap.a.„   Lyon,  accon^panied  by  .wo  ,nen  and    .en  dogs,    n  l^e 
ec.sa,,  provisions  for  a  trip  of  thirty  days,  set  out   ,„r  an  tjplo    ,t  o 
o    Akkoolee,  wb.eh  they  had  named  Melville  Peninsula.     A  ,  gh.  ex 
P  ,™,o„    Of  .he  land  aero,,   .he  stral.-which  .hey    named  c!    b I 
'sl..nd.  behevmg  ..  .„  be  ,„eh  from  informa.ion  received  of  .he  E,<,„i 
-ax     had  been  made  before  going  into  winter  quarter,.     P„„y  at  m 
pa,ne.l  Lyon  for  a  few  days  with  a  small   party   in    the  hope  of  . 

*.*mak's  salmon  lake  on  .he  route.     They  found  .he  lake,  but  a     'r 
twenty.four  hou.-s  fishing  through  a  hole  in  the  ice,  they  failed   to      1 
..»y  salmon  or   fish  of  any  kind.     Lyon   had   started  south  on   t  e 
.-..ng  company  with  Parry  and  hi,  companions,  who  oecuple       he     ' 
ve,,nshoot.ngd„cks  and  making  observations  until  the  ^.h,  n 

cy  .e.urne<l  to  the  ships,  with  thirty  or  forty  duck,  each.     On  the  11 

coast    .ft!  7  "■"'  ""  ''"^""'  """''^"   -  'heir  na.ive 

of   Toonoonck,   and    their   sledge    wa,    m.rde    from    piece,   of 

that  coast,  of  two   ships,  which   h=  afterward    ascertained 


BSqpiMAUX  PISHING. 


284 


APPEAL    ro   THE  GODDESS   OI^  F/SIIING.  ^ 

wore  .he  I)..u.-,itv  of  Leith,  and  the  Aurora  of  Hull,  which  were 
.■.I'-Kloned  on  the  .8th  of  Au,.,.st,  .83t,ahout  the  latitude  of  7.  ^  on  the 
;-t  coast  of  Hamn's  Hay.  O,  u.e  34th  Parry  set  out  a.ain,  this  ti.e 
-  -ni.any  with  Toleen^ak,  f,r  ...  sahnon  .Isiun-y,  and  reaching  it  as 
';—  -"-  .w.  <1  .ys,  hy  sled,e,  the,  succeeded,  .fter  several '  hours' 
l.sluu^  on  the  .5tl.  ...d  .6th,  in  catching  one  small  Msh-only  one,  not- 
wnhstandh.^  the  earnest  supplications  of  Toolen.ak  and    his    wifb   to    the 

f ''^^    "  '"'^"^-'  ^^'•'••^"^'"^  '--P-ial  Siraciousness  to  the  <,ood  Kab- 

l""na  who  had  done  so  nn.ch  for  her  f.ithful  Esquinianx.      On  the    ^.th 
■n  another  pool,  Toolcn.ak  had  l,etter  success,  and  hetore   leaving  for  thJ 
sh.ps  on  the  38th,  he  directed  the  Enj^lish  to  a  s.rean.   at  son.e  distance 
wli.ch  proved  to  he  the  true  sahnon  Irshery.     0,i  the    ist   of  July    they 
">und  the  spot  and  saw  the  remains  of  two  sahnon  that  had  been  thrown 
"1-n  tile  >ce,  and  returned  on  tiie  2d  to  the  ships,  intending,  to  send  ou^  a 
l.shn,,.  party  for  whose  use  they  left  behind  their  fishing  equipment.    On 
th.s  tr.p,  when  they  had  <,one  into  camp  at  ten  o'clock  the  first  ni-^ht  out 
I^'ny  lound  that  his  tean.  of  ten  do^,.s  had  drawn  his  sled,.e,  loaded  with 
alH.ut  ,,.00  pounds,  a  distance   of  forty  statr.ce   miles,  half  of  the  road 
bcino-  very  nuiilFerent.      Lyon  had  however,  returned   tmsuccessful  from 
the  mainlanil. 

They  ^vere  now  visited  by  a  party  of  twenty  Esquimaux  from 
tlu.  shores  oi  Baffin's  Bay,  and  the  same  region  as  their  forn.er  visitors 
These  also  were  acquainted  with  the  story  of  the  abandonment  of  the 
tNvo  Nvhalers.  Lieutenant  Iloppner  now  conceived  the  idea  <,f  crossing 
Cockburn  Island  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  with  one  of  the  twenty  at 
..nude,  but  found  the  whole  party,  together  with  what  might  be  termed 
>lH'  rcsHlent  Esquimaux,  had  abandoned  Iglooklik  on  the  4th.  It  now 
bccauK-  necessary  for  the  English  to  provide  walrus-meat  for  their  doc^s, 
and  tour  boats  were  so  engaged  for  three  weeks. 

On  the  .6th  Ilopp.ier  returned,  having  only  reached  the  south  coast 
o(  Cockl,urn  I.aand,  beyond  which  his  guides  had  not  yet  determined  to 
proceed.  Two  of  the  Esquin.aux  accompanied  Hoppner's  party  to  the 
«hil)s,  loaded  with  various  useful  presents,  and  returned  the  nexi  <lay  to 
then-  hshn.g  grounds.     On  the  lyth  the  party  which  had  been  sent  to\he 


Mh 


280 


T//E  HECLA   FREED. 


salin.,,,  stream  ivlunu.l,  uKh  an.;;!..  ,„•„„(•  that  Tcok-mak  ha.l  „„t  la-c-n 
.Ic-cc-ivin-  tlR-in  will,  an  lOsciuiniaux  lisl,  story;  for  tlu-y  hrou-ht  had; 
f)|()  p„tMuls  of  salmon,  hcsidi-s  niiu-ty-tive  ..rvrnison.  The-  (ish  varii-.l  in 
kM.-ihrroM,  twenty  to  twcMly.six  inches,  an.l  one  of  the  lar-est,  when 
cleane,i,  wei-he,!  eight  and  a  half  pounds.  Towar.I  the  end  of  the  .nonth 
symptoms  of  scurvy  appeared  in  four  ..r  five  of  the  crew  of  the  Fmy,  l.ul 
soon  yielded  to  medical  treatment. 

The  1st  of  August,  KS23,  had  now  arrived,  and  yet  the  ships  were  as 
securely  held  by  the  ice  as  in  mi.I-winter.    On  the  ,|th  they  hegan  to  saw 
the  ice,  and  on    the  Slh    the  ice  al,(,ut  the   Fury  hega.i  to   move   m.der  a 
northern   bree/e,  when,  crowding  sail    on  the   ship,  she   was  got  entirely 
five;  hut  the  Ilecla  still  remained    ])eset.     On  the  next  day  she,  with  the, 
Hoc  in  which   she  was   embedded,  was  carried    out  to  where   the  swell  of 
the  sea   soon    broke  away  the  ice  girille,  and    she  was   also  free.      Mean- 
while, Parry,  with  the  concurrent  a.lvice  (,f  his  oflicers,  ha<l   determined 
not  to  risk    another  winter  in    these   regions,  with   the   small    hope  there 
was  of  penetrating  to  the  west  in  the  short  season  that  remained.      Moth 
ships  returned  to  their   late  winter   <p.arters,  which  they  named    Tur.on 
Bay,  to   ligliten  the  Fury  by  the  re-transfer  of  the  surplus  stores,  an.I  to 
make  their  arrangements  for  final   departure  from  the  scene  of   their  ton 
months'  detention.     On  the  12th  they  sailed  away  to  the  southeast  un.ler 
a  favo  able  wind,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  were  ofFOoglit  Island, 
twelve  leagues  distant  from  Iglooklik.      Here    they  received  a  final   visit 
from  a    number  of  their   Escp.imaux    frienils,  whom   they  loaded   down 
with  gifts,  being   more   free  to  give  what  they   would   no  longer  need, 
as  the  ships   were  now  bound  for  home   and   plenty.     Full   raUons   ha,l 
been  restored  to  the  men,  anil  entire  freedom  in  the  use  of  anti-scorbutics, 
the   recognized  tendency  to  scurvy  in   numbers  of  the  oilicers   and  men' 
having    been    perhaps  the    most  weighty  influence  in    determining  tiic 
commander    to  forego    his  contemplated    purpose  of  spending    another 
season   in   the  attempt   to   get  through   the   Strait  of  the  Fury  and  the 
Hecla.     On  the  27th  they  were  able  to  leave  Owlittcewik  Island,  having 
made  but  little  progress  for  the  preceding  fortnight.     Now,  however,  1k^ 
ing  less  beset  by  ice,  and  again  favorctl  by  a  breeze  from  the  north,  they 


1  Il<>(  l)l'(.-ll 
Hf,'lit  l);ul. 
1  \:ilic'<l  ill 
,^ost,  wluMl 
llir  inoiitli 
Fury,  l)iit 

)S   Wflt.'  ;iK 

:;iii  to  saw 
i   iiiuIcT  a 
>t  c'litirciv 
,  with  (lui 
c  swell  of 
Mcaii- 
JtLTiniiu'd 
ope  there 
•(I.      IJotii 
I    Turtoii 
■s,  and  to 
their  ten 
ast  under 
it  Island, 
iiial   visit 
L'tl    down 
er  in:cd, 
ions    had 
'orhutics, 
ind   men 
linj,^  tlie 
another 
and  the 
,  haviiii^r 
.'ver,  l)e- 
•th,  they 


WELCOME  AT  LERWJCK.  gg^ 

pn.ccc.le.I  ...ore  .apidly  ,o  ,he  south,  au.I  o..  the  j.st  they  .cached  Wi.-te.- 
sl.md.       liie   .listance  froni    ()oj,Iit  was  ahout    i6o  .t^iles;    of  these  thev 
iK..I  .eally  saile.l  only  forty,  having,  .h-iftcd  the  rcMuain.ler  with  the  iee  hi 
whuh  ,h,y  vve.-e  beset,  showing,  an   averaj^e  drift    .ate  of  llfteen   u.iles  a 
.fay,  and  live  of  sailiu,.      On    the  6th  of  Scptc.nher,  Fife,  (;,.ee.,laud  or 
-  -.aster  of  the  llecla,die.i  of  the  scurvy,  owinj.  pa.-tly  ,o  his  ow..  aver- 
S.O..  to  the  use  of    nnpalalal.ie   .e.ne.lies.     They  continued    to   he  embar- 
rassed by  the  ice-o,.e  or  the  other  of  the  ships  bei..^  in  i.n.ne.liate  .la..- 
.-.uf   dest.-uction,  or  at    least    serious  i,.ju.y,  or   penrianent   detentio.,- 
"nt'l  the    ,7th,  when  at  len,.th   they  we.e  able   to    .nake  <h.e  east    h.   an 
open  sea  acoss  Fox  Channel  for  Hudson's  Strait. 

I'assiuKH.y  T,-inity  Tshmds  on   the    i8th,  a.Kl    mcctincr  no  obst,-uction 
fro.„  ,ce  or  other  cause  i,.  IIu,lso..'s  or  Davis'  Straits,  they  .„ade  a  c,uick 
voyage  ac-oss  the  Atlantic,  .-eachinj,  the    Orkneys   in    three   weeks  f.o,T. 
the   weste,-n   ent.-a.,ce  of  nudso.,'s   Strait,   o,.   Oct.  9,   after    an  absence 
of  twenty-seve..  .„o..ths.      On    the    ,oth  they  entered  the  ha,bor  of  I.er- 
wck  in  the  Shetla..,!  Isla.uls,  f.ndi..<,  it   impossible  to   p,-oceed  south  be- 
cause of  adve.-se  wh.ds,  which  also  kept  them  weather.]K>un,l   for  three 
.lays,  ,.,  Hressa  Sound.     »  O,.  the  first  informatio.,  of  our  arrival  "  s-iys 
l'ar,y,u,h,   ,,,„,   „■  L,,,,;,,,  ^,,,  ^^^   ,,^^,.^^^^  the  h.habitants /locked 
fn.u.  the  count,y  to   exp,-ess  their  joy  at  ot.r  unexpecte.l  return,  and   the 
town  was  at  nij^ht   illuminate.!,  as  if  each  hidividual   had  a  b.-other  or  a 
son  an.on.,.  us."     (),.  the  .3th  they  p.-oceeded  south,  a.-rivinK  off  IJuchan 
Ness  on  the  next  clay.     On  the  .6th  Par.y  lef^  the  ships,  ^oin^  ash».-e  at 
Wh.tby,  whe.ice  he  p.-oceeded  by   land  to   Lon.lo.,.     Arrivin.^  o.i    the 
.nornin,.  of  the  iSth,  he  went  at  once  to  the  Admiralty  to  ,nve  a.^  account 
-.1  h,s  secon.l  voyage  to  the  northwest.     The  ships  soo.i  arrived  safely  In 
"H-   Thames,  with  M3out<,f  u.S  .Mlicers  and  men   in  good  health,  after 
spen.lni.^.  two  consecutive  winteis  i.i  the  ice,  with  the  .nea..   temperature 
several  de<rrees  below  zei-o. 


CHAI'TICR    XXXII. 

SKCONI,  V<.VA(;K  (...■  FKANK1.,N_STATK  <»K  AKCTIC  SlIKNCK-PK  KPA- 
KATK.NS  AND  .'LAN- DK  ATM  OF  MtAXKl.lv's  WIKK -_,.,;  A  N  K  IJ  V 
I'l.ANTS  IMS  I.LA«;  (,V  AN  AHCTIC  ISI.  A  M,  -  ,.<„rr  KU  A  N  K  1.1  N -, 
DKSCKNI,  Tl.K  MACKKNZIK—SKI.AUATK.N  CF  THK  TWO  I-AWTIES 
—  SKIUOUS  AI.VKXTUKK  WITH  KSQUIMAU X --TM  K  MOATS  PLUN- 
DERED —  FHANKMn's  KETUKN  — SUCCESS  OF  KICUAH  DSON  -  RE- 
TURN    T(J    KNCiLAND. 

Anivod  in  England,  Franklin,  Hack,  and  Richardson  were    hr.noie.l, 
congratulated,  and  feted,  in  a  manner  somevvhaf  resembling  the  trinmphs 
given   to  the  ancient  Latin   heroes.      Upon  Franklin  was  also   bestowed 
the  rank  of  Captain.     It  would   naturally  be  supposed    that    these   bold 
men,  after   sulFering  the  agonies  of  hunger  and    braving  the   dangers  „f 
Boreas  for  three  long  years,  would    be   content  to  rest   on   their   laurels. 
Such,  however,  was  not  the  case.      The  explorations  of  the  early  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  particularly  the  events  just  narrated,  had  whetted 
the  appetites  of  scientillc   men  for  more  accurate   knowledge  concerning 
the  mysterious  regions  of  the  earth's  axial   termini.     Investigation,  too, 
was  beginning  to  take  a  more  definite  form,  and  to  strike  at  a  more'deli- 
nite  object.     The  existence  and  possible   commercial    value  of  a  North- 
west Passage  was  more  firmly  believed  in,  and  operations  in    the  1-ne  of 
exploration  were   largely  conducted  with  reference  to  its  discovery,  or  to 
its  utility  in   that  important   event.     It  was  desired    to   know  more  fully 
the  character  of  the  land  bordering  on   the  Polar   Sea— of  the  resources 
which  it  possessed,  of  the   people  who   inhabited  it,  and  of  the  probable 
future  value  to  civilized  nations  of  this  hitherto  unexplored  wild.     More- 
over, Arctic  explorations  had    been   hitherto   fostered    almost   wholly  by 
Great  Britain,  and   that,  too,  it   may  be  said,  in  a  disinterested  way,  and 
not  wholly  nor  chieHy  for  her  own  political  or  mercantile  aggrandizement. 

2»8 


THE   WAL'srUT  SHELL 

flfiO 

"-«»iK..., ,.nv..„,::::,;  3^^^^^^^  ■ 

•'i»'"«.n»i>c..,  ,„.„„,„„„„  .,.,;„,.4: "  ;7>'-  -■"'■  ^'^ li.^. 

-'-..-I  ju,,.  a.  .hi»  .i,„.  f™„ ,,,  v^„,. ':    '■  '  ;'"'•  '-"'•  'i-k 

-■on,  somewhat  familiar  with  A,-  ,•  '  '"""•  ^"^  ""   ''•"'•■ 

-..,.he  „„,  e„«a,.,l  ■"'"^""'■''■''  '"»   -"■■-  -e,o  also 

«I-M   .h,cn,  ,.oc„J      hi'''  "™^-  "';"^-  l"-^---  -y^«^-.  -I  a»  w. 

■'■-■ ..-» L  .he  o^e  Lti:;:,:,:-;^  t-t'--'  ^"  ^^-  .-«-ia. 

™von„«,  ma.i,„"it  ,,  I    I,  '"'""T-     "  "^  «""'  -""  ■'  "■■.!- 

woatho,-,     A  xZ  „r,hr  ■■"  ""    '■'■'""  """■'"»  -"I  '-" 

™y  ,.,.  impo.,,  '"^^'  ""'  '''•■^  ''"■^-  <■"• "■   -l-o  'vol, 

-wh„ie„ar,,rx:::r::;:ir7::  . . 

siiiuiiier  of  ■S-'c    -m,!  ..,  "ucrioi  ot  America  in  the 

MacKo„.v.  k;;  :'  ;t '"  -''^  -•■""■  << -'■>  ™-who..,..  „: 

«>-■•  viciniev,  as  iv„l   „„l  ,„.  '  "'  "'"'   ">°"'"^'i"H  in 

"-.-vos  ;.   .a  is       ,'  "   f '^'^  -"•""-'.-"    vvoro,,,  hold 


3!)() 


AT  FORT  CIIirEWYAN 


I  , 


lri|)  to  llic  iiioulh  of  the  MacKcn/.ic,  in  order  to  have  as  imicli  of  the  sum- 
mer as  possihle  I'or  tlic  important  woiii    which    tliey    were   about   to  un- 
dertake.    Arrived   at  the  mouth  of  tlie  -jfreat  river,  Capt.  Frani<iin,  with 
Lieut.    Mack'  and   a  part  of  tiie  men,  was  to  explon-  the  coast    westward, 
until    he  should   meet  a   party  who  were  to   arrive  l)y   way  <>f   IJehrin^'s 
.Strait,  ;nul  were  to  co-operate    with    him    in    iiis    investijjfatioiis.      In    tiie 
meantime,    Dr.  Richardson    and  Lieut.    Kendall,  witli  the   residue  of  the 
men,  were  to  procceil  eastward  from  the  MacKen/ie  to  the  Coppermine, 
which  will  be  remembered  as   the  point   of  departure  of  their  previous 
coast   survey.      This    would   make   an    unbroken    and    nearly    complete 
chain  of  surveys  between    east  and  west;  and  thus  the  preliminary  work 
of  proving  the  existence  of  a  Northwest  Passa<;e   from  liaiHn's   Bay  to 
Behring's  Strait,  would  be  in  substance  .accomplished. 

The  death  of  Franklin's  wife  on  the  day  after  his  departure  has  al- 
ready been  referred  to;  she  had  been  very  low  for  some  time,  but  in 
spite  of  her  condition,  she,  with  remarkable  ambition,  urged  him  to  leave 
her,  and  to  sail  on  the  day  appointed  by  the  Admiralty.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  cahimity,  Franklin,  when  the  news  was  brought  him,  concealed 
his  sorrow  as  far  as  possible,  so  that  he  might  not  be  the  means  of  de- 
pressing the  spirits  of  his  officers  and  men. 

The  expedition  having  been  duly  conveyed  to  Hudson's  Bay,  the 
boats  .and  crew  all  the  way  by  water,  and  the  officers  liy  land  through 
New  York  and  Canada,  the  whole  ]jarty  met  about  1,200  miles  in  the 
interior,  on  the  29th  of  June,  1S35.  This  junction  took  place  in  the 
Alethye  River  (latitude  56"  10'  north;  longitude  ioS°  55'  west)  which 
is  almost  the  head  of  the  waters  that  How  from  the  north  into  Hudson's 
Bay.  After  traversing  this  river  with  much  difficulty,  on  account  of  its 
rapidity  and  shoals,  the  expedition  pushed  on  to  Fort  Chipewyan,  where 
it  arrived  about  the  middle  of  July.  The  inhabitants  here  were  much 
surprised  to  see  the  adventurers  so  early  in  the  season;  being  only  two 
days  later  than  a  former  party,  who  had  spent  the  prece<ling  winter  in 
Canada.  At  Fort  Chipewyan,  the  party  received  material  addition  to 
their  store,  and  also  secured  the  service  of  several  Indians,  whose  faithful- 
ness they  had  had  ojiportunity  to  jjrove  upon  the  jjrevious  voyage. 


PLANTING   THE  FLAG  ON   THE  ARCTfC.  391 

As  there  was  still  consi.lorahle  time  l,ef„rc  winter  wcuM  set  in,  I'.-.nk- 
l.n  pn,cee.le,l  ace.^nlinj.  t..  a  plan  which  he  ha.l  cherishe.l  ever  since  he 
set  out  fn.m  ICnj^land.      He  llrst  eon.lnete.l  the  partv  to  the   MaeKen.ie 
-..I  .leseen.le.l  ,0  a  point  whieh    he  deemed  suitahle  Cor  win.er  .p.ar.ers' 
IK.  then  instrueted  Ur.  Riehanlsou  to  proeeed  across  the  country  and  dis^ 
c-..ver    some  convenient    point  on    tlie    Coppermine  to  reach,   when    he 
should  traverse  that  river  in  returning  fVon.  his  pr.^ecte.l  trip  ib,- the  tbll..w- 
n.^  sunmier.      He,   himself,  thou.^ht    it  ,,ruden.    for  hin,  to    .l.scen.l    the 
Mackenzie  to  the  sea,  and  make  with  a  selected  crew  some  ohservations 
prelnnn.ary  to  lea<li>i^.  the  whole  party  there  in  the  followin-^  summer 
Th.s  plan  was  executed,  an.l  Uie  sea  was   reached  after  an  evcM.tful    iour- 
ney;     The  occasion  of  then-  arrival  at  the  seahoard  is  thus  descrihed  ],v 
Franklin:  ■' 

"Immediately  on  reachin-  the  sea,  I  caused  to  he  hoiste.l  the  sHk  Wvr 
wluch  n,y  deeply-hunented  wife   had    uKule,    an.l   presented   to    n,e    -.s  \ 
partnijr  j,nft,  under  the   express  injunction    that  it  was  not  to  he    tn.furied 
untd  the  expedition  reache.l    the  sea.      [  will   not  attempt  to  .Icscrihe  my 
emotions  as   it  ex,,anded  to  the   hree.e;  however   natural  and   irresistihle 
r  felt  that  it    was  my  duty  to  suppress   them,  and  that  1  had  no    ri.rlu  hy 
an  in.Iuli,rence  of  my  own  sorrows  t..  cloud  the  animated  coimtenances  of 
.ny    companions.    Joinin,t,r,  therefore,  with    the   hest  <,rrace  1   could  com- 
M.and,  in  the  .^^eneral  excitement,  [  endeav<.re,l  to  return  wif  h  correspond- 
ing cheerf.dness,  iheir   warm    con,t,M-atulations   on    havin-    thus    planted 
the  IJritish  flai,'  (.11  this  remote  island  of  the  Polar  Sea." 

As  the  autumn  drew  on,  hoth  parties  returned  to  the  point  which  hal 
heen  previously  selected  as  cp.arters  for   the  winter.      Suhstantial   huts  of 
wood  an.l   stone  were    erected,  an,l  every   precaution  taken    to  make  the 
c-onun,^.  winter    as  tolerahle   as  could    possihly  he  ,lone.      The  place   was 
..ame.1  Ft.  Franklin,    after    the  .^^allaut  leader  of  the  expedition.     The 
whole   estahhshment    now    nu.nhcre.l    ahout     fifty    persons;    includi.u, 
live  ofHcers,  nineteen  Jiritish  seamen,  mari.iers,  and  voyaj^ers,  nine  Cana^^ 
.l.ans,  two    Esciuimaux,  three   women,  seven   children,  an.l   one    Indian 
Ia.l;l,:.-sides  several    infirm    Imlians,    who   rec,uire,l    temporary   support 
llie  wniter  was  spent  according   to  the  instructions  of  the  admiralty,  in 


i : 


t.1 


1  ^1 

,i 

.  J 

P 

"1 

i 

u 


808 


SLPAHATION. 


cxploriiit;  •iiid  suiveyiiiiL,'  the  ;(iL'al  lakc-s  and  tliu  atljaceiU  innuiitalns,  ami 
ill  making;  t()p()','raj)hical  HUctche;  of  the  co'miry.  Of  this  woik,  Dr. 
Richanlson  chiclly  hat  I  cliai-ji[e;  and  his  rcpcrti.  have  heeoine  clashics  up- 
on the  j^eo^^raphy  of  (lie  portions  examined. 

The  summer  of  1826  found  them  preparin<,'  tr»  descend  the  MacKenzie. 
Before  startinj;,  the  ho.it  and  all  the  supplies  were  divitled  hetweeii  the 
two  j)arties  which  were  to  separate  at  tiie  mouth  of  tliis  river.  The 
men  were  eiioseii  out,  and  complete  preparations  made,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  ilelay  and  inconvenience  of  doiiij^  it  in  a  less  comfortahle  place. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie,  as  at  the  mouths  of  most  <,n-eat 
rivers,  there  is  a  separation  of  tiie  main  stream  into  two  principal  part ;, 
inclosinj;  land  to  a  considerahle  extent  l)ctween  them.  Before  this  di- 
vision was  airiveil  al  the  expedition  encjunped  to  spend  the  ni<,du,  and  to 
allbrd  ail  opportunity  for  the  two  parties  to  say  their  adieus,  as  they 
would  naturally  descend  hy  the  two  difrerent  mouths,  accordiii<^  to  iheir 
instructions.  As  the  parties  entertained  for  each  other  sentiments  of 
true  friendship,  the  evenin-,^  hetbre  their  separation  was  spent  in  the 
most  conlial  and  cheerful  manner.  They  t'elt  that  they  were  onlysep- 
aratiiii;  to  he  employetl  in  services  of  e(pial  interest;  and  tiiey  naturally 
looked  forward  wilii  Lcreat  delij^ht  to  their  next  meetiii<^r  when,  after  a 
successful  teriuiiiatioii,  they  mi,L,dit  reh.earse  the  incideius  of  their  respec- 
tive voyaj^es. 

It  is  im[)ossil)le,  for  obvious  reasons,  to  iLfive  tii«;  minute  di'tails  of  llieir 
interestiiiL;-  and  successful  enterprises.  The  jud^i^meiil  of  IJrilish  sliip- 
wri«^hts  seems  to  have  been  well  taken,  for  the  boats  used  on  these  oi-- 
casions  provctl  exactly  adapted  to  tlie  service  reipiired  of  th(  m,  and 
carried  tlieir  valiant  crews  thnnigh  all  the  stoiins  and  ice-iiound  liays 
with  no  fatal  and  few  serious  disasters,  Franklin  explored  evei\  ba\ 
cape,  luountain,  river  and  inlet,  as  far  as  he  went  to  the  westward,  but 
dill  not  succeed  in  iuidiiit;"  a  siiij^le  L,^ood  iiarlior.  He  was  tiie  lust  lo 
discover  that  tiie  Rocky  AL)uiitaiiis  are  not  a  contiif-ious  chain  l)ut  con- 
sist of  several  parallel  rani^es  of  i^n-eater  or   less   extent. 

During-  this  season  of  tiie  year    ICsciuimaiix     -/ere    verv    fivtiiieiit    and 
anxious  to  trade.      A  diiliculty  occurred    with    llieiii    011    lliis    trip    whicli 


H.i 


BNCOUNTliR  WITIT  /VATrVES. 


198 

Itin' '°  '^ T"'"-  "  ''^-"^  "^■'"^'  "^•^'"«  "^ "-  "f  ""• ' 

o.^,  ,t»  owner  w„,  pl,„„.c,l  „u„  ,1K.  w.,.,.  „,„   „»  „.,„,    ,,  „,,,  

^-'^^"^^'•"-^>^.»^....„,^,„,,^„,,,,,,,„„^,.^^  ,,;,,^ 

"..INK.  wa,c.,.c„„l,n,c.,h™v„  „,u  „rch„  U„y,,k;a„.l   A,„.,„„M,| 

...  I...  own  ,,rc„.  c„a,.     A.  ,ir„  „„.  TcHow  wa,  .xc-cc Jy  a,,-,  v    .„ 

soon  ..can... .concilo,,  .,.  hi,  ,,„„.,,„  .„„   „„„.„^  „„;;,^  ,„:    ^ 
I       he,  ha„  ™a„,  hale,  of  „o„,,s  an,,  o.her  anicK,  In  ,h,.  h„a.  .hioh 

i,a,l  l.een  ca,ef„,ly  eovcre,!  and  c„„,.,.a,e,l   ,Vo,n   Che  „a,i, ,..  , 

bcjjfanrl.-ing  for  every.  f        • 

.•;  .li-^posses,  .ho  crew!        ^„„,„  e,„.,.,  .„„       t^^!!'Tl!:;!:, 

,.n  to  eatch  hi,  ha„,„  wheneve,-  he  ae.en,p.e„  ,o  hf.  hi,  „„.,  ,„.  ,h,.  „  , 
.l....or  wh,.h  lan,  a.  hi,  ,i.,e.  The  whole  way  ,o  .ho  ,,l„  ,..  .he,-  U- 
.cpea.,„«  .he  wo„l  ..Tcy„a,.M,ea.ln,  ,en.Iy  „„   „-,„,„„,,  ,,,,„.' 

-■..I  pro,„ng  h,s  h.,n.l,  a,.a!n,.  .heir  own.     A,  .ho  hoach  w .,  •    | 

.-  oo,„|aK,  full  of  won^on  anivcl,  a„„  .ho  ,hon.,  were  re„„„l.,o,l.    T 
ochcrboa..|oad  foll„wo.l,  an,,  „„.„  „,.,,  „„„  ,„.„„^„„  ,^  ,^^,  ^^^^^^ 

.ccmenw  ohad  hol.l  F,.an,di ,„„„.„,  „,,„,,.,..,„„   ,„„^„   ^^.,,_, 

.         .na,ne<,  .,,  .he.r  canoe,,  .a.in,  .„e,n  on.  „r  .he  wa.o,,oar,ie.,  ,he,n 

A  numerous  pnr.y  „„w  ,,row  .l,oir  ,.nivo,,  a,„,  ,.,,ppi„„  „„„„„,,,„ 
tc.  .ho  wa,,.  ,.an  .„  .he   R,,,.,,,,  („„  „^„^,^,   ,,,_^^,^_^^^_|  .^_^   ^.^^^ 


II 


I 


I 


1^93.1 


i  i 


W 


MOUNTAIN  WAKlUOliS. 

hauled  her  as  far  as  they  could,  bcjjau  a  icjjfular  j)illa<ifc,  handing  the  arti- 
cles to  the  women,  who,  ran<j;ed  in  a  row  behind,  ([uickly  conveyed  them 
out  of  sight.  Lieut.  ]?ack  ordered  the  muskets  to  he  drawn  on  them,  hut 
not  to  he  tired  till  the  word  of  command.  This  display  frightened  the 
natives,  and  they  quickly  dispersed.  They  afterward  gave  as  a  reason 
for  their  actions,  that  they  had  never  seen  white  men  before,  and  seeing 
so  many  things  together,  they  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  steal 
them.  They  strenuously  promised  better  behavior,  and  wished  to  be 
restored  to  the  good  graces  of  the  commander.  A  plot  was  also  laid  at 
one  tini"  to  murder  the  whole  party,  including  Augustus,,  the  interpreter, 
but  it  was  fortunately  frustrated  before  any  attem])t  was  maile  to  carry 
it  out. 

Franklin  had  intended  and  hoped  to  reach  Jiehring's  vStrait,orat  least 
to  proceed  far   enough  west  to    meet  Capt.   Jiecchey  and  his  party,  who 
were   supposed  to   In-   a]:)proaching   in   that   direction.     Having   seen   no 
traces  of  liim,  ho^vever,  and    the  summer  being  well   gone,  he  decided  to 
return  to  tl-.e   AfacKenzie.      Two  ether   important  facts  also  justified  his 
discontinuing  tiie  voyage.      The  instructions  of  tiie  Admiralty  iiad    b-jcn 
to  return  at    a  certain    time,  which  time   was    now    nearly  at  hand.      An- 
other reason  was  found  in  tiie  following  generally  believed  report:     The 
mountains  along  tiie  shore  were  inhabited  by  a  savage   and  cruel  tribe  of 
Indians,  of  whose    numbers    and    ferocitv  ilie    !Cs(|uimau\    gave   thrilling 
accounts.     Tiiey  b;id  been  accustomed  to  trade  \vilh  the  ICsciuimaux,  and, 
on  hearing  of  the  white  men's  approach,  and  seeing  tiie  tilings  wliich  the 
Es(|uiniau\  had  obtained  in  barter,  tliey  feared  that  their  own  trade  \vith 
the    :!  itives    would    be    ruined.      Accordinglv,  a    plan    wr.s   laid   to    come 
down  and  destroy  the  whole  party  of  whites,  and  take  jjossession  at  once 
ot    tJK  ir    stoics    and    trade.      This   could   be   I'lisily  accomplished,  as    thev 
were  determined  and    powerful  wari-iors.      All   things  consitlered,  Frank- 
lin thoiigl.t  it    j)rudent  to    reverse  his    course,  aiul    was    soon    on  his  wav 
back  to  the    mouth  of  the  great  river.      In  spite  of  storms  and  ditliculties, 
he  had    traced   ;lii!    coast    to  the    one    hMudred    and  llftieth    meridian,  and 
seventieth   parallel.      Nearly  400  miles  of    coast   were    thus    more   accu- 
rately traced  and  located  than  it  had  hitherto  been  ])ossible  to  do. 


EULOGY  UPON  KENDALL. 


29.' 


In  th<;  meantime,  Dr.  Richardson  had  been  equally  successful  in  his 
trip  toward  the  cast.  He  explored  the  coast  all  the  way  from  the  Mac- 
Kenzic  to  the  Coppermine,  besides  examining  much  of  the  interior. 
His  untiring  perseverance,  uniform  justice,  and  jrreat  nautical  wisdom, 
did  much  to  make  Franklin's  expeditions  successful.  His  foresight  was 
seen  in  all  he  undertook,  and  his  party  always  found  in  him  an  example 
of  diligence  and  of  manly  courtesy.  He  eulogized  Lieut.  Kendall  as  a 
very  accurate  and  companionable  gentleman,  and  as  an  instance  of  the 
former  quality,  cites  tlie  following  fact: 

Having  been  deprived  of  chronometers  by  the  breaking  of  the  two 
intended  for  the  eastern  detachment,  during  the  intense  cold  of  winter, 
the  only  resource  left  them  for  correcting  the  dead  reckonings  was  limar 
observations,  whenever  circumstances  would  permit.  Yet  when  they 
approached  the  Coppermine  River,  Mr.  Kendall's  reckoning  of  the  posi- 
tion of  that  place  differed  from  the  previous  location  by  Franklin  only 
l.y  a  few  seconds— being  a  very  trifling  disparity  when  the  great  distance 
is  taken  into  consideration. 

Richardson  secured  1,500  specimens  of  floral  and  animal  life,  many 
of  wiiich  ]ia<l  never  been  classified  before.  His  report  of  his  voyage  was 
very  full  and  complete,  and  was  completely  satisfactory,  both  to  Frank- 
lin and  the  admiralty.  Having  joined  Franklin's  party  in  the  interior, 
llu' winter  of  1S36-7  W..S  spent  ''i  Canada;  and  the  party  having  suc- 
ceeded beyond  the  general  expectation,  returned  to  England  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1827. 


TIIK  WALNUT  UUKU.. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PAHRv's    Tiiiun    Kx-PKorrroN — six)\v    progrkss  —  nkw  ick   encoux- 


TKKKD THK    KUKV    SWICl'T    AWAY 


-WINTKK    AT   VOHT    l!()\VK\ 


onsKijvATioNS — mi;n'ii\'(; — captuhk  ok  a   wuai.k iiik   iukv 

ALKAK INJSPi;CTr\G    TIIK     SIIII'S  —  IIIK    I^UKY    A  I!  A  N  DONKD  — 1!  IC- 


I'OKT     TO    TIIK     AOMrUAI/rV 


l-l,! 


The  third    expedition   to    the   Northwest,  in   eliai\<,'e   of  Commander 
Parry,   was  soon   ecjuipped.      To    the  usual  stores  were  added  preserved 
carrot>^,   jiarsnips,  and   sahnon,  to<,rethcr  with  pickled   onions,  beets,  cab- 
bai^^e,  and  split  ])eas;   also  a  small  quantity  of  beef  pemmiean,  made  after 
Capt.  P'ranklin's  recipe,  ])y  cuttinj^f  the  meat  into  thin  slices,  which,  l)ein<,r 
dried  in  the  sun  and  pounded,  are  mixed   with  a  small  (piantity  of  melted 
fat,  and  compressed  into  bags.     The  ships  were  the  same  as  before;  but 
the  Ilecla  was  tnider   the  immediate  command  of  Parry,  and  the   Furv 
under  Captain  Iloppner,  promoted  from  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  which  he 
held  in  the  jirevious  expedition;  Captain  Lyon  ])ein_i,r  detailed,  as  we  will 
see  farther  on,   for   a   special   exploration   in   the    (iriper.      The    William 
Harris,  under  Lieut.    Piitchard,  was  joined   to  the  Ilecla  and    Fury  as  a 
transport  until  they  should  reach  the  ice.      They  left  Deptford  near  Lon- 
don, May  S,  1S24,  and  on  the    loth    took    aboard   their   ammunition    and 
powder  at   Northlleet,   near   (iravescnd,   :it   the   mouth   of   the    Thames, 
whence  they   proceeded    on   their   voya'/c.     On  the  3d  of  July  tliev  dis- 
missed the  William  Harris,  after  having  transferred  her  surplus  stores  to 
the  Ilecla  and   Fury  amid  the  ice-floes  of  Davis'  Strait,  out  of  which  she 
was  toweil  by  the  sliip's  boats  into  clear  water.    With  their  now  heavilv- 
ladeii    vessels,  under  light  northerly  winds   they  made  l)ut  little  progress 
for  several  days.      Once  or  twice  it   became   necessary  to   tow    the  ships 
with   their  boats  from  a   dangerous  proximity   to  icebergs,  of  which   ihev 
couulc-d    lit    one    time    no    less    than    one    hundred    and    three  from   the 

206 


s/.oir  p/foa/ffiss.  ^,^ 

•Icck.  TI,c  crows  ^vc,•o  k.p,  constantly  ;.,,  work,  lu-avinj,,  warpn,^,  savv- 
-n^,  an,l  nsn,.  every  <lcvicc  known  ,..  their  craft  in  Arctic  navigation,  to 
keep  clear  of  tlie  icc^l^er^r.s,  an.I  n,ake  a  little  headway. 

V.y   the   en.l  of  Jnly  they  n.a.le  l,„t  seventy  n.ile;  to  the  west,   since 
l-.'.n.  with  the  transport.     Five  weeks  l..,..er  they  kept  up  the  .lailv  and 
1-urly  strt,j,.]e  with  the  ice,  s.nne  of  which  was  over  twentv  feet  t'hick 
nbove  the  snrface  of  the  water,  an.I  reaching,  o„t  of  si^ht  H-on.  the  n,as,' 
He-1.       Fhroush  snch  harriers  an.I   o],stacles  they  could  o,w-„  only    work 
I.y  towing  with  l>oats  an.l    warping  with    hawsers,  ^aiuin^  hen-"  an   en- 
trance  hy    sawinolhe    ice,  an.I   there    I  hron,,.h  some  natural  openin.^   he- 
tween  the  Hoes.      Hy   such  toll    an.I  lal,..r  ,li.l    they  achieve  a  pro^.-e^s  ..f 
about  lour  huudre.]  .niles,  arriving,  at  length  in  si<,ht  of  tiu-  hea.lhn.ls  of 
Lanca.tor  S.>nnd,  in  open  water,  .,n  the  ,oth  ..f  Septend.er.      I,    was   no- 
t.ccl  that   lor  some  tinu-  the  ic.    ha.l    heen   ^n.win^   less   in    thickness  as 
well   as  in  the  extent  of  the    lloes,  s.,  that  ..n    the  whole  the  tarth..-  they 
^ot  t.,  the  northwest,  the  easier  was  their  pr.>^ress,  the  .>hstructi..n    lu-in.. 
greatest  ah.n.t   the    n.i.l.Ue   ..f  the    ice-pack,    where    also    were    seen    the 
larnesl  number  of  iceber'-'s. 

They  ha.l  n.,w    accmplishe.l  only  the  preliminary  sta-^e  of  the   voy- 
a.Lre,  I.ancaster  Soun.l  beins  a-ain  the  preconcerte.l  startini,^   point  of  the 
exploration.     It  was  h.,pe,!    that   the   ice-barrier   encountere.l    live   vears 
i>el..re,  alter  penetratin.^^  Prince  Re.^.ent  Inlet,  woul.l  prove  to  have'been 
pecuhar  t.>  the  seas..n;  an.I  that  a   jK.ssa-^e  woul.l    now  be  fotm.l  practica- 
ble by  that   r.n.te.      It  was  .leterminc.l  that  the  trial  shoul.l  be  made,  and 
tius  was  the   direct   object   of  the    present    expe,liti.,n.      Unfortunately   it 
ha.l  set  out  too  late,  or  ha.l    been    to.,   l„n,,.   .letaine.l    in    the    ice-pack    .,f 
ISafbn's  IJay,  to  have   .nuch  chance  of  success  the   first  season.     On   the 
I3tlb  in  si,irht  of  Cape  York,  the  eastern  lieadland  of  Prince    Recent    In- 
k-t,  they  encountere.1  new  ice,  which  formed   very    rapidly,  and  '^^.-ew   in 
thickness  from  day  t<,  day.     Towinj,.  with  the  b.,ats,  backing  a.id   veer- 
.".^•,  an.I  haulino.  the  ships,  they  kept  movin,i,s   but  often  as  much   l>ack. 
wanl  as  Ibrward,  until  the  ni^H.t  of  the  17th,  when  they  were  completely 
'HMnmcl  in.     The  ice  cxtende.l  in  ..ne  mass   t.,  the  sh..re,  thickene.l    by 
ll^^'  natural  process  .>f  continual  iVeezi.i^,  .n.i    stili  more  by  the  action   ..f 


308 


rill'  Firm-  swlil'T  AW.\)- 


hf  >» 


the  wind    mikI   swell,  which    rolli^l  il   unoii    itself,  1 


,  iMver  upon   layer,  some 


times  to  a  himdred    leel    in    thickness,  formiuL;-    impenetrahle    hinnmoeks. 
'riiey  now  l)e,i;an  to  saw  a   canal  so  as  to    t;et  the  ships  nt-aivr  the  shore. 


in  Ihi-  event  of  heinu'  unal 


)lc  to  '>el  out  of  the  ice.      On  the  2isl,  throuLrh 


the    o;ienin,tC    ''i""^    partially    cfrected,    tlie    ships    were    slowly     sipiee/ed 
to\sard  the  laud    hy   tlu'    pressure   of  the    ice    from  witliout,   hut    on    the 


H'ui^  driven  with  the  suiroundmtr  ice  out 


next  day  were  thieati'iied  with  I 

to  sea  hy  a  chan^-e  of  wind.      Hawsers  were  now  run  out  to  the  laiid-ii-e, 

and    the    ileida    was   thus  secured;  hut  the    Imiiv,  which    la\-  farther  out. 


\\' 


as  swe])t  oir  with  the  ice.      The  hawsers  of  the  II 


ecla    were    soon    cut 


one   alli-r  aiiot 


her  l)y  the  driftinu:    Ice,  hut  not  hefore    they  had 


succi't'ded 


in  castiii"-  anchor, 


In    an  hour  the   mo\iiu 


tl 


oe  was  iiartei 


1  in  t 


wo 


'V  it^ 


own    action    aLjainst    the   chain    cahle,    and    tine    sawiu'. 
crew,  U'a\in--  the  llecla  ailoat  in   clear  water,  ahoiit  hall 


operations  of  the 
a  mile  from    the 


sliori'. 


M 


eanwnile 


tl 


le  1'  ur\- 


icehei'"-  '•rounded  oil" a  small 


had 
(11 


t>een  earned    h\'  the  wind  heyond   an 


d 


leadland,  and  was  cleared  Irom  the 


loe    !)\' 


nx-at  e\ei  tion  on  the  i)art 


ot    lier  commander  an 


d  crew,  some    li\e  or  si\ 


miles    away,  where  she   was  joined  hy  the  I  lecla    hefore  ni^ht.      On   tl 
moruiii^^-    of  the  37th   they    found    tlieniselves   at    1 


eii'>'th  WvL'   of 


ice,  and 


within    a  tew    miles  , if    the  western    shore  of   I'rince    Kceiil    Inlet.      At 


noun    ihey    were    ahreast    of    )ackson    Inlet. 
Port    r>oweii,    which    1'    rr\-  had  now   d 


and 


lelore  in''ht  had  made 


elermmed  to    maju'    their  winter 


(piarters  for  tlu'  season. 


Ileri'  the  usual  arrann'cmcnts    were    made,  with 


some    unnro\ements 


for   heatiuL;-  and    ventilatim;-  the    ships,  and  with    maN(|ucradi 


theatru:al    represiaitations,    a 


s    amuscuK'n 


t    for    t 


le     men. 


msteai 


ne     si'iioois 


wi're  lesiime.i  with  ycr\'  satislactor\-  result- 


md  less  dist rai'tion,  as  then 


well'  no  I-^scpiimaux  in  the  yicinity.  Tauij;-!!!  hy  cxperienci',  thev  had 
learned  to  place  tlie  stoves  in  the  very  hottom  of  the  hold,  w  liicli,  with 
er  appliances,  enahled  them  to  keep  the  temperature  of  the  ships 


tl 


leir  otii 


at   ail  a\eram'  ol"  ^6    ;  so  that  with  imi)ro\'ed 


heatni''-  ani)araiUN  and    the 


i)reserved  and  nn'kle 


d  vc'-eta 


I.K 


already    relenvd  to. 


reneral  health 


of  the    men   sullered    less   deraiiLrement    than   ou    a 


ny    of  the    p 


receding;' 


e.\ 


pi<hl 


lolls. 


:S    M 


m 


200 


o/rfifri 


mi  "■ 


800 


OBSERVATIONS. 


\ 


An   incident    related    by   Parry  is    worth   reproducing?  in  illustration 
of  the  distance  which  the  voice  can   reach  in   favorable    circumstances. 
Lieut.  Foster  havinj?  occasion  to  send  a  man  from  the  observatory  to  the 
opposite   shore     of  the   harbor— a  measured  distance   of  6,696    feet,   or 
about  one  statute  mile  and  two-tenths— in  order  to  fix  a   meridian  mark, 
Iiad  ])laced  a  second    person   half-way  between,  to  repeat   liis  directions; 
but  he  found  on  trial  that  this  precaution    was    uiniecessary,   as   he  could 
without  difficulty  keep  up  conver.vition  with  the  man  at  the   distant   sta- 
tion.   "The  thermometer  was  at  this  time  iS"  below  zero,  ihe  barometer 
30.14   inches,   an<l  the  weather  nearly  calm,  and  (|uite  clear  and  serene." 
It  was  noticed  that  the  meteors  or  fallini,^  stars  were  n'aicli  more  freciuent 
especially  in  December,  than  in  any  previous  winter  of  their  residence  in 
the   Arctics.       They    also   observed    a     particularly   brilliant    disjilav    of 
Aurora  F?orcalis  on  the  33d  of  l'\-burary,  the  next  day   after  the  sun  had 
become  visible  at  thi> ships.     Owin.t^  to  tlie  hei,<,rht  of  the  hills  snrround- 
int,'-  Fort  Bowen,  the  sun  had  been  hidden  from  the  harbor  for    131  days, 
thou,<rh  to  those  who  took  the  trouble  to  ascend  the  hills  his  reappearance 
was  made  manifest  twenty  days  earlier.     "  It  is  very  lon<r  after  the  sun's 
reappearance    in  these  ret^fions,  however,  before  the  cfTect  of  his   rays,  as 
to  warmth,  became    perceptible,"  says   Parry;  "  week  after  week    witii 
scarcely  any  rise  in  the  thermometer  except   for  an  hour  or  two   durinLC 
the  day;  and  it   is  at  this  period,  more  than  any  other,  perhaps,  tliat    the 
lenjifthcned   duration   of  a    Polar   winter's  cold   is    most  wearisome,   an<l 
creates  the  most  impatience."      It  was    not  till   the   middle    of  June   that 
there  was  any  considerable   amount  of  water  from  the  meltin,^-   snow  on 
shore. 

There  were  more  bears  killed  by  the  crews  this  winter  than  in  all  the 
previous  seasons  put  together.  From  October  to  June,  twelve  were  se- 
cured, and  many  more  seen  that  they  were  unable  to  kill.  On  two  oc- 
casions they  witnessed  the  strcn<,'th  of  parental  aiFection  in  these  animals, 
the  mothers  staying  to  protect  their  young  wiien  they  might  easily  have 
escaped.  One  or  two  foxes  were  killed,  and  fo in- were  caught  in  traps. 
"  The  color  of  one  of  these  animals,  which  lived  for  some  time  aboard 
the  Fury,  and  became  toleral)ly  tame,   was   nearly  pure   white,  till    the 


A   WHALE  CAPTURED. 


801 


month  of  May,  wlicn  he  shed  his  winter  coat,  and  became  of  a  dirty  choco- 
late coh)r,  with  two  or  three  h-ht  brown  spots."  Only  three  hares  were 
killed,  whose  fur  was  "  thick,  soft,  and  of  the  most  l)eautiful  whiteness 
inia,<rinable."  One  ermine  and  a  few  moose,  complete  the  scanty  hst  of 
quadrupeds  at  Port  Howen.  No  deer  or  wolves  were  seen,  but  toward 
the  end  of  June  they  were  able  to  kill  several  hundreds  of  dovekies, 
which  made  an  acceptable  chanj^e  in  their  diet.  On  one  of  the  nume- 
rous excursicMis  for  shootin,<.-  these,  John  Cotterell,  a  seaman  of  the  Fury, 
was  drowned  in  a  crack  of  the  ice,  on  the  6th  of  July. 

Six  days  later  the  ice  be<,'an  to  detach  itself,  and  they  succeeded  in 
killin,ir  a  small  whale,  the  oil  of  which  they  needed  for  another  winter's 
consumption,  in  the  event  of  their  beinjif  detained  so  lon«,'  in  the  Arctic 
rci^nons.  They  be<ran  the  usual  operations  of  sawinjr  a  canal  for  the 
ships,  the  work  provin<j  an  unusually  heavy  task,  as  the  ice  was  in 
some  jjlaces  over  ten,  and  <,'enerally  from  five  to  ei<,^ht  feet  thick.  On  the 
Kjth  a  welcome  stop  was  put  to  this  arduous  labor,  by  the  separation  of 
tlic  ice  across  the  harbor,  not,  however,  without  a  final  tu<^^  at  the  saws 
all  ni;^rht  to  cut  away  the  intervening^  ice.  In  two  hours  of  the  ensuinjr 
(lay  they  succeeded  in  towinj^-  the  vessels  into  the  open  sea  of  Prince  Re- 
,t,'eut  Inlet,  after  twenty-six  hours  of  continuous  work.  Parry  now  made 
for  the  western  shore,  inteiulin.t,^  t(^  coast  North  Somerset  to  the  south, 
jiid;^nng  from  his  former  inspection  of  that  rei^non  that  it  would  be  found 
to  trend  to  the  west.  Trying,'  i,,  vain  to  penetrate  the  ice-barrier,  they 
moved  northward  until  the  24th,  when  a  channel  was  found  alon--  the 
western  shore  about  two  miles  wide,  the  ice  having,'  been  driven  to  the 
east  hy  a  nralc.  They  were  llien  at  Leopcjld  Island,  in  Harrow's  Strait, 
wheiKv  theyi)ri)ceede(l  a,i,^iiii  to  the  south  alon,i,r  the  channel  tlnis  opened 
aloii^-  the  coast  of  North  Somerset.  On  the  28th  their  further  pro-,n-ess 
w.isl.locked  by  the  ice  in  latitude  72^'  51'  51",  within  about  twelve  miles 
ol'  the  most  southern  point  sii,dUed  on  the  same  coast  in  i8iy.  On  the 
301  ii,  the  llecla  was  worked  a  mile  and  a  half  further  to  the  south, 
a    narrow     chamiel     bavin."-    been    opened    in     the     ice     by    the     action 


III   ihf    wind 


The    next    dav    the    Fmv 


was 


^en    at^rouiu!    by   th<. 


pressure   of  the  ice   unilei'  the  inlluenee  of  a  northern    "-ale,  but   was 


rot 


thi:'     ' 


I  III 


m 


■ 


802 


Tl//i  FUnr  ALEAK, 


oil  .t  In^.h  water  hy  the  exertions  of  both  crews,  without  serious  injury. 
On    the    ist    of   Au-ust    h.,th    ships    were    hemmc.l    in    hy   the    ice 
a.ul  .h-ivcn    with    it   to    the  shore,  cm  which  they  f^rounded,  the   F,u-y 
ben,^.    severely    injtne.l    hy    an    extra    presstu'e    from    tlie    cniin.^    ll„o 
after    she   ha.l    ah'ea.ly   struck,    which    force.l    her    heavily  a.^ain^t    the 
l-<l-,ce    of    the    hcach.       The  Hecla    was    j^otten    ..fF  a,    hi^.,,    ,,,,,, 
the    .ce    fortunately    recedin.^s  and    anchored    to    a    line    at    mi.ini.rht.' 
The     Fm-y     also    succeeded    in    gettin-    aHoat,    hut    was     Coiuul    to"  l,e 
Icakn,,,.     ha.liy.        They     now     made     a    strenuous    elFort     to    enter    a 
small    harbor,  which  they  opportunely  discovered  at   a   short    .listance 
The  way  beinc,  fortunately  clear  of  ice  at   the   tin^e,   they   succee.le.i   in 
.^UKhnj,  both  vessels  into  the  only  two  coves  out  of  twentV,  exan.ined  by 
1  any  ,n   a  small  boat,  of  suihcient  .lepth  to    float   them    at  low  water 
These  ewes  were  formed  by  o-rounded  masses  of  ice,  and  afforded  l,ut  a 
precarious  refu-e,  especially  as  it  ^vas  now  evident  that  the   Fury   wouhl 
rcqun-e  to  be  thorou,i,dily   repaire<l   before   she   could   be   considered    sea 
worthy.     Four  pumps  were  at  this  time  constantly  en<rajred  in  the  effort 
to  keep  he,    f^-on.  sinking;.      In    these  coves,  the  slij^htest   presstnv    from 
the  ontsule  ice  would  be  snlHcient  to  drive  the  ships  ashore,  as   they    had 
only  about  two  feet  of  water  unde.    their  keels.      Parrv   and    Iloppner 
bestn-red  thenrselves  to  seek  a  n.ore  sectn-e  anchorage,  and  bad  the  .-ood 
fortune  to  find,  withh,   a    mile,  another,   but   deeper   cove,   ^vhere   tliree 
masses  ol  grounded  ice  were  so  situated  as  to  afford  an  ice-locked  harbor 
But    notwithstanding     their    activity,     heightened    if    possible,    bv   the- 
supreme  mgency  of  the   situation,  before  the  ships   could  be    n,oved,  the 
.ce,  bke  a   watchful  enemy,  closed   in  and   again   held    them    f.st    i,i   bis 
tightening  grasp.      A  narrow  lane  of  water  affording  a  passa-^e  for  bo.ts 
between  ships,  some  of  the  Fury's  dry  provisions  were  taken  aboard  the 
Hecla,   and  a  quantity  of  heavy  ironwork  and   other   not    easily  i„iured 
stores  were  conveyed  ashore.  On  the  5th  of  August  they  st.ccee.led;  dur- 
.ng  a  temporary  opening  of  the  ice,  in  running  the  ships  into  the  harbor 
already  chosen,  In.t    were    prevented    from    reaching   the   n.ost    desirable 
anchorage,  and  in  twenty  minutes  after  their  arrival  the  ice   again    close.l 
arouml  them. 


UNLOADING  TUB  IWlti:  ™j 

They  „,nv   proc-cclcl  with  the   li«IUonin„  „f  .he  Fury,  ,„„l  i„  „„co 
.l.Vsl.„l  „„l„acod  he,„.,„„ch  .1.,.  :„•„  „u,„p,  wee  sumdu.t  .<,  koc,, 
.c-  n-ce;  spa,..,  I,„„..  a,„i  evcy.hi,,.  r„„„  off  her  „ppcr  .leek,  a,  well  a, 
o  pn,v,.,„„»  a,„,   „„re„  l,„vi,„  l,ee„  ,.e„„,ve,l.     These  were  ,e„,p„ra. 
..  y  ho„,,e,l  ,„„  er  .he  ship',  .e„t,  „„  ,h„re;  and  a.  .he  same  .!„,„  pl-epa- 
n.  ".-vere,h   ,,e„.,y,„a,e.„   heave  .he   F„ry  over  o„   .he  ieo  for  re- 
.a"..     Mea„„h,le,  „„  .he  S.h,  a  sou.hwar.l    movemen.   of  .he  ice  in 
n„ce  Kesen.  ,„le.,  <lr„ve  .he  „.,.er  ice  of  .he  harhor  a.ains.  a„.,  „„,ler 
.       A.PS  .hm,.e„„„  .o  keel  over  .he  Fury  hefore  .hey  were  ready,  „„,! 
.l"vn,,Mhe  Hecia  ou  a  pr„iec.i„.  .o„,ue  of  ice  a..aehe,l  .o  „ue  of  .le  iey 
l..crs  ,,     .h,s  ra.her  .lanRerous  harhor.     0„  ,he  ,„„„  l.y  eu.tiu,  four  „r 
l.ve  ,ee.  of  ,ee  a.  .he  s.ern  ,.f  .he  Hecla,  she  slid  off  .he  .ougue,  an.l  was 
....»  ,„„,.e  e„.irely  alio,...     A  li.tle    ...o,..   r„o„,  heiu«  soo.,  „b.„i„e,l  l.y 
"..o  of  he  eve,-,-ee,„-ri„g  „,oven,c„.s  of  ,he  iee,  .hey  eleare<I  .he  basiu  If 
ho  .sca..ered  masses  of  broken  ieo,  pieoe  by  pieee,  loavins  .ho  ships  a  few 
CO,   „  spare  „,     eu«.h,  bu.  none  in  wi.i.h.     The   F.ny,  ou  .ho  insi.le  of 
.Ins  harbor,  had    eishteou  feet  of  wale,-,  au.l  .he   Hecla,  ou  .ho  ou.,ide 
.won.y.fo„,..     The  cloaruoss  of  .he  wa.er  now  euable.1  .hen,  .o  for,u  a„ 
"p™.m  o    ,he  i„j„,.ies  received  by  bo.h  vessels  in  .heir  lo„..co„.i„ued  ■ 
iK.ttlc  w,th  .ho  ,co.     They  discovercl   .ha.  iu  .ho  Fu,y  u  bo.h  .he  s.orn. 
pos,  and  forefoo.  wco  broken  and  turned  np  on  one  side  with  .he   pros. 
s,uc     We  also  could  pceoivo,  as  far  as   we  wore   able  .„  sec  alo,,,,  .ho 
--.  l-oel    .1,,,.  ,.  was  ,„„ch  .or,,,  an.l  we  ha.i  .hore,b,-e   ,„ueh  reason  to 

' ^■''*  f"  ""'  "■"'""'  ""■"''  ^""'--"-'-  P'"vo  serious.     We  also  .lis- 

oovc-ed    ,ha.    sevo,al   fee.    of  .he  Ilecla's    false    keel    wee    .orn    away 
al-as,  ,„    ,he    ,b,eol,ains,  iu  cousequouoe  of  her  ..ouudin.  forwa.l  so 

lrc(|uciilly." 

'nK>  Fury  was  completely  cleami  of  everything  on  the  i6th, 
-"  ->  ""successful  attempts  had  been  made  to  lay  her  down,  when 
-"he  H,th  the  iee  onee  more  peremptorily  decided  against  further 
'-;-  '"  "-t  direction.  A  huge  outside  Hoe,  driven  southward  bv  a 
^aie,  so  pressed  upon  the  harhor  ice  as  to  .lislodge  the  ice  piers  and  de- 
^^'••>y  .he  basin  prepared  with  so  n,uch  labor.  IJoth  ships  were  now  in 
'i-'^-  o,  being  again  lorced  aground  by  the  next  pre.        .  ,Vom  the  un- 


U04 


!     t 


Tim  Funr  ahaivdoned. 


certamicc.m.l    it  was  dctcnnincl  to  save   tlu-    Ilcdafn.m   Ihat  ,lis-.stcr 
I.y  prc-parin^^   l.cr  lb,-  sea.      An.l,  if  ti.no    vv<n.i,l   pcr.nit,  .Ik-  1.'„,v     too' 
Hhoul.l  he  .owe.|  out  aa.I  staunched  with  sails    u.U.l  a  more  secure  harhor 
c.n.l.i  he    reached,      ^^y  the  ..st    they  had    piace.l  ..hoard  the  Fury  ahout 
fifty  tons    wei^iu  of  cal  and  pr.>visi.>ns,  and  her  anchors,  cahics,  rudders 
-.1  spars-ail    ,ha,  was  dcuned   a hsoh.tely  necessary  lb r  her  e,M,pn,ent, 
sh.n.ld  they  succeed  in  ^ettin^  her  out  to  sea.     IJnt  the  ice  a^ain  can,c  on 
and  dr.,ve  her  ashore,  the  llech.  havin;,  harely  escape.l  the  san,c  disaster 
by  luvn,,.  ,,.one  out   to  sea  one  hour  and  live    minutes    hefore.      At  ei-dit 
o  clock  the  last  n,an  had  lelt  the  Fury,  and  at  eleven  half  a  n.ile  of  packed 
_.ce   lay  hetween  her  and   her  consort.      In    the    nH.rninj,  the  distance  had 
increased    to  four   or   live    n.iles,  the   Ilecla   having,  heen  horne  south   hy 
the  current,  and    during  the  ensuing   ui^iu  f  .ur  or  live   leagues   Ihrther 
Ihe  wmd    now  chan-^in-.,  they  were  enabled  to    retrace  their  course,  hut 
a>uld  j,et  no  nearer  to  the  Ftny  than  twelve  nnles.      This  was  at  noon  of 

the  24th,  in   latitude  7.J'   31'   r^"    .,,,,|    ,,„    ,1,,.  •  ,-    , 

'        i4     :>!  •>  -""l   "11    llie  niornmj^r  ol   the  2:;th   thev 

were  at  leas,  (irtcc,    ...ilc.  awa,,  th..  ic.   ,,avi,„.  p,.,,s..l    l.-.w..,,  then 
and  the  shore  where  she  lay. 

Stiil   hovering  in   her  ;icinity  an,I    watching    every   opportunity   to 

reach  her,  I  arry  and   lloppner  were    llnally    enabled   to    make    an    ex 

amn.at,on  into  her  condition.    Getting  within  seven  or  ei^ht  nnles  of  her 

and  a  narrow  channel   opening,  the  way  for  the   boats.  Parry  and   lion,  - 

ner  ^ot   aboard    the    Fury  Ibr   the    last   tin.e,  at    hall^past   nine.      It  w!. 

reluctantly  decidcl  that  l,er  cou.Iition  was  hopdess  in  view  of  all  the  cir- 

cun)stances,  and  that  it  woul.l  only  endan^^er    the    Ilecla  and  the    lives  of 

l>oth  crews  to  waste  anymore  tin,e  in  a.ten.p.in.  ,0  rescue  and  repair  her 

vvuh  no  secure  harbor  in    view,  even  should    they  succeed  in  lloatin^   1  J 

o/n    She  was  therelbre  abandone.l  where  she  lav,in  latitude  7.      ,  ,'  ^o" 

-^'1  longitude  ,.  •  5..'  5^  ,,,.,,  ,,,,-  ,  ,^^,.^^  ;,^,^,^  ^^,.  ^,^^._  j^^^^  ^^^ 

qna.-ters,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  Prince  Recent  Inlet,  and  just  above 
where  the  coast  of  North  SouK-rset  wears  rapidly  to  the  west 

Ihey  now  proceeded  ,0  n.ake  both  crews  as  con.lbrtable  as  possible 
on  he  I  ccia,  and  sailed  across  the  inlet  .0  Neill's  Harbor,  a  little  south 
Of    1  ort  howen,  to  relit  and  ^et  ready  ,br  ,he  return  ^  oya.e  to  England. 


PARRY  ARRIVES  AT  THE  ADMIRALTY.  805 

all    f.n-lhcr    attempts    to    continue   their    explorations    i.ein;.    neeessarily 
abandone.!.    John    Pa^'c,  a  seaman  of  fi,c    Fnry,  wiio   ha.l   sufFercl   lor 
several  months  from  a  scrofnlons  <lisorcler,  now  died,  and  was  In.ried  with 
the  nsnal    marks   of  respect.      By  the  3,st  all   neeessary  arran^^ements, 
.ncludinj,^  a  fresh   supply  .,f  water,  having   been  perfected,  th.y  sai'    '  „, 
the  northward,  gaining,   the  open  sea  of  Harrow's  Strait  on  Sepc     .st 
They  found  HalKn's  Hay  very  difTerent  from   what  it  was  the    precedin<.' 
year,  wthin  four  rlays  of  the  same  date.     Wlu-rc  on  the  9th  of  Septem" 
bor,  ,824,   they  experienced  the  utmost  .liniculty  in  escapinj.  from   the 
.ce,  on  the  5th  of   September,  1835,  a.ul  within  thirty  miles  of  the  same 
spot,  there  was  no   floe  whatever,  and  only  one   or  two  solitary  icebergs 
On   the  7th,  in  latitude  7."  30',  and  lon<,itnde  60  '  5',  they  first  encoun- 
tered .ce,  w,th  .hirty-nine  iceberj^s  in  si.^Hn,  but  also  with   plenty  of  se-. 
room  to  the  east.     Next  ,lay,  in  latitn.le  7,  '  55',  they  fell    in  with  three 
whalers  <roing  north,  t<,  whom  they  were  able  to  <,Mve  no  encotn-ajre.nent 
as  they  had  not  seen  a  sin-le  whale  since  they  left  Neill's  Harbor"  Their 
advance  to  the  east  was  now  much  .nore  retanled   by  contrary  winds 
and  they  did  not  pass  the  Arctic  Circle  until  noon  ,.f  the  17th,  but  for  the' 
ensuing  week   the  winds    were  favorable.     On  the   35th  and  36th  they 
encountered   a  very  severe  gale,  after   leaving   Davis' Strait,  and  whi' • 
southeast  of  Cape  Farewell.    After  the  gale  they  had  a  week  of  remark, 
ably  fine   weather,  and  though   somewhat  hindered  afterward  by  stron<. 
southerly  winds,  they  reached  Mull  Ilea.l,  the  northwestern  point  of  the 
Orkney  Islands,  on  the   loth  of  October.     Two  days  later,  encountering 
a  southerly  wind  off  Peterhead,  Commander  Pan,-y  went  ashore  at  tha^'t 
pomt  and  set  olT  for  London,  arriving  at  the  admiralty  on  the  i6th      TJie 
Ilecla  arrived  at  Sheerness  on  the   Thames  on   the    30th,  where  Capt. 
Iloppner,  his  officers  and  men,  being  put  on  trial  for  the  loss  of  the      ury' 
were  honorably  acquitted,  the   abando.nnent  of  the  ship  bein<r  amply' 
justified.  *         '  ■' 


III., 
li!'  ^ 

i 


30 


CITAl'TKR    XXXIV. 

AJHTU      \<)V,\(;K    ()|-    SAItlNK     AND    I  I,A  V  lilt  I  N<; M  A  M  MIC  II K  EST — lOD- 

K!SIIIN<; — niSCOVKItV  <)|-  I'KNDULUM  ISLANDS — PIIOCKKI)    To  i  AI'E 
I'AUKV  —  MKIC    OK    SAUINK. 

The  main  purpose  of  this  voyage  was  to  further  the  "  penduhim  ex- 
periments  "  of  Captain,  a»*terwar<l  Major  General,  Sir  Edward  Sahine, 
for  the  completion  of  which  he  obtained  the  nse  of  the  ship  (iriper  of 
the  royal  navy,  whicli  had  been  one  of  Par-y's  vessels  in  his  first  voy- 
a<(e  in  search  of  the  Nortliwest  l'assa«j;e.  She  was  now  placeil  in  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Claveriiifj,  who  in  the  intervals  occupied  by  Sabine  on 
land,  made  some  few  discoveries  in  Arctic  seas.  They  sailed  from  the 
Nore  on  the  !  itli  of  May,  18^3,  and  arrived  at  Ilammerfest  in  .S^«r^/ 
Oi\  or  Whale  Island,  on  the  north\>'est  coast  of  Norwav,  70°  40'  7"  bv 
23"  35'  43%  <'»  the  4th  of  June.  Here  Sabine  prosecuted  his  scien- 
tific experiments  until  the  23d,  and  leavinj;  him  thus  en<,M«,red,  the 
reader  is  invited  to  take  a  survey  of  Ilammerfest,  which  is  a  town  of 
much  interest  in  connection  with  Arctic  exploratio... , 

Ilammerfest  is  situated  on  the  west  coast  of  the  island,  and  is  the  mo^  t 
northern  town  of  its  size  in  the  world.  Sixty  years  a^o  it  had  only  fortv- 
four  inhabitants,  l)ut  has  now  a  settled  population  of  about  1600.  It  is 
the  capital  of  the  province  of  Finmark,  which  has  an  area  of  over  kS,ooo 
square  miles,  and  a  population  of  only  34,000.  The  town  comprises  one 
lonj^s  windiiii,'  street  alonj,^  the  shore,  the  houses  of  which,  made  of 
wood  and  painted,  present  the  striking;  peculiarity  of  havinj^  j^rass  plots 
on  the  roofs.  The  warehouses  are  built  on  piles  driven  into  the  water, 
ffivinj^  ready  access  to  ships  and  bo.ds.  -i  :d,  with  the  adjoininj^  sheds,  are 
usually  well  filled  with  skins  of  r'.:;  . .  mdofiv,  bear  and  wolf,  reindeer 
Iwrns,  walrus  tusks,  dried  fish  a-;,!  w^^n  u\\.    These  the  merchants  obtain 

from   the   Finns— more  properly  Lapps— from   whom  the  province  ile- 

•6m 


rrAAfMEIiFEST—NORTIf  CAPE.  •«« 

rives  its   na.nc,  in  oxchaM^^e   f,„-  hn,„,|y,  tcba.a.^of  l>oth  „f  whici,   the 
p......  "at.vcs  arc  very  fun.l  _|,ar.lvvare,  and  cl<,th.     Some  .,f  the  resi.Icnt 

merchants  fit  ,n,t  annual  expeditions  for  walrus  an<l  seal-hunting,  at  Cherry 
I.s!an.l  an.1  the  Spit.l,er,.en  j^roup.    The  seal  and  walrus  hunters  ..father 
..at.ons  also  make  it  a  place  of  out.it  and  point  of  departure  for  the  ...,rth- 
crn  seas.     A  lar;.,    tra.L  with  Archanj^el,  on  the  White  Sea,  in  Russia 
■s  als..   carried  on.     The  vessels   used  in   this   trailic   are   peculiar,  heinj, 
supphe.1  with  three   Jmost   perpen.licular  n.asts,  each  furnished  with  a 
larj^e  three,  ornered  sail,     ^^y  these  are  exchan.^e.!  the  train  oil  an,:  fish 
..I  lh6  Northern  Norwegians  for  the  rye,  meal  and  candles  of  the  Kus- 
s,ans.     A  Unt.sh  ship  occasionally  puts  into  Ilamn.erfest  with  a  carj^o 
"f  cal.  an.l  takes  hack  one  of  co.lfish,  which  constitutes  the  most  im- 
jxTtant  sn.-le  article  in  the  commerce  of  the  town. 

Thou.d,  so  far  north,  the  temperature   is  jjenerally    mild  enou.d.   ,o 
permit  the  hanly  fishermen  t<.  prosecute  their  labors  through  the   fishin^ 
season.     The  number  of  cod  annually  taken  is  l>etween  twenty  an.l  fifty 
nidhons,  a  lar^^e  part  of  which  are  taken  by  the  Russians  as  cau<.ht      The 
remanuler  is   prepared   for  the  markets  of  the  worM  and    sc,ld^,s  <lried 
codfish,  Spain  being  the  larjjest   buyer,  her  annual  purchases  amountin.^ 
to  over  forty  n,illion  pounds.     The  winter  is  j,iven  to  n.erry-makin.,  and 
scarcely  a  night  passes   without  a   f.olic  of  some   sort.     The  day  when 
the  sun  reappears,  is  one  of  general  rejoicing,  and  everybody  ru.  hes  into 
the    street    to    congratulate    his  neighbor.     The    summer  is    short      ukI 
sometnnes  cpnte  oppressive  for  a  little  while;  but  the  cool  air  from  the 
snow-covered  hillsi.les  an.l  ravhies,  in  some  of  which  it  always  lies    -uui 
tro,„  the  soa,  soon  reduces  the  temperature.     The  chief  subject  of  .'cMct 
is  not  tlK.t  .(  .s  son.etimes  hot,  but  that   it  is  cold  so  \.ng.      North   C>c 
tlu.    extreme   n..rthern   point  of  Europe,  is  only    sixty  miles  from  Ham- 
merfest,  an.l  is  generally  an  object  <,f  great  interest  to  sojourners  or  trav- 
elers n.  those  regions.     This  rocky  promontory,  a  thousand  feet  in  hei-^ht 
ahnts  upon  the  sea,  an.l  is  .HlHcult  of  ascent  even  at   its  most   accessible' 
points  m  the    rear.      Ft  is,  hovyever,  frequently  visited,  and   n..  doubt  am- 
ply  repays  the  labor  to    persons  who  like  to  dream  of  the  sublime,  away 
from  the  busy  haunts  of  men. 


In 


i-i 


'  .-^'m 


im 


308 


DISCOVERIES   OF  CLAVERING. 


Hul  Icaviii;^  lliimmcrfest  and  North  Cape,  it  is  our  duty  to  rctiuii  to 
Captains  Sabine  and  Claverin-,',  and  their  "-rood  ship,"  the  (rriper,  wliicli 
set  sail  tor  Spitzherj^feii  seas  on  the  ^.^d  of  June,  They  encountered  ice 
in  latitude  75°  ^\  off  Cherry  Island,  on  the  37th,  and  three  days  later 
reached  the  vicinity  of  Hakluyt  Headland,  the  northwestern  point  of  tiie 
Spitzberj^en  Archipela<?o.  On  one  of  the  smaller  <rroup  of  islands,  known 
as  the  Seven  Sisters,  they  landed  Capt.  Sabine  with  his  necessary  equip- 
ments, and  immediate  attendants,  while  Capt.  Claverin<>^  continued  his 
course  to  the  north.  But  having  made  about  thirty  miles  in  that  direc- 
tion, he  was  driven  back  by  the  impassable  ice-pack.  Sabine  was  a,t,'-ain 
ready  on  the  24th  of  July,  when  they  set  sail  for  the  east  coast  of  Green- 
land, which  they  struck  at  a  headland  named  by  them  Cape  liorlase 
Warren.  Here  they  discovered  two  islands  which  received  the  name  of 
Pendulum  Islands,  because  Sabine  chose  them  as  the  tiehl  of  his  experi- 
ments. Clavcrins^  proceeding  northward,  discovered  and  named  Shan- 
non Island  in  latitude  75°  12';  and  descried  land  as  high  as  latitude 
76'^.  They  discovered  Ardcncaplc  Inlet,  the  coast-line  of  which  they  es- 
timated at  about  fifty  mdes.  The  latter  half  of  August  was  spent  ashore 
by  Clavering  and  nineteen  others  of  his  ship's  company. 

The  temperature  was  much  milder  than  anticipated,  falling  at  no  time 
lower  than  23°  above  zero.  At  a  short  distance  inland,  a  circle  of  moun- 
tains almost  surrounds  this  bay,  rising  at  some  points  to  a  height  of  four 
to  live  thousand  feet.  They  met  a  small  tribe  of  twelve  Esquimaux, 
with  whi)m,  however,  they  had  l)ut  little  intercoin-se.  On  the  39th  of 
August  they  returned  to  the  ship,  and  on  the  last  day  of  the  month,  hav- 
ing taken  aboard  Capt.  Sabine  and  his  party,  they  proceeded  southward 
along  the  coast  to  Cape  Parry,  in  latitude  72"  zi' ,  longitude  32'  2'. 
The  clilFs  were  here  observed  to  he  also  several  thousand  feet  high. 
Finding  tlie  coast-ice  likely  to  prove  troublesome,  if  not  dangerous,  they 
determined  to  return  homeward.  I^eaving  the  coast  on  tiie  i  :;th  of  Sep- 
tember tliev  were  driven  southward  in  a  gale,  iiut  succeeded  in  crossing 
the  Atlantic  in  safety,  reaciiing  Christianscnd  on  the  first  of  October. 
Here  the  sliip  struck  a  rock,  hut  was  got  ofTat  high  water  without  seri- 
ous   injury.     Coasting  to   the  northeast  they    arrived  at    Dronthcim  or 


I 


DRONTHEIM 


309 


Tromlhjem,  on     the    6th,    when    Sahinc     resumed    his    pendulum     ex- 
peiimenls. 

Drontheimor  Trondhjcm  (Tronycm),  the  capital  of  the  old  monarchy 
and  center  of  Norwegian  literature,  is  situated  in  63"  25'  by  10"  33'  east. 
The  city  looks  as  if  it  were  only  of  yesterday,  as  its  wooden  houses  have 
been  frequently  destroyed  by  fire  and  as  often  rebuilt  of  the  same 
material.  It  presents  a  pleasinjj^  appearance,  the  houses  being  paimed  in 
a  variety  of  colors;  and  is  a  thriving  place,  with  about  23,000  inhabi- 
tants. Its  prosperity  is  mainly  due  to  tlie  risheries  and  the  iron  and 
copper  mines  in  its  vicinity.  The  lofty  chimneys  of  its  furnaces  and 
foundries  afford  a  cheering  evidence  tb.at  modern  industry  with  its  inces- 
sant activities,  has  found  its  way  t<;  the  ancient  seat  of  tin;  skalds.  The 
bay,  on  the  peninsula  of  which  it  stands,  is  remarkable  for  its  beauty, 
and  is  dotted  with  numerous  shipping.  On  its  banks  are  the  villas  of  its 
wealthy  merchants,  and  on  a  small  island  is  the  fortress  or  stronghold  of 
iMunkholm,  facing  the  city,  which  is  further  graced  by  a  magnificent 
cathedral  of  the  eleventh  centuiy,  tiie  most  venerable  ecclesiastical  struc- 
ture in  tlic  kingdom.  Ship-building  is  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent, 
and  the  vessels  there  constructed  rank  high  for  sailing  qualities.  The 
inner  harbor  is  rather  shallow,  not  admitting  vessels  which  draw  more 
than   ten  or  twelve  feet  of  water. 

ICdward  .Salnne,  the  naturalist  of  several  Arctic  expeditions,  is  worthy 
of  more  than  passing  mention.  He  was  born  in  17S8,  and  entered  the 
military  service  at  ;\\\  early  age.  Having  attained  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
he  was  commissii;-ied  to  accompany  Sir  John  Ross  and  Sir  Edward  Parry 
on  their  fu'st  voyages  in  search  of  the  Northwest  Passage,  in  1S19-20, 
respectively.  On  his  return  from  the  latter  he  communicated  the 
results  of  his  magnetic  observations  to  the  Royal  Society,  and  became  so 
much  interested  in  that  and  kindred  topics  of  scientific  investigation  that 
lir  devoted  iiis  whole  time  to  the  prosecution  of  researches  and  experi- 
ments. In  1821  he  l)egan  a  series  of  xoyages  to  several  points  between 
the  ICquator  and  the  Pole,  of  which  the  one  now  under  consideration 
ioi med.  the  last,  making  at  each  place  visited  a  careful  set  of  observations 
on  the  length  of  the  seconds'   pendulum — hence  called  pendulum  experi- 


t 

If! 

if 


i    J 


r 


810 


SA li/NEKS  liXPElilMENTS. 


iiK'iils  Oil  (Ir;  inU'iisilv  of  tenvstiial  niaj^iu'tisin,  the  dip  of  tlio  111:1;^;- 
netic  iiccdic,  :i:i(l  ivlalcd  subjects.  The  results  were  puhhslied  l)y  him  in 
1S25,  iu  a  work  cutitled  "  The  I'eucUihun  and  Otiu-r  ICxperiuients,"  and 
were  refjarded  as  liitjflily  valualile.  With  one  hrief  episodi;  IjeloULjiiij^  lo 
his  niihlarv  profession,  (huiu;^  whicii  he  served  in  Irelaml,  liis  liistory  is 
that  of  a  student  and  observer  of  llie  hiws  and  phenomena  of  nature, 
cspeeiallv  in  tlie  department  of  terrestrial  ma<;uetisin.  His  labors  ha\e 
led  to  tlio  discovery  of  the  laws  of  niatj^netie  storms,  tiie  connection  be- 
tween sun-spots  and  certain  ma,<j^netic  phenomena,  and  the  maujuetic 
inllucncc  of  the  snu  and  moon  on  the  earth.  To  his  edbrts  have  been 
largely  i\\\c  tiie  establishment  of  inaLjnetic  observatories  all  over  the 
world,  and  the  collation  of  the  most  important  facts  tlius  obtained.  lie 
filled  the  several  otliccs  of  secretary,  vice-president  and  president  of  the 
Roval  Societv,and  was  successively  promoted  in  his  profession  to  captain. 


maior,  aiu 


1    tin; 


illv,  n 


1  iS:;^),    to    majoi-ti^eneral.      In   1S69    he  was  created 


Kni"ht  Commander  of  tlu-  Uatii,  whence  his  title,  Sir  lOdward  Sabine. 


Sal 


line  havmiLi'  prosecnti-d  ins  sen' 


iitilli'  oliservations  Ibi   s<.'\i'ral  weeks 


at    Droiitheim,  the   (iriper   set    sail     for    ICiiL;:l;nid    and    arriwd    safely    at 
Deiitlbrd,  near  I^ondoii,  on  tlu>    iijtli  of  Decc-mber,  iSi3. 


\M  -v. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

i.von's   aiutic    \'c)YA(;i.;       howic's   \vi.;i,( o.vii;    -  i.yon's   imjayki!    ioit 

lli;i,l'— SAI'IOI  ^-   —  UK-ruH  N     to     IC.VCJLANI), 

NotwithvtaiKliiiL,'  llic  poor  sailiii^r  f|ualitics  of  the  (iripoi-,  she  was 
soon  aj^aiii  put  to  use  for  purposes  of  exploration  in  tlie  Nortiiwest,  he- 
uvj;  \i\:wv(\  in  ciiarj^'e  of  Capt.  (Jeorj^re  Francis  Lyon,  wiio  had  aeconi- 
])auie.l  Parry  in  one  of  liis  Northwest  voya<,'cs.  With  forty-one  ofTicers 
an.l  men,  Lyon  set  sail  June  30,  1S34,  with  instructions  to  complete  the 
sinvey  or  exploration  of  Melville  Peninsula.  He  was  to  make  for 
Wiv^cv  River  oil'  Rovve's  Welcome,  whence  he  was  to  cross  the  peninsula 
and  attempt  to  reach  Franklin's  Point  Turna<,'ain.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  a  small  vessel  named  the  Snap,  with  extra  stores,  which 
were  (ransf erred  to  the  (iriper  as  soon  as  they  met  cne  ice  in  Hudson's 
Slrait,  and  the  tender  sent  hack.  This  was  successfully  done,  but  the 
(iriper  havinj;  taken  aboard  the  extra  load,  made  slow  progress,  which, 
added  to  tlie  lateness  of  their  dejjarture  from  Enjifland,  rendered  failure 
almost  inevitable  from  the  outset.  It  was  the  end  of  Au;^aist  before  they 
were  able  to  reach  Rowe's  Welcome,  which  they  entered  from  Hudson's 
P.ay.  Here  they  encountered  storms  and  fo<,'s,  while  no  trust  could  be 
placed  in  the  compass,  and  the  destruction  of  the  ship  became  imininent. 
Tliey  were  obliged  to  Ijring  her  to  "with  three  bowers  and  a  stream 
anchor  in  succession,"  while  she  was  all  the  lime  pitching  her  bows  un- 
der. The  danger  grew  so  menacing,  that  they  loaded  the  l)oats  with 
])r()visions  and  supplies,  fearing  they  would  have  to  take  to  them  any 
monu-nt.  Two  of  tiiem  were  almost  sure  to  be  destroyed  as  soon  as  low- 
iiid,  and  lots  were  cast,  mainly  to  insure  the  safety  of  such  as  should 
have  the  good  fortune  to  draw  the  most  reliable  of  the  boats,  the  unsuc- 
cessful ones  accepting  their  fate  with  the  magnanimity  of  true  lierocs. 
Heavy   seas 'swept  the    decks,  and  they  were  approaching  a  low    beach, 

an 


I 


1. 


lil 


m 


,^,~»;.'K»ai<' 


813 


L  TON'S  Pit  AT  BR. 


"whcit;  IK)  hiiinaii  power,''  says  Lyon,  "could  save  us  if  drivi-n  u]iom  it," 
when  the  fo^'  opportunely  liftini;-,  showed  them  tiie  dani^-ei'.  Uiil  ihey 
were  soon  laee  lo  faee  with  anotlier.  A  -^reat  wave  lilted  the  vessel 
bodily,  talviuj;-  her  apparently  alonj,^  the  \vh()K'  lenj^th  of  her  Ueel,  and 
her  hreakiui^-up  was  monientarily  looked  for,  ])ul  their  alarm  Ibrtunatcly 
proved  i^noundless. 

"And    now    that    everything;-    in    our   [)ovver    had    been   done,"    says 
Lyon,  "1   ealli'd  all  hands    aft,  and  to  a   niereiful  (iod  oU'ered   pravers   for 
our    i)reservatiou,      1    tiianked  every  one  for  their  excellent  conduct,  and 
cautioned   them,  as  we   siiould  in  all    prohahility  soon    appeal"  helbre   our 
!Maker,   to  enter   1  lis  presence  as  men,  resijrncd  to    their  fate.      We   then 
all  sat  down  in   j^roups,  and  sheltered  from    the  wash  of  the  sea  by  what- 
ever we   could    llnd,    many    of  us    en.leavoreil    to   obtain  a    little   sleep." 
They    hail    been    three   nijj^hls  without    any,   and    exiiausted    nature    will 
snatch  repose,  even  when  in    the  verv  jaws  of  death.     "Never  perhaps," 
continues  Lyon,  "was  witnessed  a  luier  scene  tlian  on   the  deck  of  mv  lit- 
tle ship,  wiien  all  hope  of  life  hail  left  us.      Noble  as   the  characlei-  of  the 
British  sailor  i-s  always  allowed  to  be  in  cases  of  dan^-i-r,  yet  1  did  not  be- 
lieve it  to  be    i)ossibIe,    that    amouLj    forty-one    [icrsons    not   one    repiniuLC 
word  shouUl  have  been  uttered.      The  ollicers    sat  al)out   wherever   thev 
could   lind  shelter  from  the  sea,  and   the  men  lav   down  conversing,'   with 
each  other  with  the  most  perfect  cabuness,      b^ach  was  at  peaci'  with   his 
neighbor  and  all  the  world;  and    I  am   firmly  persuaded  that  the  resi-;na- 
tion  which  was  then  shown  to  the  will   of  the  Almiij^htv,  was  the  means 
of  obtaining-  His   mercy.     Ood  was    merciful  to  us;  and  the   title  almost 
miraculously  fell  no  lower."      The  "three  bowers  and  stream  anchor, '  or 
some  of  them,  had  held    the  ship,  and  when    the   weather   cleared    thev 
found  themselves  in  a  bij^dit  of  Rowc's  \VekH)ine,  which  they   ,t,M-atefullv 
named  the  Hav  of  God's  Mercy. 

On  the  I. Mb  of  September  they  reached  the  mouth  of  \\'aL,HM- 
R'ver,  where  they  encountered  a  secoiul  terrilic  i^ale,  in  which  the 
Griper  could  make  no  headway,  but  "  remaineil  actuallv  i)itchin_<4-  fore- 
castle under,  with  scarcely  steera^-e  way."  .She  was  brouj^ht  to  liy  ras!- 
iny   her  anchors,  which  fortunately  held,  while  thick   fallinu-  sleet  cov- 


m  -x 


THE   aiill'Jih'    UNFIT   FOli  DUTY. 


818 


crcd  the  deck  to  a  (lei)th  of  several  iiuhes.  Tlie  spray  froze  as  it  lell  on 
the  (leek;  the  iii^rhi  ^as  one  of  pileliy  darkness;  and  to  add  to  the 
danger,  several  ice  streams  drove  down  upon  tiie  ship,  (jreat  seas 
washed  over  them  at  short  intervals,  and  their  wet  elothes  were  frtx/en 
stili;  while  they  held  to  the  ropes  which  were  streteheil  across  the 
(leek  to  keep  them  fVcjm  heinj,^  wasiied  overhoard.  As  the  morniii<^ 
dawned  the  dan<(er  hecame  appallin<,r,  for  all  the  cahles  <(ave  way,  and 
the  siiip  was  lyinj;  <,n  her  hroadside.  ikit  each  man  did  his  dnty,  and 
the  captain's  experience  in  northern  latitndes,  coinhined  with  the  Tertility 
of  resource  learned  in  the  school  of  Parry,  thus  reinforced,  triumphed 
o\cr   the  dan-^-ers  of  the  deep,  and  they  were  saved. 

When  the  storm  had  abated,  after  its  two  days'  fury,  Lyon  held  a 
consultation  with  his  oHicers,  and  it  was  wisely  determined  to  return  lo 
Eni^land.  The  season  was  almost  spent;  the  Griper  was  witiiout  an- 
chors, and  at  the  best  was  not  adapted  for  battling-  with  the  ice,  as 
Parry  iiad  ascertained  live  years  before.  Nothing,'  had  been  achieved, 
but  tile  heroism  and  courajife  of  ollicers  and  men  rec(!ived,  as  they  richly 
deserved,  the  hi<rhest  praise.  They  did  not  winter  in  llepulsc  IJav,  as 
predetermined,  Rowe's  Welcome  havin<,r  proved  suiliciently  repulsive 
in  the  early  autumn. 

Lyon  survived  his  return  only  eiji^ht  years,  dyinjj^  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty-seven.  His  contribution  to  Arctic  exploration  was  not  notewor- 
thy, but  the  saving  (jf  his  men  and  ship  under  such  difficulties,  leaves  n(f 
room  to  doubt  that  under  more  favorable  circumstances  he  would  have 
achieved  success,  and  is  a  notable  illustration  of  the  great  value  of  i)er- 
fect  discipline  in  all  such  expeditions. 


?  .1 


m^ 


CFIAPTHR   XXW'I. 


lUCKCIIKV  S  AKCTIC  V()VA<;K  — SAir.  F.JOM  S  IT  Til  K  A  1.— K  OTZ  KI!K  K  SOCN,, 
-UKMAItKAMI.K  I'M  K  VOMKN  A— UKTU  K  N  U  KKK —Joint  X  KV  lloM,.. 
WAUI). 

William    Fmloriciv  Bccchcy  (  1796-1S56)  had  accompanied    I'ranklin 
in    iSiS,  and  ]>a.Ty  in    iSiy,  and    was   now,  in    1825,    deemed    a   suitable 
commander  for  an  expedition    to   tiie  Arctic    Ocean,  tlie  main   purpose  of 
whicli  was  to  carry  succor   to  both   those  celebrated    ex])lorers,   then   en- 
gajred,  as  previously  related,  in  pushin-  their  discoveries  in  North  Amer- 
ica, by  sea   and   land.      It  had   occurred    to    the   home  authorities   that  if 
the  expeditions  of  Parry  a.id  Franklin  had  proved  successful  in  reaching 
their  respective   destinations,   and  prosecutin-   their  intended   researches", 
their  stores  w.nild    be   exhausted,  or   at   least    need    replenishing,   by  the' 
time    they    reached    the   prearranged    rendezvous    at    Chamisso     Island, 
in  Kotzebue  Sound.      Franklin,  in  any  event,  would  need  transportation' 
home,  in  a  way  that  would  obviate  the  exposure  and  hardship  of  simply 
retracing  his  overland  journey.     Bcechey,  therefore,  was  intrusted  with 
the  comman<l  of  the  ship-of-war  Blossc   >,  of  twenty-six  guns,  but  carry- 
ing for  this   voyage   only  sixteen.     A  large   boat  or   barge,  decked    .and 
rigged  as  a  schooner,  was   added,  to  be   used  as  a   tender,  and  in   narrow 
or  shallow  water  where  the  large  vessel  could  not  venture.     His  instruc- 
tions   were  to   survey  the   islands  or   coast  of   the   North  Pacific,  if  time 
would  permit,  but   to  use   every  effort   to  reach  Chamisso    Islan.l    before 
July  10,  1S26.      Should    he  find   on    liis  arrival    there   that  Franklin   had 
not  reached  it  before    him,  he  was  to  procee.l   north  and    east  to  and    he- 
yond  Icy  Cape,  in  the  hope  of  falling  in  with   him  somewhere  along  li.e 
coast  of  North  America,  west  of  the  MacKenzie  River.      He  was   lu.t  !o 
return  through  Beiiring's  Strait  until  the  cud  of  October,  in  the  event  of 

not  meeting  Franklin;    and  was   to    renew   the  ellbrt  in   the  summer  ol 
I  Si' 


1837,  after  spending  the  winter 


in  some   more  southern  latitude. 
814 


315 


ll 

m 

M 

II 

II  |H 

1 

jj  II     1  ^H 

■ 

1 

1 

1 

U  Ul^^H 

1 

1 

:| 

3^1 

^^^^^^H 

'     ^1 

H    I^^^^^^^^^Hl ' 

'  1 

i^l 

llflHHBHHHIHS 

"'  1 

1 

1  ^^^^IH 

^1 

1^ 

816 


SAIL   FROM  SPJTHBAD. 


The-    Ulossom    sailed    tVoin    Spithcad   <„i   U.c     19th   of    May,    1S25; 
but  the  earlier  incidents  of  tiie  voya-e  do  not  come  within   the   scope    of 
this  work.     On  tiie  2.1  of  June,  1S36,  she  left  the  Samlwich  Islan.ls,  an.i 
on  the  27th  was  becahued  within  six   miles  of  Petropaulovsky,  in   Kam- 
chatka,  \vhich,  however,  was   reached  on  the  next  day.      Here    they  full 
in     with    the    Russian    ship-of-war     Modeste,     commanded    by     Capt. 
Wran-ell  of  Arctic  sledge-journey   fame.  Here  Beechey  learned  of  Par- 
ry's return  to  En-land,  which  reduced  his  mission  to  the  siufrlc  object  of 
meeting  Franklin,  it  being  already  too  late  to  spend  any  time  in  explor- 
ing the  islands  of  the  North  PaciHc.      Here  they  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing   the  active  volcano   of  Avatcha   emitting  huge,  dark  volumes   of 
smoke,  anil  from  the  black  spots  seen  on  the  snow,  they  judged  that  there 
had  been  a  .piite  recenc  eruption.     This  peak  is  about    1  1,000  feet   high, 
but    farther   inland,  towers  above  it  the  Streloshnaia  Sopka,  3,000  feet 
higher  still;  and  the  peninsula  of  Kamchatka  has  no  less  than   twenty, 
eight  active  volcanoes,  besides  many  that  are  extinct.    Many  of  the]jeaks 
of  this  Alpine   chain  which  traverses  the  whole  length   of  the   peninsula 
arc   of  the  height  indicated,  and  some  as  high  as    16,500  feet,  presenting 
a  beautiful  panorama  of  lofty,  fantastic,  snow-covered    peaks  of  variou'^s 
outlines,  interspersed  with  volcanic  cones  emitting  their  dark  columns  of 
smoke,  like  huge  banners  floating  their  waving  folds  high  in  air. 

Beechey  left  Petropaulovsky  July  ist,  but  did  not  get  clear  of  ibo 
Bay  of  Avatcha  until  the  5th,  when  he  proceeded  north  for  Behring's 
Strait.  "  We  approached,"  says  Beechey,  »  the  strait  which  separaL 
the  two  great  continents  of  Asia  and  America,  on  one  of  those  beautiful 
still  nights  well  known  to  all  who  have  visited  the  Arctic  regions,  when 
the  sky  is  without  a  cloud,  and  when  the  midnight  sun,  scarcely  his  own 
diameter  below  the  horizon,  tinges  with  a  bright  hue  all  the  northern 
cu-cle.  Our  ship,  propelled  by  an  increasing  breeze,  glided  rapidly  along 
a  smooth  sea,  startling  from  her  path  flocks  of  aquatic  birds,  whose  fliglit 
in  the  deep  silence  of  the  scene,  could  be  traced  by  the  car  a  great  dis- 
tance." Approaching  the  American  shore  just  beyond  Cape  Prince  of 
Wales,  they  were  visited  by  some  Esquimaux  from  a  small  neighboring 
island,  who  were  as  usual  quite   noisy  and  energetic  as   well  as  <roocl- 


liEMARKABLE  PHENOMENON.  817 

iiumorcd  ami  cheerful  hi  their  eagerness  to  exchange   their   varlc.us  little 
coiniiiodities  for  the  trinkets,  heads  and   knives  with  whicii   their  visitors 
had  supplied  themselves  hefoie  leaving   England.      On   the   23d   of  July 
tlicy  anchored  in  Kotzehue  Sound,  and  explored  a  .leep  hay  on  its  north- 
ern shore,  which    they   named   Ilothani   Iidet.      Three   days   later    they 
arrived  at  Chamisso  Islan.l,  and  not   finding  Frarddin,   they  set  sail    for 
tiie  Icy  Cai^c  on  the  30th,  dispatching  the  harge  with  instructions  to  keep 
close  to  the  shore  to  watch  for  Franklhi's  overland   party.  The    Blossnjn 
(louhled    Cape  Krusenstern   and  surveyed  the  coast  to  the  north  and  east, 
successively  passing   Cape  Thomson,  Hope  Point,  Cape  Lishurne,  Cape 
JJeaufort  and   the   Icy  Cape— Captain   Cook's  «  limit."     Dreading    the 
closing  in  of  the  ice  ahead,  they  now  sent  forward  the  barge  under  Messrs. 
Elson  and  Smyth,   and   returned    with  the   IJlossom  to  Chamisso  Island- 
While  on  this  return  voyage  on  the  night  of  the  35th  of  August,  they 
saw  an  aurora  borealis,  which  lieechey  thus  describes:    "It  first  apjieared 
in  an    arch  extending  from   west-by-north    to  northeasf;   but  the    arch 
sliortly  after  its  first  appearance  broke  up  and  entirely  disappeared.  Soon 
nfter  this,  however,  a  new  display  began  in  the  direction  of  the  western 
foot  of  the   first  arch,  preceded  by  a  bright  flame,  from  which  emanated 
coruscations  of  a  pale  '^traw-color.     Another  simultaneous  movement  oc- 
curred  at   both  extremities  of  the  arch,  until  a  complete   segment  was 
formed  of  wavering  perpendicular  radii.     As  soon  as  the  arch  was  com- 
plete, the  light  became  greatly  increased,  and  the  prismatic  colors,  which 
had    before    been   faint,  now  shone  forth  in  a  brilliant   manner.     The 
strongest  colors,  which  were  also  the  outside  ones,  were  pink  and  green, 
on   the  green  side  purple  and  pink,  all  of  which  were  as  imperceptibly 
blended  as  in  the  rainbow.     The  green  was  the  color  nearest  the  zenith. 
This  magnificent  display  lasted  a  few  minutes;  and  the  light  had  nearly 
vanished,  when  the   northeast  quarter  sent   forth  a  vigorous  display,  and 
nearly  at  the  same  time  a  corresponding   coruscation  emanated  from  the 
opposite  extremity.     The  western  foot  of  the  arch  then  disengaged  itself 
from    tiie    horizon,  crooked  to   the  northward,  anil    the  whole  retired   to 
the  northeast  quarter,  where   a  bright  spot  blazed  for  a  moment,  and  all 
was  darkness.     There  was  no  noise   audible  during  any  part  of  our  ob- 


818 


AX  ESQUIMAUX  MAP. 


■  u 

u 


SI  rxjilioris,  iiiii-  vvL'ii:  the  compasses  pcicuptil)!)-   allcctcd."      They   arrived 
at  tluir  immediate  destination  two  (hivs  later. 

MeamvhiU'  ihe  haiLje,  wiiieh  had  set  torwaid  on  llie  17th,  made  its 
way  slow  ly  aloii^  I  lie  siiore,  IClsoii  laiuliii;^  at  intervals  to  erect  posts  and 
deposit  instructions  for  Franklin.  On  the  jjiI  an  eflfective  bar  to  their 
further  pro<fress  was  presented  hy  the  lon^  spit  of  land,  tiie  heail  of 
which  neechey  afterward  named  I'oint  IJarrow.  The  ice  here  closed 
in. to  the  siiore,  and  was  seen  extendinjf  to  the  nortl?,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  without  an  opeuin;^.  Hack  of  this  point  they  now  jjroposed 
to  erect  tlie  last  <^uidc-post  for  Franklin,  hut  were  prevented  hy  the  h  )s- 
tile  demonstrations  of  some  Esquimaux.  It  was  afterward  ascertained 
thai  they  had  reached  within  one  hundred  and  forty-six  miles  of  Return 
Reef,  whence  Franklin  had  set  out  on  the  iSth,  to  return  to  MacKen- 
/ie  Ri\(.  r,  ahandonin<,r  the  hope  of  meetinj^  Heechey.  Considerinjjf  the 
immense  dislance  traversed  hy  both — -constituting^  in  fact  a  circuit  of  the 
j^lohe — the  wonder  is  that  they  should  come  so  near  meetinj^,  not  that 
they  sho'dd  fail  to  niak'C  ;ni  actual  connection.  The  harj^e  havin<^  hecu 
driven  ashoie  hy  the  ice,  and  the  natives  sh()win<^  an  inifriendly  spirit, 
Klson  and  his  seven  companions  determined  to  set  out  on  their  return. 
Their  alarm  at  the  threatenin;j^  attitude  of  the  Es(iuinianx  and  the 
uri^^ency  of  their  need,  stimulated  their  exertions,  and  thev  succeeded  in 
lloalin^  the  hart^^e.  They  now  hastened  to  return,  but  after  procecdin<r 
some  distance,  they  found  th(  ir  way  blocked  hv  the  ice.  Around  a  jut- 
ting point  which  they  named  Cape  Smith,  they  were  oblij^ed  to  haul  the 
bar<4e  thronnh  a  nairow  lane,  with  tlie  ice-Hoe  monii'ularilv  threatening^ 
to  close  in,  and  cut  ofTtheir  retreat.  Thev,  however,  succeeded  in  leacli- 
iuLT  Chamisso  Island  in  safety  on  the  yth  of  September,  after  an  absence 
in  all  (if  forty-one  ilays,  and  twenty-three  from  the  Hlossom. 

The  ICsiiuimauK  who  visited  Bcechey  on  the  island,  exhiliited  their 
iiifijciniity  by  drawinLj  a  clia.t  of  the  coast  on  the  sand.  The  coast-line 
was  InM  marked  out  with  a  stick,  and  the  distances  rcij^nlatcd  b\-  davs' 
journeys.  Tin  liiils  and  mountains  were  shown  bv  little  mounds  of  sand  of 
varyinLi,-  hcicfhts,  and  the  islands  by  collections  of  pebbles  of  proportion- 
ate   dnnensions.      They     were    much    surprised    when    Capt.  IJeechey 


'  Ji  J- 


TUB   ULOSSOM  AGROUND.  810 

d.:in-c(I  the  position  of  one  of  the  Diomcde  Ishinds,  hut  soon  came 
h.  rcco<,Miize  the  correctness  of  the  new  location  when  tiiey  hx.ked 
ill  it  from  another  point  of  view.  Their  wonder  was  none  the  less  that 
the  stran-cr  could  set  them  ri^rht.  They  then  proceeded  to  desijrnate 
Hie  location  of  die  Esquimaux  villages  and  Hshin-  stations  l,y  hundk-s  of 
sticks  placed  upri-ht;  and  altogether,  the  "  map"  elicited  the  admiration 
of  tile  visitors. 

It  was  MOW  necessary  to  move  south  to  avoid  the  dan-er  of  <,'etting 
frozen  In,  as  also,  hecausc  their  provisions  were  running  l„w,  andlt  was 
determined  hy  a  council  of  officers  that,  though  the  prescrihed  period  of 
their  stay-thc  end  of  Octoher-had  not  arrived,  it  was  their  duty  to 
.Upa.l.  A  harrel  of  Hour  and  some  other  supplies  were  secretly  huried 
fur  the  use  of  Franklin,  should  he  reach  the  island,  and  the  usual  hottle 
inclosing  instructions,  was  placed  at  the  foot  of  a  jjost  or  flag-stafF.  They 
accordingly  set  sail  for  Hehring's  Strait,  and  after  a  wint'er's  cruise  to 
California,  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  Houin  Islands,  the  Loo-Chow 
Islands  and  others,  they  returned  t„  Chamisso  Island  on  the  5th  of  July, 
iS.'7,  where  they  found  the  deposits  of  the  previous  year  untouched. 

The  barge  was  got  in   readiness  and  dispatched   to  the  northward 
under  Lieut.  Belcher,  and  the  ship  soon  followed.     It  was  hoped  they 
c.Mild  extend   the  survey  heyond  the   point   reached    hy  Elson,  and  per- 
haps  obtain  tidings  of  Franklin.     They  found  the   posts   and   bottles  as 
tluy  had  been  left,  and  the  state  of  the  ice  and  weather  more  unfavorable 
than  i,efore,  and  returned  before  arriving  at  Icy  Cape.     On   the  9th  of 
SLptcmber    the   Blossom    got   aground  on  a  samlbar  off  Hotham   Inlet, 
but    came  off  at  high  wate.  without  injury,  and  arrived  at   Chamisso  on 
the  unh.     Not  finding  the  barge  as  expected,  they  carefully  scanned  the 
cast  in  all  directions,  when  they  noticed  a  Hag  of  distress  flying  from  a 
peninsula  of  the  sound.     Ilastenmg   to  the  rescue,  they  learned  that  the 
l.argc  bad  been  wrecked  and  three  of  the  men  lost,  au<l  took  the  surviv- 
nrs  aboard.      On    the    29th,    an  ,nifortunate    collision    with  the  natives 
resulted  in  the  wounding  of  seven  of  the  English,  and  the  killing  of  one 


i>r  thi 


^sqinmaux.      In  a  thorough  survey  of  the  island   they  d 


iscov 


iw-  harbors  na.nc<l  by  IJeechey  Port  Clarence  and  G 


ercd 


rantley  Harbor. 


U30 


yoUR^Er  llOMEWAliD. 


Lcav.n^r  the  customary  deposits  for  the  ff„i.la„ce  of  Franklin,  not 
knowinj,   that   he  was  ah'ea.ly  safe  in  En^Maml,   they   finally  took   their 
departure  from  the  Polar  Sea  on  the   6th  of  Octoher,   .8.7,  narrowly 
escapn.^.  disaster  from  breakers,  on  which  they  were  unexpectedly  driven 
by   the  wind.     On   the  29th  they  were  off  the  coast  of  California,  and 
proceeding  southward,  they  touched   successively  at  Monterey  and   S.n 
lilas,  „.  Mexico,  and  arrived  at  Valparaiso,  Chili,  on  the  .9th  of  April. 
1828.     On  the  last  day  of  June  they  crossed  the  meridian  of  Cape  Horn 
m  a   snowstorm;  and  arrived  at  Rio   de  Janeiro  July  31st,  where   they 
remau.ed  until  the  24th  of  Au.n.st.     Leaving,  the  coast  of  Brazil,  they 
arnved  at  Spithead  on  the    ,3th    of  Octoher,  after  an  absence    of  three 
years  anci  live  n.onths,  less  seven  days.     They  now  learned  that  Franklin 
had  reached  home  more  than  twelve  months  before. 


m'w 


^HSiJUi.^iiS  ijl  \  \ 


'1       i 


'      '11^ 


CHAPTER    WWII. 


.•A..UV  ,V  SKAKCM  CK  n,K  .'OKK  _  ,.,.A  N  KoK  S,.Km;K  J,Hr„NKVs_ 
UK.NOKKU  .KAVEL-.;UAVES  mscoVKKK,,  -  MUSSKL  HAY...,.,nK 
UKATUKK-T„K  »  KNTKKP.USK  "  AM.  "  KN  ...CAVOU  "-_,„.,  suKMt 
AHAN0.,NK„-AU,<.VK  a.  MKC1.A  COVK-K  KUK.-T..K  CUAUAc. 
TKK    Ol-    I'OI.AH    ICE. 

Sir  Edward  Parry  conceived  the  i.lea  „f  r.aciiinjr  the  North  P„Ie  I,y 
a  cMuhination  ,.f  sledge   and   boat    travel,  alternately,  over  the   ice   and 
uater  iane.s  from  such  points  as  he  should  find  impassable  to  his  ship     \s 
early  as  the  month  of  April,  ,8.6,  he  communicated  this   desi-n,   to  the 
Inst  Lord  of  the  Admiralty.    Heinj.  submitted  to  the  Roval  Sodety  and 
rece.vm^rits  approval,  orders  were  jrive.,   .'      its   execution,  which   was 
...trusted   to  its  author,  his  commission  dating   Nov.  n,  ,836.      His  old 
Hh.p,  the     Hecla,  was    to    convey    the  expedition   to   the     Spitzl^ergen 
feeas;  and  two   boats  were  constructed  for  the   more  northern  trip   o„  .. 
specific  plan,  under  the  superintendence  of  the  great   navigator.    Vhev 
were  twenty  feet   long  and  seven  wide,   >^  having  great   flatness  of  floor, 
w.th  the  extreme  breadth  carried  well  forward  and  aft,and  possessin-Uhe 
utn^ost  buoyancy,  as  well  as  capacity  for  stowage."     The    wood    fhune 
was  of  the  lightest  an<l  best  material,  and  was  covered  with  Macintosh's 
water-proof   canvas,  tarred   on  the  outside.     Over   this,  ,1,-  p,a„k   onlv 
three.s,xteenths   of  an   inch  thick,  then   a  sheet   of  fblt,  and    finally  oak 
plank  of  the  same  thickness  as  the  fir,  were  firn.ly  fastened    witl>  screws 
from  without.     On   each   side  of  fl, .   l-,.,  i  i  •      • 

,    ,        .  '""-  "^  *''-    '^^'-''  '"»'•   pi-ojectmg   considerablv 

below  .t,  was  attached  a  strong  runner,  sho.l  with  smooth  steel  for  ice 
t.-avel.  Two  wheels,  five  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  sn.aller  swivel  wheel 
aft,  were  also  attached,  but  afterward  rejected  as  unserviceable.  There 
were  also  provided 


waste  of  time,  attach  th 
31 


pes   and  collars  whcrebv  flii>    m,>n    ---..1  1       -i-i 

..nLiLi)_y  rnc    men    Coukl,  without 


emselves  to  the  boat    to  d 


•.m 


rag  it  over  the 


ice  or 


PL  AX  FUR  SLEDGE   JOURNEl'. 

through  water  hiiics,  when  necessary.  A  locker  at  each  end  aiTorded 
storage  tor  iiistrinnents  and  some  stores,  and  a  slight  framework  along 
the  side  would  liold  bags  ofljiscuil,  pemmican,  and  clothing.  A  1-  mihoo 
mast  nineteen  feet  long,  a  tanned  duck  sail,  answering  also  the  purpose 
of  an  awning,  one  boat  hook,  fourteen  paddles,  one  for  each  of  the  boat's 
crew,  and  one  steer-oar,  completed  I  he  equipment.  To  each  boat  were 
assigned  two  oflicers,  and  two  sledges,  weighing  each  twenty-six  pounds. 
The  aggregate  weight  of  a  boat,  with  its  supplies  and  equipment,  was 
3753  pounds,  or  26S  pounds  to  every  one  of  the  crew. 


SI.KICII    DKAW.V   UV   SIMGI.E   REINDEER. 

All  things  heing  in  readiness,  the  Hecla  was  towed  down  the  Thames 
March  35,  182,  ,  and  on  the  4th  of  April  left  tlie  Nore.  With  favorable 
winds  they  were  ofF  Hammerfest  on  the  17th,  and  reached  its  harbor 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  19th,  wliere  they  remained  ten  days.  While 
Parry,  assisted  by  Lieut.  Foster,  prosecuted  magnetic  and  other  scientific 
observations,  Lieut.  Crozier  was  dispatched  to  Alten,  sixty  miles  away, 
to  procure  the  eight  reindeer  p.eccssary  for  tiie  sledges.  "  Nothing  can 
be  more  iK^autiful,"  says  Parry,  "  than  the  training  of  the  Laplan.rrein- 
dcer.  With  a  simple  collar  of  skin  round  his  neck,  a  single  trace  of  the 
same  material  attached  to  the  sledge  and  passing  between  his  legs,  and 
one  rein  fastened    like  a  halter  about  liis  neck,  this   intelligent    and  docile 


'H,  i' 


REINDEER  TRA  VEL.  ggg 

anunal  is  perfectly  under   the   eo.nman.I    of  an   experienced   dnver    and 
performs  astonishinj,  journeys  over  the  softest  snow.      When    the  rein  is 
thrown  over  on  the  off  side  of  the   animal,  he   in.nediately  sets  off  at   -. 
full  trot,  and  stops  short  the  instant  it  is  thrown   hack   to  the   near  sidJ 
Shakn,.,  the  rein  over  his  back,  is  the  only  whip  that  is   require.l.      In  a 
short  time  after   setting  off  they  appear  to   he  gasping   n>r  breath,  as  [f 
qtnte  exhausted;  but,  if  not  driven  too  fast  at  fbst,  they  soon  recover   and 
then  go  on  without  difficulty.     The   quantity    of  clean    moss   considered 
re,u,s.te  for  each  deer  per  day,  is   four  pounds;  hut    thev  will  go  five  or 
s.x  days  withot,t  provender,  and  not  sufler   materiallv.    ^Vs  Ion-,  as  they 
can  pick  up  snow  as  they  go  along,  which   thev  like   to   eat   q  Jte  cle-,n 
they  requn-e  no  water;  and  ice  is  to  them  a  comfortable  bed  " 

Having  procured  the  reindeer,  and  some  supplementarv  Arctic  enuip- 
nients,  they  set  sail  on  tiie  29th  of  April.     ()n  the  5th  of  May,  in  73"  ,0' 
by  r  3S'  east,  they  met  loose  ice;    and    ,,0  miles  further  to  the   n.n-th- 
northwcst,  in  74"  55',  by  a  few  miles  east  of  the  n.endian  of  Greenwich 
on  the  n.orning  of  the  7th,  they  encountered  a  continuous  ice  stream     On' 
the  toth  they  fell  in  with  whalers,  who  were  endeavoring  to  push  to  the 
n<.rth  to    atuude  7S",  south  of  which  they  never  expected  to  catch  whales. 
1  he  Hecla,  accompanied   by  the  whalers,  made  ilftv  miles  to   northward 
chnutg  the  night,  sometimes  "  boring  "  through  with   difficultv.     0>i  the 
.4'lbpassmg   Magdalena   Bay,  they  arrived  off  Ilakluvt  Headhnul    and 
worked  to  the  southeast  to  reach  Snterenburg  IL.rbor,  which  they  fi,und 
c.nplctely  fl-ozen    in.      Walruses,  dovekies  and  eider-ducks  were  seen  in 
great  numbers,  an<l    four  wild    reindeer   came    near   rhe   ship  on    the   ice 
rhey  now  endeavored  to  n.ake  a  deposit  of  provisions  on  the  Headland! 
hu.    were  driven  o(F  by  a  high  wind,  which   put   the   sh.p  almost   on  her 
hcan.  ends.     As  the   safer   alternative  they  drove    the   ship   throu<.h  the 
K-e,  and  at  four  in  the  morning  of  the  15th  fbun.l  themselves  in  a  pJrfectly 
scene   situation,  hall    a  n.iie  within    the   ice   pack.      On    the   3.d   Lieut 
J.nnes  C.  Ross,  with  a  party  of  ofHcers  and  men,  eflbcted  a  landing  over 
the  ,ce,  and  found  on  a  hillock  two  graves  with   the  dates  174,  and  ,762 
and  a  considetable  quantity  of  ,i,  driftwood,  btit  no  harbor  for  the  ship     ' 
On  the  .7th  an  attempt  svas  made  to  proceed  northward   with  the 


Ijl 


m 


(i 


;!.'( 


/'V.VA"    WKATllER. 


s1c'(Il,'i'-1)();iIs  on  tlio  ic-(j,  which  arouiul  the  ship  ruscmblcd  :i  sloiu'-iiiasoii's 
yiinl,  with  the  diirei-eiiee  liiat  ihe  blocks   were  ten  times  t 
sioiis.       The    trial  was   made,  Imt   soon    al)andone.l   as 
hie,  because  of  the  hiti^li  an  i  sharp  anLjular 
tlie  ''stone-mason's  yard."      On  liie  29th  and  ^oth  tiie  -,M-ealer  part  of  tin: 

)orionsl\'  oeen- 


le  usi.al  iluui'ii- 


utterly  impraetiea- 


masses  ot    ice  liiat  constituted 


siiip's  company,  under  Lieuts.  Foster  and  Cro/.ier,  were  lal 

pied  in  transporting,' a  l)oat  load  of    provisions  over  the  ice  to  Red  He 


icli. 


six  miles  distant.      On  tiic  1st  ol" 


ne  P 


■ry  was  aDout  to  make  a  secoiK 


attempt  to  proceed   to  the   north,  wiien    tlie    Ilecla   1 
east    witli   tlu-   l1oe   in   which   she   was   eml)ed<led,  and 


)e''-aii   to  move  to  tlie 


continued    to  dnlt 


ui 


itil    the  6th,  when   she    reached    ^[ussel  Hav,  wiiere    Parr' 


V,  witii   some 


)lHci'rs  and  men,  landeil  to  make  a  smaU  dt 


it  of 


eposit  ot  proNisions,  and  seek  a 


harbor  for    the   ship,   but  failed    in    the    latter    object.      The  drift 
tinned  until  the  evenin;^-  of  the  Stli,  when,  under  the  innuei 


111'. 


con- 


ice  ot"  a  -outh- 


erl\-  wiiu 
lour  days 


1,  they  Ihially  jjfot   clear  of  tiie    ice    al'tcr  a  detention  of  t 


wen 


ly- 


"  I  do  not  remember, 


savs 


P 


irrv 


Ho 


ave  experienced  111  these  re 


ijions    such  a  continuance  of  beautiful    weather   as   we 

tlu 


now 


)een  on  the  northern  coast 


more  than  three  weeks  that  we  had  1 

ber^-en.      Dav  after  dav  we  hail  a   clear  and  cloudless   sk 


duriii''' 


i)it/,- 


\',  scarcel\'    any 


wim 


1,  and  with  the  exception  of  :i  few  davs  previous   to  the  ix^A  ol"  M 


i\ , 


a  warm  temijerature  in  the  sliade,  and  (piite  a  scorciiin;^  sun.      On  tlu'  :;d 
of  June  we  had  a  shower  of"  rain,  and  on  the  6tii  it  raiiu'd  i)rettv  hard  I'or 


two     o 


r  tlu 


ec    I  lours. 


But  now   the   weather   was    t 


lie 


ami    so    con- 


tinued until   the  loth,  when  under  a  west-southeast   wind  Ii  cleared 
thev    made  for    i>randvwine  iiav,    with  the  islands  Low    and    NVald 


and 


en    ni 


re-ice,  extendni'. 


slight,  but  found  every  cove  and  harbor  blocked  with  sin 
ill  some  places  six  or  seven  miles  from  land.      I'lishin^-  norlliwaid  to  So 
43'   32",  the  Seven  Islands  were  seen  to  the  east,   and  I. 
Little-Table  Island,  nine   or  t 


M 


nl'''rave 


en  miles  to   the    east-northeast. 


ins    Is   a 


m 


ere    cvw-^^   rising  about     f^oo  feet  above  sea-lc\el 


with  a  low  isli-t   o 


11"  its 


rth 


northern  exlri-mitv, 


"This  isf 


nut 


savs 


P 


irrv 


,» 1 


icui''-  the  nortliernmost 


much  of    our  curiosity ;  and 


known    land  in  the  world,  natnrallv    excited 

bleak,  and  haneu,  and    rugged  as   it   is,  one  could  not    helj)  i,Mziii,L;  at  it 


IlECLA   COVE. 


325 


with  intense  interest."  At  midnijrht  on  the  14th  they  were  ;it  Si  5' 
32"  hy  19'  34'  east,  with  n()thiii.t,r  visihle  to  the  north,  hut  loose  (h-jft- 
iee.  Doulilin-  hack  they  tried  to  Imk!  a  harlwr  on  Walden  Ishmd,  l)ut 
railed,  leavin.LC,  however,  a  small  deposit  of  provisions;  then,  on  Little- 
Tahle  Island,  where  they  also  failed  to  find  an  open  harhor,  l)nt  left  some 
provisions  on  one  of  tlio  islets.  Now  sailinj^r  sonth  they  found  on  the 
joth,  a  secure  refu-e  for  the  Ilecla  in  Treurenhur<,r  Hay,  near  Verle<rcn 
IIo,)k— hoth  so  named  by  the  Dutch— and  named  it  Ilecla  Cove,  in  lati- 
tude 79"  55'  and  lonjjfitude  ir>"  49'  cast. 


*^*¥g5j«jf^.«  i^M^ft;,' 


MUSSKI.   HAY. 

i-eavin-  the  vessel  in  char-e  of  Licin.  lM)ster,  Parry  now  set 
nul  Nsiih  his  two  l.oals.  which  he  named  the  'd':nter])risc"  and  "I':n- 
dci.vor,"  himself  in  command  .,f  the  one,  with  Mr.  Beverly  as  compan- 
ion, and  Lieutenant  Koss  in  command  of  the  otiier,  with  Mr.  Hird  as 
companion.  Lieutenant  Cro/.ier  in  one  of  the  I  lecia's  hoats,  accom- 
panied the  parly  to  Walden  Island  witii  part  oftheir  provisions,  to^^elher 
with  s,)me  to  he  deposited  on  Low  island.  j^.ster  was  to  make  a  simi- 
lar deposit  near  Ilecla  Cove,  to  meet  the  contintrency  of  (indin>,r  it  neces- 
s;uv  to  iTct  away  with  the  ships,  and  to  leave  ore  of  the  ship's  boats  on 
Walden  Island  for  the  use  of  Parry  and  his  party,  in  tiie  event  of  their. 
I'cni-  compelled  to    retm-n    without   their   own.     All   possible    provision 


^..^mmi^-^ 


,'  f.  ' 


'•"'1 


U'\ 


M  I 


4h 


32(1 


///(.//  LATITUDE. 


haviiii,'    lu'iMi  llius  iiKidc    ill    ;i(lv;iiu-i',  tliL-    <.'X|)l()rin<j^  ]);irt v   scl  out.   on  llie 
Jlftcniooii  ()("(lu'  -'I  si,  .111(1    took  lliclr  final  (Icpartiin-    for  the  Nortli    Pole 
from   tlicrii-   inosl     nortluTii   (li-|)ot  on   tlic-   isk'l    alivady    incntioiicd  on    the 
nijjht  of  tlic  2^1,  at  liall-pasi    ten  oVloek,  roacliiii.<r    hy  iiii(hii.Lrht  tlu-  hiti- 
tiulc  of  8o"  5!  '    r^".      Tims  it  had    taken  ei.jfhty  days  at  sea,  hesides  six 
months  of"  j)re|)ai-at ion,  l)eloi\'    they  loiild  i^i.t  fairly    started  for  the    Pole, 
whieli    helps  to  show    that, if  that    jxjiiit  ean  ever  he  reached,  the  starling 
jioiiit  must  he  as  far  north  as  possihle.      15y    noon  of  llie  next  day,  at  Si" 
'-'  5'"i>'i'^'y  \\'>.'iv  stopped    h\   the  ice  and  ii)a<k"  tiieir  fh-sl  portage.      To 
avoid  as  much  as  possihle  the  diseomfort  of"  ''snow  lilindiu-ss,"  they  trav- 
eled hy   ni.<,'ht  and  rested    hy  day,  that    is,  while   the  sun    was  lowest    and 
highest,  respectively,    for  they  had    constant  daylight.      The  daily  allow- 
ance of  proxisions  for  each    man    \vas  as   follows:      Hiseuit,    ti-n   ounces- 
peinmiean,  nine;   sweetened  cocoa   powder,  one     sullicient    to    make  one 
pint;   rum,  one    q-ill;   and    tohacco,   threi-    onnces  a    v/eek.      The  fuel  was 
spirits  of  wine — two  ])ints  a  liay  lor  the  whole  coiupanv. 

I'roin  the  natnre  of  the  ice  encountered,  thcv  had  ,L,Mven    up   the    idea 
of  usiiio  the  reindeer;  and  so   the  men  did  the  hauling-,  while  the  ollicers 
acted  as  scouts  or  pioneers.      It  rciiuired  an  enthusiasm    little   short  of  fa- 
naticism or  insanity  to  strnq-ijle  as  the\-  did  for  the  thirtv-three  davs   thcv 
spent    in    reachim^^   theii'  utmost   limit   -Sj      j.^'.      Arriviiii,'- at   a   lane  of 
water,  they  launcheil  their  hoats  and  paddled    across  to  the  luarLjiu  of  the 
floe.      Landing'  slowly  and  carefully    -for  the  ice  was  iisuallv  weak  at  the 
edt^e    -they  hauled  them  across  the  rid<j^es  and  hummocks,  and  rou^h  ice 
until  they  L;ot  to  another  lane.      This  process  was  usuallv  reneated  several 
times  a  day,  and  was  so  slow  as  well  as    lahorious,    that    at    one   sla'^e  of 
their  proi;i-ess  they  made  only  iM^hl  miles  in  live   davs.      On    the    jj<1  of 
July  they  made  their  hest  run  of  sevenieeii   miles,    and    on    the    j  ^d    had 
reached    the    limit    already   mentioned    -82'   45'.      The\'   continued  their 
efforts  for  three  days  lonjj^er,  i)ut  the   wind   havin<;    unforlunately   veered 
to  the  north,  the  lloe   was    found    to    he   driftint^  south    faster   than    thcv 
could  advance  in  the  contrary  direction.      At  noon  on  the  26th  they  ascer- 
tained that  they  were  three  miles  south  of  the  pcjint  reached  at  midnight 
of   the   22d.      It    was  clearly  useless  to  prosecute   the   attempt   farther. 


lie 


IK- 


11- 


six 


IK" 


;is 


M.!J 


828 


Alilt/VAL   AT  7/ EC  LA   COVE. 


Even  the  energy  aiul  enthusiasm,  tliC  "enterprise  and  endeavor,"  of  Parry 
and   liis  men,  could  not  but   succuml)  to  such    an   untowanl  ohstruction. 
Thou-h  zealous  to  fanaticism  in  pursuit  of  the  object  of  their  ambition, 
neither  commander  nor  men  were  without  sterling  common  sense.     The 
task  was  hopeless;  and  their  duty  was  now  to  return.     They  were  only 
173  miles  from  Ilecla  Cove,  in  a  northwest  direction.     "  ;       ,         .,plish 
this  distance,"  says   Parry,   "we   had    traversed,  by  our   re...   .Mig,  392 
miles,  of  which  about    100   were   performed    by  water,   previous   to   our 
entering  the  ice.     As  wc  traveled  by  far  the  greater  part  of  our  distance 
on  the  ice,  three,  and  not    infrequently  five  times  over,  we  may  safely 
multiply  the  length  of  the  road   by  two  ami   a    half;  so   that  our  whole 
distance  on  a  very  moderate  calculation,  amounted  to  5S0  geographical, 
or  668  statute  miles,  being  nearly  sufficient  to  have  reached  the'pole  in  a' 
direct  line."     Among  the  drawbacks  of  the   season   it   was  noticed    that 
there  had  been  "more  rain  than  during  the  w'nole  of  seven  previous  sum- 
mers taken  together,  though  passed  in  latitudes  from    70  to    15"    l.,wer 
than  this." 

Devoting  a  whole  day  to  rest,  they  set    out   to   return  to   tlic   siiip   at 
half-past  four  in  the  afternoon  of  July  27th,  and   arrived    at    Ilecla  Co\o 
August  2 1st,  the  drift   materially   facilitating  their  southward    progress. 
For  instance,  on  the  30th,  though  they  had  traveled  but  seven  miles'they 
found  themselves  twelve  and  a  half  miles  farther  south  tiian   on  the  pre- 
ceding day;  and  on  the  31st,  though  in  eleven  and  a  half  hours  they  had 
made  only  two   and    a    half  miles,   the   traveling   being    very   laborious, 
they  had  with  the  help  o-f  the  drift,  moved  south  tour  miles  more.     Even 
when  the  wind  again  changed  to  the  south,   it   did   not   entirely   cut   ofT, 
though  it  sensibly  lessened,  the  gain  by  the   drift.      This    help,   iiowever^ 
in    nowise  lessened    the    labor   and   fatigue   of  the  journey,   only  to    thJ 
extent  of  shortening  its  duration.      Every   mile  of  the  way  actually  made 
by  the  travelers  was  won  in  the  same  slow  and  distressing  manner  as  „n 
the  outward  trip,  by  alternate  paddling   in  the  water  and  dragging  over 
the    ice.      The   constant    wet  and    cold    had  also  alFected  sevend    of  the 
meivwith  chilblains,  and  the  tediousncss  as  well  as  fatigue  of  the    weary 
journey  iiad  l)egun  to  tell   on  their  strength  and  energy. 


Lii 


RELIEF. 


329 


The  kdlino.  „f  a  l,ear   l.y  I.ieut.  lioss  on    the    24th,  procuml   then  a 
LcnchcMl  a.ui    nnu-h  apprcciaU.!   change  ,.f  diet,  thou-h,  as  usual  in  such 
rases,   they  sufllM-ed    s.Mnewhat   Ironi   a   too   free   use   of    the   fresli   meat 
On  this  trip  they  ohserve.l  the  phenomenon  of  re.l  snow,  .lescrihed   in   a 
pivcedin^r  ehapter.      Finally,  on   the   mornin<,.  of  the    12th,  they  reached 
their  depot  off  Little  Tahle  Island,  where  they  found  that  the  hears  had 
<lcvo.n-e.l  all   the  l,read,  hut   Lieut.  Crozier  had   recently  deposite.l   some 
ant,-scorhutics  and  delicacies,  whicli   proved   very   seasonahle,  as  symp- 
toms of  scm-vy  had  hcgun   to  appear  in  some  of  the  men;  and  also  an 
account  hy  Lieut.   Foster  of  what  had   occurred   at  Ilecla  Jove  to    fuly 
33d.     From   this  it  was  learned   tiiat  the  Hecla   had  l,een  <lriven  ashore 
hy  the  ice  on    the   7th   of  July,  hut  iia.l   heen   ^^ot   off  hy    the  exertions 
of  ofHcers  and   men   witiiout  havin-  sustaine<l   any   injurv.      Taking  the 
remaining  stores  ah(,ard,  they  next  proceeded  to  Walden   Island,  wiierc 
they  landed,  after   having  "],een    fifty-six  hours  without    rest,  and  forty- 
eight  at  work  in  the  hoats  "-their  lirst  repose  on  land  for  iiftv-two  days. 
A  hla/Jng   (ire   of  driftwood,  a   hot,  ahundant  supper,  and   a"  few  hou'rs' 
quiet  rest,  soon   restore.l    then.      ,-,ec,n-ing   the  extra  hoat  and   provisions 
tH^'t    l.a<l   iK-en    left   on   the   islan.l,   they   had   hopes  of  soon   rejoining  the 
ship,  hut  adverse  winds   and   had    weatiier  so  delayed   them,  that   it^took 
a   week    to   make   what   had  cost  tiiem   hut   a   day  on   the   outgoing   trip. 
Arming   Ihially  on  hoard  the   Ilecla  after  an  ahsence  of  sixty-on^days, 
they  justly  felt   assured   that  if  perseverance   and  energy  could  have  won 
success,  they  \vould  certainly  have  attained   the  ohject  of  their   amlntion, 
and  floated  the  union  jack  at  the   North   Pole. 

O.,  the  28th  they  left  Hecia  Cove,  and  securing  the  provisions  de- 
posited svith  so  nu.ch  lalx.r  on  Red  Beach  on  the  way,  thev  rounded 
Ilakluyt  Headland  on  the  ^otli,  an.l  stood  south  for  England.  On  the 
.7th  of  Septemher  they  reached  the  Shetlan.l  Islands,  mul  anchoring 
ill  the  Voe,  enjoyed  the  welcome  hospitality  of  tjie  inhahitants.  The 
Ilecla  heing  detained  in  the  north  hy  contrary  winds.  Parry,  on  the 
25th,  Nvent  ahoanl  the  revenue  cutter  Chichester,  which  thev  had  fallen 
ii.  with  two  days  hefore  at  Long  Hope,  in  the  Orkneys,  and  was 
i.nuie.i   at  Inverness  on   the   26th.      He  proceeded   overland    to  London, 


^11 


nun 


1 1 1  f 


8S0 


CLOSE   OF  PAJy'/irKS   CAREEli. 


■11 ;, '' 


.'MTivin-  on  the  39th  „f  ScpteinlH-r,  ihc  same  day  on  which  .lie.l  ,,l,„anl 
the  Ilecla  his  "Greenland  master,"  vviio  ha.l  accompanied   hi.n  on  live 
Arctic  voyages.     The  vessel  linally  reached  the  Tiiames  on   the  r,th  <.f 
October,  and  with  her  arrival  ended  the  career  of  Parry  as  an  explorer, 
though   he  survived  to  .855.     lie  had  contributed   n.ore  than  his  share' 
by  effort   and  achievement  toward  the  solution  of  the  two  great  prob- 
lems—the Northwest  Passage  and  the  Discovery  of  the   Pole;    and  it 
was  through  no  fault  of  his  that  he  did  not  solve  both.     His  attention 
to   every    necessary  detail,    and    his   constant    use   of    every  i)recaution 
against  mishap  to  his  men  and  ships,  was  remarkable.     In  this  last    Po- 
lar voyage  he  gave-as  Wrangell  had  done  before  in   more  eastern  lon- 
gitudes—a clear  conception  of  how  uneven  and  almost  impassable,  and 
broken  by  water-lanes,  is  the  ice  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and   Iiow  entirely 
unlike  any  frozen  surface  with  which  the  denizens   of  more   southern 
climes  are  familiar.     It  was  conjectured  that  around  the  Pole,  and    tar 
to  the  south,  would  be  found  a  solid,  uniform  crust  of  ice,   on  \vhich, 
with  the   proper  outfit,  progress  would   be  as  easy  an.:  -apid  as  on  one  of 
the  more  southern   frozen    lakes.      This   illusion   was   rudely   broken    by 
the  stern  logic  of  very  unwelcome  and  very  obstructive  facts. 


chapti:r  wxvih. 

.OSS'    SKCO.O    VOVAOK-KMPU.VKn    MV    KKMX     HOOTH-JAs.    C.  HOSS- 
—  ..    ,:sK    OK    STKAM     .M    AKCTK.     VOV  A.HCS -.  A  ^e  ASTKU     SOUND 

-NUM..:,,    r.v    run    ick-zn    wintku    quautkks  _  visirnn    nv 

KSQU.MAUX-KXHAUSTED    TEAMS  -  I-KOVISIOVS     UEDUCED-MAG- 
NETIC     I'OI.K    DISCOVEKED. 

CMpt.  John  Ross,  naturally  desirous  of  vin.licatinj.  his  title  to  fame  as 
an    Arcfc   explorer,  which   had    been    eloude.l,  if  not    obliterate,!   hy  his 
so.newhat  i,^nion,inious  failure  in  nSiS,  solicited    the  command  of  a  fresh 
expedition  in  ,839,  which  was  refused  on  the  ,.ronnd  of  retrenchment  in 
'ha.  d,reo,ion.     He  was  now  in   his  fifty-second    year,  and  as   has   been 
.nlMnate.1,  had  distinguished  himself  for  bravery  and  skill  in  the  French 
-ar  ol    .793-.S.5.      Horn   in  ,777,  he  entered  the  navy  while  yet  a  boy 
served  l.heen  years  as  a  midshipn.an,  seven  as  a  lieutenant,  seven  as  com - 
nian.ler,  and   was  promote,!  to  a  captaincy  in  1818,  before  proceedin-^  on 
1.S  hrst  Arctic  voya.^^e.    The  government  declining  to  defray  the  expense 
01  an  exploring  expedition  where  so  many  had  proved  imsatisfactory,  Ross 
sought  and  found  a  patron   in   Felix    I3ooth,  a  wealthy  distiller,  at  that 
t.nu.  filling  the  ofiice  of  sherilF.     IJooth  was  not  unwilling  to  defray  the 
expense,   but   as   the   parliamentary     reward    of  $100,000    to   whoever 
should  discover  the  Northwest   Passage   might  give  a   color  of  possible 
interest  or  tar-s.ghted  speculation  to  Ifis  support  of  the  enterprise,  "  vdiat 
ni.gln  be  .ieemed  by  others,"  he  said,  « a  mere   mercantile    speculation," 
he  n.sisted   on  the  withdrawal  of  the  prize.     Tliis   being  done,  and  the 
government  being  unwilling   to  be  outdone,  he  was  created  a  knight  for 
his  munificence. 

Capt.  Ross-he  was  not  yet  Sir  John-was  now  empowered  by 
Booth  to  provide  a  vessel  and  the  necessary  equipment;  and  he  soon 
proceeded  to   Liverpool,  where   he  purchased  a  side-wheel  steamer  for 


In 


:}:!'' 


F//fSr  AliCTlC  STEAM  NAl/dAriON. 


the  voyajjc.  He  i.^  therefore  entitled  to  the  credit  of  hcing  the  first  to 
contcnipiate  the  use  of  steam  power  in  Arctic  naviffatioii.  It  was  rather 
an  unfortunate  selection,  as  nothinjr  more  unpractical  than  paddle-boxes 
to  encounter  ice-floes  and  ice-packs,  can  well  be  conceived.  He,  how- 
ever,  took  the  precaution  to  strengthen  his  ship,  and  added  various  im- 
provements to  adapt  her  to  the  voyage  upon  which  she  was  about  to 
enter.  The  supply  of  provisions  and  stores  was  calculated  on  a  liberal 
basis  for  twenty-eight  men  for  i,ooo  days,  and  cost,  nicluding  price  of 
vessel,  $85,000.  When  fitted  she  was  of  150  tons  burden,  and  received 
the  name  of  the  Victory. 

The  second  in  command  was  the  nephew  of  the  Captain,  James 
Clark  Ross,  now  a  commander  only,  afterward  Sir  James  Ross,  who, 
like  his  uncle,  had  entered  the  navy  at  the  early  age  of  twelve,  and  had 
served  under  him  in  the  Baltic,  the  ^Vhite  Sea,  and  the  coast  of  Scotland, 
and  his  first  voyage  in  search  of  the  Northwest  Passage,  in  iSiS,  being 
then  in  his  nineteenth  year.  He  had  since  been  with  Pany  in  all  his 
voyages  from  1S19  to  1S27,  and  was  now  in  his  thirtieth  year.  It 
will  be  seen  that  his  Arctic  experience  was  large,  and  he  p-n-ed  an 
efficient  aid  to  his  uncle  and  chief 

As  the  government    contiibution  toward  the  success   of  the    expedi- 
tion, the  admiralty  furnished  a  deck-boat  of  sixteen  tons  bunieii,  called 
the  Krusenstern,  and  two  strong  boats  whicii  had  been  used  by  Frank- 
lin, together  with  some  books  and  instruments.     The  ship  and  outfit  at- 
tracted  considerable  attention,  and    among  a  host  of  less    distinguished 
persons  was  visited    by  Louis   Philippe,  the  future   king  of   the   French, 
and    many   otiier  notables.       The    Victory   was    to   have   been     aecm- 
panied  l)y  a  teiuler  or  store-ship  to  lighten  her  burden  until  they  reached 
the  ice,  but  a  mutiny  on  tiiis  vessel  in  Loch  Ryan,  at  the  entrance  to  'he 
Firth  of  Clyde,  broke  up  that  arrangement;  and  she  steamed  off  without 
a    consort,  from    Woolwich,  England,  on  the  23d  of  May,    1829.     Her 
engines,  however,  proved  a  source  of  anxiety  to  Capt.  Ross,    and  their 
use  was  soon  aband(>ned.     Steamships  had  as  yet  been  but  little  used  f.,r 
ocean  voyages,  and  the  timidity  of  inexperience  was  ready  to  take  refuge 
in  the  old  and  tried  method  of  sailing.     It  is  true,  Fitch  and  Rumsev,  in 


LANCASTER  SOUND. 

Amurica,  liad  made  experiments  in  tiie  line  f)f  propelliii^f  vessels  by 
steam  as  early  as  17S3;  and  in  17.SS  Fitch  ha<l  launched  a  paddle  steam- 
lioat  in  whicli  he  made  a  trip  from  MnrMn-^tdn  to  Philadelphia  and  re- 
turn, at  the  rate  of  foin-  miles  an  hour.  Symin<;ton,  on  the  Clyde,  had 
made  his  first  trip  the  same  year;  an<l  in  1S07  Fulton  made  the  first  real- 
ly successful  voya;jfe  by  steam  from  New  York  to  Albany,  in  the  Cler- 
mont, makin<^  one  hmidred  and  ten  miles  in  twenty-four  hours  a<jainst 
wind  and  tide.  In  180S  Stevens  made  a  short  ocean  voya<ife  by  steam 
Irom  New  York  to  Philadelphia.  A  steam  voya<j;e  from  Glasj^ow  to 
London  followed  in  1S15;  and  one  from  New  York  to  New  Orleans,  in 
iSiS.  The  fust  steam  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  was  made  by  the 
Savamiah  from  New  York  to  Liverpool,  in  1S19,  but  having  ex- 
hausted her  supply  of  coal,  she  was  ol)liged  to  have  recourse  to  her  sails 
toward  the  close  of  the  voyage.  Indeed,  it  was  not  until  1S33  that  the 
route  was  considered  entirely  prarficable  for  steam  navigation.  Now, 
when  even  whalers  use  steam  power  at  least  as  an  auxiliary,  one 
is  liable  to  wonder  why  Ross  diil  not  carry  forward  his  original  concep- 
tion. It  is,  therefore,  but  justice  to  him  to  draw  the  reader's  attention  to 
the  state  of  the  (piestion  in  that  day. 

While  sailing  up  Davis'  Strait,  the  Victory,  having  received  some 
injury  to  her  spars  and  rigging,  put  into  llolsteinberg,  on  the  Greenland 
coast,  just  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  for  repairs.  Leaving  on  the  26th  of 
June,  tiiey  found  clear  sailing  through  Bafhn's  Bay  and  Lancaster 
Sound,  with  the  tiiermometer  at  about  40°,  and  the  weather  so  mild  and 
genial  that  the  officers  could  dine  without  a  fb'e,  and  even  with  the  sky- 
ligiil  jiartially  open.  They  s;iw  no  ice  or  snow  except  on  the  mountain 
tops;  and  at  the  entrance  to  Harrow  Strait,  where  Parry  at  one  time  en- 
countered such  v)bstruction  from  the  ice,  there  was  seen  neither  iceberg 
nor  ice-lloe. 

Passing  Cape  York  on  the  loth  of  August,  they  entered  Prince 
Regent  Inlet,  and  making  for  tlie  western  shore  they  finallv  fell  in  with 
impeding  ice  between  Sepping  and  Elwin  Hays,  on  the  1 3th.  The  en- 
suing day  they  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  Furv  had  been  aban- 
doned, but  could  see  no  trace  of  the  disabled  vessel.     Her  supplies  and 


m 


(.V,  : ..  ^.^t^r 


1 

! 

Mf 


884 


NIPPED   IX   THE   ICE. 


provisions,  which,  it  will  bo  iviniMuhcrcd,  had  been    put   ..shore  pivpaia- 
toi  V  to  heavin-  her  on  the  ice  for   repairs,  were    fouiul    intact   and    unin- 
jured, and  now  rurnisiicd  seasonai)Ie  replenishin-  to  those  of  the  Victory. 
They    left   some    Cor  tlie    use   of   |„,ssil)le   future   navi-jators,    and    made 
their  own  stock    <,'ood    f„r    lo.-o  days   from    <\aW.      On    the    i^th   ihev 
reached    Cape    (Jarry,  just    beyond    I'arry's  "  limit,"   but    si;,r|„c-,l    ;md 
named  by  him.      Since  leaving'  IClwi!-.  Ray  they  bad  eneounlered  almost 
constant  obstruction  from  ice-floe  :ind  iceberj,rs,  but  not  to  the  same  extern 
as   their   predecessors,   liavin.i,r   arrived    earlier,  and    the   season    provin- 
much  more  favorable.     Like  them,  however,  they  were  often  con.pelled 
to  make  fast  to  the  smaller  iceber^js,  or  to  ice-lloe,  and  drift  with  them, 
now  backward,  now  forward,  from   the  shore  or  toward    it,  as  (he  wind 
drove   or    the  current    ran,   with   hu-je  towerinj,^    masses  of   iee    plun-- 
\\vr   around  on  every  side.       The    Victory  was  at   times  sorely  pressed 
and  received    several    hard    knocks   and   crushinj,'   s(pieezes,  besides  be- 
injj  carried  out  of  her  course  on  several  occasions.     Once  she   lost  nine- 
teen miles  in  a  few  hours,  the  current   si)ceding  fast  in   a   contrary  direc- 
tion; yet  no  serious  damajje  was  sufFered. 

"  Ima-,nne,"  says  Parry,  "  these  mountains  hurled  throu^di  a  narrow 
strait  by  a  rapid  tide,  meetin,ir  with  the  noise  of  thunder,  breakiii--  fn.m 
each  other's  precipices  hu.i;e  fraj,'ments,  or  rendin-  each  other  asunder, 
till,  losinjj  their  former  ecpiililirium,  they  fall  over  heaillon-  liftin-  the 
sea  around  in  breakers,  and  whirlinjr  it  in  eddies.  There  is  not  a  monuiii 
in  which  it  can  be  conjectured  what  will  happen  in  tlie  next.  The  atten- 
tion is  troubled  to  fix  on  anythin.i,'  amid  such  confusion;  still  must  it  be 
alive  that  it  may  seize  on  the  sin.L,'le  moment  of  help  or  escape  which 
may  occur.  Yet,  with  all  this,  and  it  is  the  hardest  task  of  all,  ih.re  is 
nothi..-  to  be  acted,  no  effort  to  be  made.  One  must  I)e  patient,  as  if  he 
were  unconcerneil  or  careless,  waitiuij  as  he  best  can  for  the  fate,  be  it 
what  it  may,  which  he  cannot  influence  or  avoid." 

Despite  all  obstacles  they  continued  to  make  sonn-  proi,n-ess  to  the 
south,  anil  by  the  middle  of  September  had  explored  loo  leagues  of 
previously  undiscovered  coast.  They  had  discovered  and  named  Ihent- 
ford  Bay,  thirty  miles   beyond    Cape    Garry,  with   several    fhie    harl)orN, 


TEiiih\s/N. 


san 


whidi  were  named  Ports  Lo^r;,,,,  FJizahetli,  and  Eclipse.  Lan.Iinjr  on 
tlu'  cast  they  took  possession  of  the  connliy  for  the  Uritish  crown,  and 
naimdil  Hoothia  Felix,  in  honor  of  tiie  patron  of  the  expedition,  Sir 
I'chx  Uooth,  with  Uellot  Strait  on  tlic  north,  the  Gulf  of  Huolhia  on  the 
east,  and  Franklin  Strait  on  the  northwest. 

THE  VICTORY  IN  WINTER  QUARTERS.  » 

In  what  they  called  hy  the  unpoetic  name  of  Mary  Jones  Hay,  they 
found  a  secure  rcfu-e  for  the  ship,  on  the  17th  of  Sepfemher,  1829,  only 
I  1 S  days  out  fro.u  Woolwich.  To  re.-ich  it,  however,  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  cut  through  the  ice,  and  this  I)ein<r  done,  they  made  n-ady  for  win- 
ter.  Tlie  steam  machinery  was  entirely  removcil,  the  vessel  housed,  and 
every  precaution  adopted  to  secure  the  safety  of  the  vessel  and  the  1  ealth 
of  tlic  men.  They  were  al)undantly  supplied  with  necessaries,  and  the 
iiarhor  was  exceptionally  safe  for  those  latitudes.  Soon  they  were  frozen 
in,  with  hu<,'e  masses  of  ice  surrounding,'  them  to  «eaward,  and  the  whole 
landscape  covered  with  snow.  The  thermometer  sank  several  de<rroes 
below  zero,  and  liiey  were  fairly  entered  on  an  Arctic  winter,  hut  full  of 
hope  and  hrijjht  anticipations  of  what  could  he  done  after  the  usual  nine 
ur  ten  iiioiiths'  detention. 

On  the  ytli  of  January,  1S30,  they  were  visited  hy  an  unusually  lar^'e 
niheof  Escpiimaux,  who  seemed  to  he  cleaner  and    hrijrhter,  as    well  as 
l)elter  dressed,  than  the  others  of  their  race  hitherto  encountered.     They 
were  alile  to  draw  for  Ross,  as  others  had  done  elsewhere  for  Parry  and 
r.eeeliey,  fairly   accurate  sketches  of  the  land  and   sea   for  many  miles 
an.tm.i     Thonrs   Harbor,  now    Felix   Harbor,  where   they  lay.     As  ten 
years  before  Parry  had   found  the  female  Ili<,rliuk  the  most  intelli<,'ent  of 
the  i:squiniaux  on  Winter  Island,  so  here  the  woman  Teriksin  proved  to 
have   the   clearest    ideas    of  the  contigurat'ion   of  the   coast   of  Boothia, 
Felix  an<l  the  nei-,'hborini,'  lands,  bays  and   inlets.      With  two  of  the  Es- 
(luiinaux  as  j^aiides,  Capt.  Ross,  accompanied   hy  Thomas   Blanky,  first 
mate,  set  out  on  the  5tli  of  April  to  explore  a  strait  to  the  west,  which  it 
was  lioped  mi<,rht   prove  a  channel  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.     On  this    jour- 
ney,  as  was  afterward  learned,  they  had  approached  within  ten  mil 


"III 
vi  i 


es  ot 


,  i^l-i^r^^i^j^SUStll^' 


(ur 


EXHAUSTED   TEAMS. 


the  point  which  the  younger   Ross  designated  the   ensuing  year  as  the 
magnetic  pole.     But  the  present  party  were  on  an  entirely  different  er- 
rand, and  though  they  discovered  a  hii<e  and  bay,  and  surveyed  the  coast 
some  sixty  miles   farther  south,  the  expedition  led  to   no  important  re- 
suits.     The  younger  Ross  set   out   on  the    ist  of  May,  and  from  an  emi- 
nence descried   a  large  inlet,  which   promised   an  outlet  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean.     Returning,  he  fitted  out  an  expedition  to  »  consist  of  himself  and 
three  companions,  with  a  sledge  and  eight  dogs,  and  provisions  for  three 
weeks."     These  set  out   on  the  17th  of  May,  and  encountering  the  lake 
already  referred  to,  and   the  river-which  thev  na.ned    Garry-Ross   -.s 
cendc.l  the   hill  which  he    had   previously  used  for   h,s  o])servations   and 
saw  a  chain  of  lakes   lea.ling   hack  almost   to   the   harbor  he   had'  left 
Moving   along  tiie    shore  of  the   western    inlet,  which    has   since    been 
named  Sir  James  Ross'  Strait,  the  party  reached  Matty  Islan.l,  and  cross- 
ing a  narrow  strait   to   the  west,  landed   on   what  they  believed   was  the 
mandand,  and  called  King  William's  Land,  but  which  the  exploration  of 
Smipson  has   since  shown  to  be  an  island,  separated  fron>   the  continent 
by  the  strait  called  by  his  name. 

Pushing   north,    their  dogs   became  exhausted,  and   the  men   ha<l  to 
depend   mainly  on  their  own  exertions.     MVhen   all  is  ice,"  says   Ross 
"  and  all  one  dazzling  mass  of  white-when  the  sm-faee  of  'the  sea  itself 
IS  tossed  up  and  fixed  into  rocks,  while  the  land   is  on  the  contrarv   very 
olten  flat-it  is  not    always  so  easy    a   problen.    as   it    n.ight   seen/ on    . 
superfic.al  view,  to  deter.nine  a  f.ct  which  appears   in  w.nds   to  be  ex 
tremely  simple."      Hut  despite  exhaustion  of  dogs  and  men   he    kept    on 
to   the  north,  and  on  the   39th  reached  the    most  northern  point  of  Kin.. 
Wdham's    Land,  and   named  it   Cape  Felix.      Here  he  beheld  the    wide 
expanse  of  sea  now  known  as   McClintock  Channel,   exten.lin  .  auav  to 
the  northwest,    and   to    the  southwest  the  narrower  channel  lo.,  ^,^ 
Victoria  Strait.      Proceeding  along  the  latter  thev  arrived  on  the   30th   .t 
a  headland  which  Ross  named  Point    Victory,  and  to   another  which    he 
saw    n,  the  distance,  he  gave  the  name  of  Cape  Franklin.      They     were 
about  two  hundre<l   miles  distant  from    Felix    Harbor,  wit!,  onlv  a    few 
days'   provisions  left,  and  it    became  necessary  to  return  at  once:     The> 


'.'*  '\. 


I^ADT  MELVILLE  LAKE.  33^ 

erected  the  usual  cairn,  depositin,.  a  ,ea„cl  of  their  experience  and  procu- 
res, and  turned  their  faces  to  the  east,  with  son.e  .nis,ivin,s    that  th^ 
iKul  already  gone  too  far  for  their  resources.    This  proved  to  be  the  c.se 
lor,  though  the  men  survived,  they  lost  six  of  the  dogs,  and  were  them- 
selves ahnost  exhausted  and  helpless,  when  they  had  the  good  fortune  to 
tall  .n  with  some    Esquimaux   on   the   8th  of  June.     Hospitably     enter- 
t.med  and   supplied    with   a  store  of  f.sh  by  these  poor  children  of  the 
tro.en  north,  they   rested  one  day  among   them,  and  reached  the  ship  on 
the    .3th,  having  been   absent  four  weeks  instead  of  three.     Capt    Ross 
had  nu-anwhile  stn-veyed  Boothia   Isthmus,  and  discovered  another  lar^e 
body  ot  fresh  water,  which  he  na.ned  Lady  Melville  Lake. 

To  Iheir  surprise  and  disappointment  they  were  unable 'to  leave  their 
w.nter  quarters  until  the  ve.y  anniversary   of  their   entrance   therein    it 
beu.g  the  7th  of  Septen.i,er,  1S30,  when  they  were  set  free.     Advancin<. 
only   three  n.iles   in  six   <lays,  they   were  a^ain   fro.en  in  on  the    33d   o^f 
.Septen.bcr;  and  the   remainder  of  the  month  and    the  whole  of  October 
were    consun.ed    in   getting    her   into    secure    quarters.     Here    another 
dreary  winter  had  to  be  passed,  and   as  a  precautionary  measure,  it  was 
decMued    prudent  by   Capt.   Ross  to   reduce  the   allowance  of  provisions 
I  he  wnuer  proved   exceptionally   severe,  the   thermometer  goin<.    down 
on  some  occasions  as  low  as  93°  below  the  freezing  point,  .n-  (Z^  below 
.ero.     Son.e  surveys   and    local   explorations   were   made  in   the   sprint 
01    .N^^.,  but  the   most  important  expedition  was  the  one  in  relation   to 
the  Magnetic  Pole. 

DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  MAGNETIC  POLE. 

The  scientists  „,-E„„,pcha.la.ccr,:,i„c,l  by  theory  „„.l  oxperi,„c„. 

'"'  ""■  ■"■  ■■"•>'"-''i^-  1'"'^^  """I'l  1«  f"....<l  sontowhne    in   ,1,0    nci.*- 

".I,,.„.l    or  where    the    Vietoty  „.,  ,„,„    ,„,,  „„,  .,,  ,„,  ,,,_; 

Kv  <>S  30  west.  The  yo,„„e,.  Ross,  arterwanl  k„ow„  „s  Sh-  |a,„es' 
I  ..ss,  ava,  e.l  hunselror.he  „pp„,,.,„!ty  now  lurnishe.!  hy  their  enforced 
*.y  ...  Lch.  Ilarhor  to  otake  the  ol,se,va.i„„s  a,„l  eaIculatio„s  oceessarv 


to  (letermiiie  its  exact    1 


ocation. 


The 


)f  M; 


y.  i^^^ii,  It  i 


expeilition  set  out  toward  tl 


lavmg   been  previously    ascertained  that  they 


lie    entl 


were  not 


5  I 


It 


Hi 


838 


DISCOVER r  OF  MAGNETIC  POLE 


far  (Hstaiit  from  the  desired  point.     The  weatiier  had  turned  stormy;  hut 
their  zeal    took   small   notice  of  the   chan<>e,   and   they   hurried    forward 
toward  the  place  indicated  hy  Ross'  calculations.      On  the  31st  they  were 
within  ahout  fourteen  miles  of  it;  and  on   the  next  moriiin;^%  leavin<;-  iheii- 
Inifjfjjfai^e  and    provisions  on  the  heach  wiiere  they  had  camped,  tiiey    ar- 
rived at  the  spot  at   eight  o'clock.     "The  place  of  the  ohservation,"  says 
Ross,  "was  as   near  to  the    majjjnetic  pole  as   the  lir-iited  means  which    I 
possessed  enahled  me   to  determine.     The   amount    of  the  dip,  as   indi- 
cated hy  my  dipping-needle,  was  S9"  59',  being  thus  within  one   mimite 
of  the  vertical;  while  the    proximity  at  least  of  this  pole,  if  not  its   actual 
existence  where  we  stood,  was  turther  confirmed   hy  the  action,  or  rather 
by  the  total    inaction  of  the  several    horizontal    needles   then  in   my  pos- 
session.     These  were  suspended    in   the    most   delicate    manner   possible, 
but   there  was   not  one    which  showed  the  slightest  elfort  to  move   from 
the  position  in  which  it  was  pfaced."      The  very  force  which  attracts  mil- 
lions of  free    compass-needles  all   over  the  northern    hemisphere  in  its  di- 
rection, was  Iiere  inactive.      The  corresponding  South  I'ole  of  terrestrial 
magnetism    has  been   computed    to  be  at   66'    south    latitude,  and    i.|6" 
east  longitude — not  diametrically   opposite  therefore,  as  the  geograpliical 
2)olcs  of  the  eartii  are.      The  fimous  (Jerman  mathematician.  Gauss,  com- 
puted that  the   theoretic   location  of   tiie    north   magnetic   pole,   in    iSn 
should  have  been  three  degrees  farther   north;  but    the  point   determined 
by  Ross  ililTcred  only  eleven  minutes  from  Parry's  calculations. 

"  As  s(H)n,"  says  Ross,  "as  I  had  satisfied  my  own  mind  011  llie  sub- 
ject, I  made  known  to  the  party  this  gratifying  result  of  our  joint  labors; 
and  it  was  then  that,  amidst  mutual  congratulations,  we  lixed  tiie  Uritisli 
Hag  on  the  spot  and  took  possession  of  the  North  Magnetic  Pole  and  its 
adjoining  territory  in  the  name  of  Great  Britain  and  King  ^V'illialn  1  \'. 
We  had  abundance  of  materials  tor  l)uilding,  in  the  fragments  of  lime- 
stone that  covered  the  beach,  and  we  therefore  erected  a  cairn  of  some 
magnitude,  under  which  we  buried  a  canister  containing  a  record  of  the 
interesting  fact,  only  regretting  that  we  had  no*^  'he  means  of  construct- 
ing a  pyramid  of  more  importance,  and  of  strengtii  sulHcient  to  with- 
stand the  assaults  ot    time  and  of  the   Esquimaux.      Had  it   been  a   pvia- 


1111(1  as   lai 


-<e  as  that  nf  Cheops,    I    am  >,ot  .luitc- 


<loiic  more   than  satisfy  our   ainhitio.i   und 


889 


have 


(lay.     The  latitude   of  tl 


liiite  sure  that   it  would 
cr  the    feeliiiirs  „f  that  excitin<' 


west. 


us  spot  is  70  '  5'    ,7",  ;i„a  it,    lon,rit.,de  (/,  ■  46' 


riilL,^es 


The   laud  at    this  plac 
lifty 


:e  is    very  I 


•y  low    near    the  coast,  hut  it 


♦)!•  sixty   feel    hijrh,  ahout 
wished   that  a  plaee  so  iuiportaut    had 


It  was  scarci 


^ly 


a   mile   inland.      W 
possessed    more  of  mai- 


rrses  into 


c     could     have 


k  or   note. 


censurahle  lo  rei^-ret  that  tli 


(licate    a  spot  to  which  so  much  of  interest 


(Diild  (.'ven  have   [jardoned   any  on 

'>!•  al.sunl  as  to  expect  that  the  Ma-.netic  Pol 


iL-re  was  not  a  mountain  to   in- 
must  ever   he  attached;  and  I 


•^   amoiii,'  us  who  had  1 


)een  so  romantic 


innis 


a.id  mysterious  as  the   fahled  mountain  of  Sinhad 


lo  v/as  an  ohject  as  conspic- 


a  niounlani   of  iron,  or  a  maj^net  as    1 
had  here  erected  n 


ii-f^e  as  Mont  lil 


,  that  it  was  c-veii 
inc.      Hut   nature 


o  moi 


IS  the  center  of  one  of  Ik 


lument  to  denote  the  spot  which  she  had  cl 
■I-  .i,n-eat  and  dark  powers,  and  wl 


chosen 


do  little  ourselves  toward  this   c\u\.'' 

.eavin-    the    ma-netic    p(,le,   and    the    abandoned    1 


which  they  had    th 


1^  ili'i'nl    fortune    to    find   tl 


arrival,  they  set  out  for  the  si 


lie  re    ready  f 


!iip.      IJlinded  h 


liere  we   could 


'^s(iinmaii\    hnis 
or   use  on    their 


was  slow  and   dilHcuIt,   hut   tl 


y  snowstorms  their  ])ro;j^ress 


icy  reached   the    harl 


al) 


scnce  of  twenty-ei-rht  days.      Tl 


'or   m    safety  after   an 


iiia'jiK'tic  pol 


he  reader  should    l)ear 


tile  t 


poles  are  variahie  points,  not  llxed  positi(ms. 


nnc 


ol    the  discov 


in  mind  that  the 
was  supposed  at 


sliip,  llic\-  were  detained 


;iii  imprisonment  of  eleven  niont 


cry  o(    the    northern  one  by  Ross.      Arrived  at   thi 
some  weeks  loii-er  in  winter  (piarters;  hut  after 


1 


is  since  their  futile  atlcmnt  t 


"•  previous  year,  they  succeeded  on  the  2Sth  of  Au-ust    i,S 


\^ict 


01 


to  escape  on 


,^aist,  i.S,:5i,iii  workiii<r 


■y    into   open    water.      On   the   39th    they  set   sail    in    tl 


cllort  to   push    tiiroii-rh   t 


le  vam 


he    ice,  hut   found    the   t 


continued  exertions    for  a  whol 


isk    impracticahlc.      Hv 


Ic    month  they  had    won    only  t 


and  were  a-ain  frozen  in  on  the   ^ytli  of  Septeinl 


V  loin-    miles 


:'pi>iopiiatcly  have   named    Infel 


ptemher,  in  what  they  miirht 


l\v 


ix  (Unhappy)  Ilarhor.      S 


I  years 


was  such  hopeless  pro.jrress  that  the  di 


'(.'Veil    miles  in 


statu  hills  of  th 


«'ir  native 


'-'I  nuist  have  seemed  heyond  their  reach    t^.rever.      Hut  the  hrave  min 
'""I-  at  the  impossible  as  calmly  as  he  may,  and  turns  his  attention  else- 


340 


ABANDONMENT  OF  THE    VICTOR T. 


I » J '    * 


where.  It  was  therefore  determinccl  that  on  the  return  of  spring  their 
energies  slionhl  be  directed  to  effecting  their  escape  in  another  way.  It 
was  recollected  that  on  the  beach  where  the  Fury  had  been  abandoned 
by  Parry,  and  where  they  had,  it  will  be  rcmeinliered,  replenished  their 
stores  in  1839,  there  were,  among  the  other  supplies,  several  boats  which 
belonged  to  that  ill-fated  vessel.  It  was  now  designed  that  they  siiould 
make  the  best  of  their  way  to  that  point,  and  availing  themselves  of  the 
boats,  provisions  and  supplies  there  to  be  found,  make  an  effort  to  reach 
the  whaling  grounds  in  BaiHn's  Bay,  and  thus  return,  if  it  might  be,  to 
their  native  land.  It  was  ;i  great  and  arduous  undertaking,  but  not  (itiite 
as  hopeless  as  the  attempt  to  extricate  the  Victory  had  been.  It  was  a 
chance  for  life  and  liberty,  and  was  worth  striving  for. 

On  the  2  ^(1  of  April,  1S32,  they  entered  on  the  task.  Having  collected 
the  necessary  supplies,  they  set  out  to  remove  them  over  the  ice.  "  The 
loads  being  too  iieavy  to  be  carried  at  once,  made  it  necessary  to  go 
backward  and  forward  twice,  and  even  oftener,  the  same  day.  They 
had  to  encounter  dreadful  tempests  of  snow  and  drit't,  and  to  make  sev- 
eral circuits  in  order  to  avoid  impassable  barriers.  The  result  was  that 
by  the  12th  of  May  they  had  traveled  339  miles  to  gain  thirty  in  a 
direct  line."  This  preliminary  work  having  been  laboriously  executed, 
they  returned  to  the  ship,  and  on  tiie  29th  of  May  took  their  final  leave 
of  her.  The  colors  of  the  Victory  were  formally  hoisted  and  nailed  to 
the  mast;  the  officers  and  men  left  her,  and  last  of  all,  the  cominaniler 
bade  her  adieu.  "  It  was,"  he  says,  "  the  first  vessel  that  I  had  ever  been 
obliged  to  abandon,  after  having  served  in  thirty-six  during  a  period  of 
fbrlv-two  years.  It  was  like  the  last  parting  with  an  old  friend,  ami  1 
did  not  pass  the  point  where  she  ceased  to  be  visible  without  stopping  to 
take  a  sketch  of  this  melancholy  desert,  rendered  more  melancholy  bv 
the  solitary,  abandoned,  helpless  home  of  our  past  years,  fixed  in  immov- 
able .ce  till  time  should  perform  on  her  his  usual  work.'' 

On  the  9th  of  June  James  Ross,  with  two  companions  and  provisions 
for  two  weeks,  struck  ahead  of  the  main  body  to  ascertain  how  matters 
then  stood  at  Fury  Heach.  Fortunately,  though  some  of  the  boats  had 
been  washed  away  since  1S39,  ^'■'^''■^'  were  still  enough   left  for  their  pur- 


!■? 


TENTING  ON  FURT  BEACH.  z\l 

pose,  and  the  provisions  had  remained  uninjured.  Rejoining  the  main 
i)ody  on  the  35th  they  hastened  forward  an.l  reached  their  immediate 
t(oal  on  the  ist  of  July.  They  ^erected  a  hwge  tent  which  they  named 
Somerset  House,  and  began  to  put  the  boats  in  readiness. 

On  the  1st  of  August  they  took  to  the  boats,  a  considerable  expanse 
of  open  water  being  available  for  their  northern  progress.     They,  how- 
ever,  as   was  expected,   encountered   many   obstacles    from   the  ice,  but 
sL.wly  a.ul  cautiously  they  threaded  their  way  amidst  the  dangerous  floes 
and  packs,  reaching   the  northern  entrance  of   Prince   Regent   Inlet  ])y 
the  close  of  the  mo.Uh.     Arrived  there,  further  progress  Jas  barred  by 
tlK-  impenetrable  masses  of  ice  which  encumbered   its  entrance  and  the 
adjoining  portion  of  Barrow's  Strait.     They  were  obliged  to  haul  their 
boats  ashore  and  await  a  more  flivorable   opportunitv.     The  tents  were 
pitched,  and   Barrow's  Strait  was  scrutinized  day  by  day,  but  it  refused 
to  yield   tliem   an  opening.     After  watching  nearly   three  weeks  for  the 
chance  that  it   seemed  would   never  come,  with  their  provisions   running 
low,  and   starvation  staring  them   in  the   face  should  they  remain,  i*  was 
■lecided   to    turn   their  backs    once   more  on    England,  and  go  back   to 
Fury  Beach,  where  at   least  an   abu.ulance  of  provisions  for  their  small 
parly   could   still    be   found.      They  reached    Batty  Bav,  about   half  way 
on    the    return    voyage,   in    the  boats,   when   their    further  progress  l)y 
water  was  stopped  by  the  ice.      An  overland  trip  to  Somerset  ITm.se  was 
a  repetition  of  the  labors  „f  the  spring,  but  it  was  safely  accomplished 
.->  twelve  days,  and   on   the   7th  of  October  they  were   again  housed   in 
the  eapai'ious   tent  on   Fury    Beach. 

To  make  tliis  refuge  tenantable  during  the  approaching  winter, 
tlH'V  built  a  wall  of  snow  four  feet  thick  all  arou.ul,  an.l  placed  a  board' 
roof  overhea.l  to  receive  a  deep  covering  of  the  same.  Stoves  were 
l"""n.l  among  the  abundant  stores  of  the  Fmy,  and  by  their  help  this 
cxte,np.,ri/ed  habitation  was  made  fairly  com(ortal)le.  '  They  got  along 
verv  well  until  the  increasing  severity  of  the  weather  an.l  "th^e  intense 
col.l  n.nllne.I  them  in.loors,  when  sciuvy  began  to  appear.  On  Feb. 
'"^  i^S^v  Mr.  Tiiomas,  tiie  carpenter,  .lie.l,  an.l  two  ..thers  soon  fol- 
i>'we.i.     -  Tiieir  s,tuati.>n   was   becming  truly  awful,  since,  if  thev  were 


849 


A   S/IIP  /AT  HICHT. 


il  i^; 


no 


I    Ii1ht;iU-(1  tin-  I'lisuiiiir   simiiiu-r,  Iil(U>  pn^spt'ct    appoinvd  of  ll 


H'lr  siir- 


viviiii;  iiiiotluT  yi-;ir.      ll  \v;is  m\vss:irv  lo  mil 

;iiu\-  (>r  pivsoivi'd  iiUMis;    hivad  \v;is  soiiU'\vli;il  d 

wiiu-  and  sjjirils  was  I'liliirlv  i-\l);nisti'd.    1  lowcvi-r,  as  ll 

foxc 


ki'  a  ivdiii-lioii  III  llu' 


low 


I'liciiMil,  and  llu'  slock  ol 


u'v  i'aii''lil 


low 


s,  wlui'li  Wl'll- 


i-onsidfivd  a  dflii-ai-y,  and  iIil-iv  was  pU>nlv  of  Mom, 
suivar,  soups  and  VLMVtal)k>s,  a  dii-t  i-onld  W  t-asily  anan-c-d  siill'u-ii'nl  |„ 
suppoil  llu-  parly."      WliiU-  llu-  iir  ivmaiiu-d  Mini,  il  was  di-mu-d  ad\  isa- 


hl 


I-  lo    irinovt-  siu-li    provisions  as   llu-v  wi-iv  iiol    lila-iv  to  lu-t-d  to    I: 


ally 


Hav,  to   1)1- 


in  n-adiiu-ss 


for  I 


u-  smnnu-r   fxiji-diiion  lo   llu-    norlli.      Th 


distaiui-  was  hut    thirl y-t wo  inilos,  yd  il  took 


a   luonlli  with   tlu-  irdiui'd 


foivi-  to   inaki-  the  Iranst 


or,  most  of  llu-in    .-j^oiiii,'   oyer  the  ,L,n<)iind  ci-dit 


timc! 


Phoy  left  Sonu-rsot  House  onco  more  on  the   Slh  of   [uly,  and  on  ll 
eiu-amped  at    l^atty  Hay,  only  to    repeat    the  tedious  operal 


1  Jth  wi-i-i 


10!1 


ol"  wateiuiij^  for   the  openintj;- of  the    wat 


eis,  as    on    llu-    previous    year  at 
was    rewardi-d    hy 


Harrow's  Strait.      Thirly-thn-e   days'  patient    seruiiiiy 
the  diseovery  of  a    lane  into  w.ich  they  eould  venture  with 
reachino-  the  head  of  the  inlet.      On  the  istli  of  Au,<,nis|  they  |,„,l 
boats,  and  with  patient  skill  and 


some  hopt'  (>f 


k  to  tlu 


ener-'v,  t! 


*UL;Ii  llu  sea  wa 


s  lor  tlu-  most 


part  eneumhered  with    iee,  they  reached    Harrow's   Stiait  two  days  I 


Iter, 


11 


ere  an  a-,n-eeahle  surprise  awaiteil  them;   for  where  t 


u-  year  hefore   ll 


u- 


most  tortuous  e-^iess  was  fouiul  impraetieahle,  this  year,  tl 


,  thonnh  only  Uyo 


ei\-  side 


weeks   earlier   in    tlu-   season,  an   open   sea   greeted    them    on  ev 
Pushin-  east    they  approacheii  Cape    York,  and  a    week    later  reached  a 
safe  harhor  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Na\y   Hoard  Inlet. 

On  the  mornin-  of  'he  ^()tii,  at  (  o'clock— none  too  early  for  such 
joyful  news— they  were  awakened  from  their  heavy  and  almost  hopeless 
slumhcrs  to  learn  that  a  ship  was  in  si-ht.  (^uick  as  men  escapin-  from 
imminent  peril,  they  jumped  to  their  oars,  hut  the  vessel  disappeared  in 
the  ha/e  hefore  they  could  reach  her,  or  attract  the  attention  of  those  on 
Itoard.  Aiui  now  the  revulsion  of  fcelint;  was  fast  sinkiuj,'  into  desp;-ir, 
w-hoii  a  few  hours  later  they  had  the  <,'ood  fortune  to  si^^Hit  another  vessrl 
lyiii.ij  in  a  calm.      Hurriedly  and  encrj,retically    rowini,^  (..ward    lur   with 


their  eyes  fixed  in   a    steady 


azc   on 


th 


e  <>• 


ad    vision,   and   their   heaits 


m  i. 


THE  RESCUE. 


:m:i 


vvavc.rlMjrbdwccM,  Iiope  mul  foar,  thc-y  soc.„  reached  the  stately  sl,ip 
wimh  proved  (.,  he  the  Isahella  .,f  Hull,  n..w  a  whaler,  hut  llfteeu  years' 
iHlorc ,  the  ship  in  whieli  lt„ss  uia.le  his  lirst  Arctic  voya^a^  1  ler  captain 
ai..i  eiew  c..ui<l  with  dilliculty  he  persua.led  liiat  tiieir  ^^ucsts  were  what 
theyrepreseute<ltiiemselvest.,he-Capt.  Rossaud  his  parly  of  Arctic 
explorers-fur  had  they  not  l.ecn  reported  dead  two  years  hefore?  It 
was  a  queer  story,  aud  one  with  which  it  was  useless  to  try  f.  deceive 
liie  hoiie>.t  whalers. 

lin-lish,  they  were,  of  course;  any  one  could  sec  that,  despite  their 
uue-he-one  and  weather-heaten  appearance,  an<l  the  hospitality  of  the 
IsalKlla  should  he  -ladly  exten.led  to  them;  hut  Capt.  Ross  ami  his 
party  were  <lead  and -one,  alas!  never  more  to  he  seen  in  the  llesh,  on 
water  or  on  land!  With  such  .lenn.nstration  as  it  was  in  their  power  t<, 
-ive,  the  new-comers  soon  dispelled  the  .louhts  and  misjrivin-s  of  their 
n.untrymen,  and   as  soon    as   it   hc-came   clear   to   them   that  "they    were 

^''■''  "'^"  "'""^'  "''"•  ''••"•   ''^•^■'>   '....urned    for   in    I':n;,dan.l    as  dea.I,  the 

ri-Mn- was  .p.ickly  manne.i  to  do  them    honor,  an<l    with  thiee   hearty 

cheers  Ross  an, I  his  party  were  formally  vvelcome.l  on  hoanl  the  Isahella. 

"  Thou-1,  ,ve  ha<l  not  heen  supported  I,y   our   names   and  characters," 

says  Ross,  "  we  should  not  the  less  have  claime.l  from  charitv  tiie  alten- 

li.H.sthat   we    received;  for  never   were   seen   a    more    miserahle  set  of 

wretches.      U.ishaven  since  I   know  not  when,  dirty,  dressed   in  the   ra-s 

<'!•  u'ii.l  Leasts,  an.I  starved  to  the  very  hones,  our  -aunt  and   .irrim  looirs, 

whou  contrasted  with  those  of  the  well-dressed  an<l  well-fed  men  around 

.IN  nia.le  us  all  feel-I  helieve  for  the  Ih-st  time-what  we  really  were,  as 

well  as  what  we  seemed  to  others.     Hut  the  ludicrous  soon  took  the  place 

"I"  all  other    feelin-s;  in   such   a  crowd    and  such  confusion,  all    serious 

thought  was  impossihle,  while  the  new  huoyancy  of  our  spirits   made   us 

al.-M.dantly  willin-  to  he  amused  hy  the  scene  which  now  opene.l.   ICvery 

man    was    hungry,  and   was   to  he  fed ;  all  were  ra-r,,i,  and  were  to  he 

^■lothnl ;  there  was  not  one  to  whom  washin-  was  not  indispensahle,  norone 

whom  his  heard  did  not  .lepriveof  all  human  semhlance.   AU-everythin-, 

too. '  ' 


to  l)e  done  at   once;  it 


was  washin<;,dressiu<r,sl 


iiiteiinini^rjed.      It  was  all  th 


iavm<i,eatm'r.  al 


e  materials  of  each  jumhled    to-eth 


er,   while 


"■/  f  wiiffflff  •'»^' 


|li| 


I 


;   !  J 


■III 


Mil, 
ffi 


111 


34-1 


I/O  NO  Its   I IV  ENGLAND. 


in  the  midst  of  all  there   were   iiUermiiiahle  (jiiestions  to  be   asked  and 

answered  on  both  sides;  the  adventnrcs  of  the  Vietory,  our  own  escapes, 

th,>  politics  of  Enj,^land,  ami  the  news  which    was   now  four   years   old. 

But  all  subsided  into  peace  at  last.      The   sick    were    acconiniodateil,   the 

seamen  disposed  of,  and  all  was  done   for   us    which   care    aiul  kindness 

could  perform.     Night  at  len<,^th  brou<,'ht  quiet  and  serious  thouj^ht,  and 

I  trust  there  was  not  a  man  among  us  who  did    not  then   exjjress   where 

it  was  due,  his  gratitude  for    that   interposition   which  had   raised    us  all 

from  a  despair  which  none  could  now  forget,  and  had   brought   us   from 

the  borders  of  a  most  distant  grave,  to  life,  and    friends,  and   civilization. 

Long  accustomed,  however,  to  a  cold  bed  on  the  hard  snow,  or  the   bare 

rocks,  few  could  sleep  amid  the    comforts  of  our   new  accommodations. 

I  was  myself  compelled  to  leave  the  bed  v/hich  had  been  kindly  assigned 

me,  and  take  my  abode   in  a   chair   for  the  night;  nor   ilid   it  fare    much 

better  with  the  rest.  It  was  for  time  to  reconcile  us  to  this  sudden  change, 

to  break  through  wliat  IkuI  become  habit,  and  to  inure  us   once    more  to 

the  usages  of  our  former  days." 

The   Isabella  prosecuted    her    fishing   for  five  weeks  longer,  and  did 
not  set  out  on  her   return    until  the  30th  of  September.     They  made  the 
Orkneys  on  the  i.'th,  and  Hull  on   the  18th  of  October,  where  the  free- 
dom of  the  city  was  bestowed  on  Capt.    Ross,  and  be  and   bis  men  were 
entertained  at  the  jjublic  expense.      On  the  i<)th  he  set  out  for  London  to 
report  to  the  admiralty,  and   was  soon  presented  to  the  king  at  Windsor. 
London,  Liverpool,  and  Bristol  Jollowed  the  example  of  Hull  in  bestow- 
ing the  freedom  of  tiie  respective  cities  on  Capt.  Ross.      The  officers  and 
men   receixed  the  customary    double  pay  allowed   to  Arctic  explorers,  up 
to  the  dale  of  abandoning  the  shij),  and  the  regular  pay  thereafter.      I?y 
a    vote  of  parliament  in    1S34,  Capt.    Ross  received  a    grant  of  $^:;,o(XJ, 
and  was  raised  ])y  the  king  to  the  dignity  of  a  Knigiit  Companion  of  ihe 
I?ath.     Other  honoiv,  followed  from   various  quarters,  foreign  and  domes- 
tic, and    in   1S35    he  published   "Residence  in  Arctic    Regions,"  -tc.,— an 
account  of  his  second  voyage.      In    1851    he  was   created    a    rear-admiral, 
and   (lied    in    1856.      James   C.   Ross  was   raised   from    the  rank  of  com- 
mander ;o  thai  of  captain,  and   was  ^oon  after   engaged  in  the   magnetic 


M-'l 


AJV  ANTARCTIC  EXPEDITION,  345 

sn,^y  of  Great  Britain  an.l  L-dan.!.  ,n  .836  he  .nacie  a  v..va,e  to 
15aft„  s  Lay  ,„.  the  .eiieCof  .he  rn,.e>.  whalers  ,.f  that  yearra.ui  in 
.S,S9-4,?  was  n,  command  of  an  Antaretie  expUition,  in  whieh  he  reached 
-^'^'■>  <"-'  'Hnuh-ed  -.n.X  sixty  miles  of  the  Soutl,  Maf^netie  Pole,  an.l  on 
the  return  from  whieh  he  receive.!  the  honor  of  kni.^hthood.  In  iS^,  he 
puhhshed  his  uVoyaije  of  Discovery  in  Southern  Seas,  .839.43"  H, 
u-di  aj^ain  con,e  hefbre  the  reader  as  one  of  the  searchers  A.r  Sir  John 
Franklin,  in  1848.  ^ 


i  %  ■ 


SJl 


CIIAPTKR    \\XIX. 


,^i.-V 


PACK  S    AIUTR-    JOUHNKY  — I.KAVKS    I.IVKUPOOI KOKT    IIKSOLHTION— - 

(;UKAT  KISII  inV|.;il_AN  AKlTIf  HKSII)KNt|.:-^AKAITlll()_A 
SI.ICmMC-lomtNKY  —  I'ASSIN(;  HAIMDS  —  iAI'K  IUIIIAUDSON  — 
VOVAl.K  I\  TIIK  TKItKOU— TIIK  Ti:KKOU  NUM'Kl)  IN  TIIK  Ic  i;  — 
IMI'ltlSONKD— A  MASQUKUADli  — INCKKASK  OK  I.K  AK  Aii  K  —  FH  KK 
AlJAIN. 

When  Ross  had  been  jroiir  three  years  on  his  second  voya<(e  without 
any  tidin-s  leacliiu-    linjrland,  hi.  coimtrynien    hecame  sohcitous   alx.ul 
his  fate.     Dr.  Riciiardson    first  called  public  attention  to    tlie  matter,  and 
volunteered   his  services.     As  tiie  expedition  of  Ross  was  not  under  -ov- 
cnunent  auspices,  a    sullklent  justification  of  the  expense  to  be   incurred 
would   be  found  in     he  proposed    survey  of  a  portion  of  the    unexplored 
coast  of  North  America.      His  project  was   to  strike   out    from    Hudson's 
Bay   by  the  northwestern    route    to    Coronation    (nilf,  where  he  was    to 
connnence  his   search  for   the  missuijr   ship,  proceedino-  in    an  easterly  di- 
rection   to  Melville    PiMiinsula,  thus  completing,-  the  survey  from  the  Re- 
turn   Reef  of  Franklin,  to   the  iMuy   and    Ilecla  Strait,  of   I'arrv.      'j^ie 
proposition  was  favorably  received  by  the  authorities,  but  n..    action    was 
taken,  tlie  ministry  nf  that  i)eriod  beint,-  too  much  pre-oci'upied  with   the 
intense  political  activities  which  then  prevailed  in  En<,dand. 

In  November,  I. S32,  a  public  meetin,i,r  was  called  at  London,  to  set 
on  foot  a  pojndar  subscription  to  lit  out  a  private  exnedition  for  the  re- 
lief  of  Ross.  Twenty  thousand  dollars  were  thus  raised,  to  which  the 
,<,mvernment,  at  the  sujrj,restion  of  Lord  Goderich  -afterward  ICarl  ol 
Ripon,  at  the  time  colonial  Secietary  of  State— added  ten  thousand. 
Capt.  Hack,  who,  it  will  be  remend)ere(',  .lad  already  made  two.,\er- 
land  journeys  to  the  coast  of  North  America  in  company  with  l■^•ald^lin 
and    Kichanlson,  oOered    his    services,   which    weri'   pr<>mpt!v   acrepted. 

346 


/^v 


I^EFT  LIVERPOOL.  .,47 

IIcMU  once  set  about  his   p.-eparatio,.s,  and  to  n.cilita..  ,hc  cxccutio,,  of 
iHs  plans,  In-  was  formally  commission^  hy  the  Ihulson's  HayCon.pany, 
-.    ,vcc.v.cl  instructions  f^-o...  ,1,.  ..lonial  oHicc.     Accompanied  l.y  I),-. 
<-••'•"•;'  K.n.  as  naturalist,  and  .hrcc-    nu.  wh,.    ha.l  l.ccn  with  hin.  and 
I'-ankhn  n.  ,8.5,  Mack  left  Liverpool  f..,-  N,w  ^'ork  on  .he  .7th  of  Feb- 
••->-y.  .83,^,  arriving  in   safety  hy  one  of  ,he  regular  packet  ships  ailer  a 
^'<;nny   voya...  of  thirty-ilve    days.      Procecdin,.   to    Montreal,  he   was 
.;..M.cd    1^  tbnr   volunteers   Horn   the    royal   artillery,  and    en.a^ed    some 
!•  rench  Canadians  as  boatmen  an<i  porters.     Th.y  set  out  in   two  canoes 
•'•'    the   .5th  of  April,  an,l    lost   .wo  men    by  desertion  on    the   Ottawa 
K.ver.    '^-chin,.  Norway  II,n.se,  a  post  of  the  Hudson  Hay  Company,  at 
the  northern  extremity  of  Lake  Winnipf.,.,  H.ck  nnule  his  llnal  prepar.- 
..ons  andset  out  from    that   point   on  the  3,Sth  of  Jm,e,  .0  continue  the 
--■-■'-"I  trip  to  the    northwest.      A.    l'i„e    P,,,,.,  ,,,  ,,,,   ,, ,- ,^,,,  ,,^.  ^,_^ 
employe  of  the    Hudson    Hay  Con.pany,  .leputed    bv    ( lov.  Simpson'  for 
"-  l-pose.      His   nan.e  was  A.  R.  McLeo.l,  and    he  had   jus.  returned 
no.H  Ihc   AL.cKen.ie    River  with  a  valuable  car^.,  of  fu,..     He  was  ac- 
-.npanie<l  by  his   wi,b,  three  chihlren   and  a  servant,  all  of  whom   were 
--  .1"--'  to    Hack's   party.      They   arrived   at  Ft.  Chipewvan,  on    the 
western  end  of  Lake  Athabasca,  the  3oth  of  July;  an.l  at  Ft.  Resolution, 
"H  (Meat  Slave  Lake,  the  Sth  of  Auj^ust.     Hack  thus  describes  his  imn,e- 
diate  siuToundn.-s  in  camp  at  Ft.  Resolution: 

"At  n,y  feet  was  a  rolle.l  bundle  in  oil-cloth,  containin-.^  some  three 
M-nkets,  called  a  bed;  near  it  a  piece  of  ,lried  bullalo,  fancifullv  or- 
-neu.cd  with  lon^  black  hairs,  which  no  art,  alas!  can  prevent  h-om 
.ns.nuatin,,^  themselves  between  the  teetl>,  as  von  laboriously  masticate 
tl-  .ou,h,hanl  ilesh;  .1,.,,  a  tolerably  clean  napkin,  spread  by  wav  of 
•'''''-'""•' "-"-1  piece  of  canvas,  au.I  supporting  a  teapot,  soniel-is- 
cmts,an<l  a  sah-cellar;  near  this  a  tin  plate:  close  bv  a  square  kind  of 
iH.x  or  sa.e  of  the  sam.  .material,  rich  with  a  pale,  <,reasy  hair,  tiie  pro.l- 
uco  o,  tlK.  colony  at  K..\  River;  an,l  the  last,  the  tar  renowned  pcMiuni- 
c-an,  ,nu,uestionably  the  best   food  of  tiie  country  for  such  expeditions  as 


ours. 


P.el 


^\\\d    me  were  two    boxes 


and  a  m  xiani  iviiiir  on  il 


containniLC  astronomical  instrument^ 


I 


le  .<(round,  while  the  did'erent 


coi-ners  of  the  tent 


i 


fll 


111 


|{  S ;  i 


I 


lU 


M8 


/1 7'  I\nir  HESOLUriON. 


were  occupied  I.y  a  washing  apparatus,  a  <^m\,  an  Iiulian  shot-pouch, 
l)a},'s,  basins,  and  an  unhappy  Icokin;,'  japanned  p.it,  whose  melancholy 
bumps  and  hollows  seemed  to  rejjroach  me  for  many  a  bruise  endined 
upon  the  rocks  and  porta<,'cs  between  Montreal  and  Lake  Wiimipefr. 
Nor  were  my  crew  less  motley  than  the  furniture  of  the  tent.  It  in- 
sisted of  an  Kni^rjishman,  a  man  from  Stornaway,  two  Canadians,  two 
metifs  or  half-breeds,  and  three  Iroquois  Indians.  Habel  could  not  have 
produced  a  worse  confusion  of  inharmonious  sounils  I  ban  was  the  con- 
versation they  kept  uj)." 

Here  Back   separated  from   McLeod  and  his  family,  five  of  his  men 
bciii;r  detailed  to  accompany  them,  while   with  the  other  foin-  he  pushed 
forward  to  the  northeast   in  search  of  the  upper  waters  of  the  Thiew-ee- 
Choh,  or  Great  Fish   River  of  the  North.     On  Au-.  ly  they  be-an  the 
ascent  of  the  series  of  rapids  and  waterfalls  which  form  the  Hoar  Frost 
River;  and  on  the  27th— after  eight  days  of  weary  stru-jrie  with  forests, 
swamps,  portaj;es,  streams,   lakelets,   rapids,  aid   cascades— Hack,  from 
the  summit  of  a  hill,  saw  to  liie  northeast  the  v.ide  expanse  of  water  now 
known  as  Aylmer   Lalvc.     Scndiufr  forward  three   men  with  a  canoe  (.. 
explore  the   eonnectinj,'   river,  Back    proceeded    to  search    the  vicinity  of 
the   camp,  and   discovered    the   source   of  :iie    oreat    river    he   sou.yht,  in 
Sand  Hill,  now    Sussex    Lake._     The    men  returned  on   the  Jyth,  liaviii- 
reached  Aylmer   Lake  on    the   second  day  out ;    and    Bar'.,  eelehratediiis 
discovery  with  them.     "For   this   occasion,"  i.e  says, '^  I  had   reserved  a 
little   jrrous  and    need    hardly  say  with    what  cheerfulness   it  was  sIkiu,! 
amon<rthe  crew,  whose  welcome  tidin<,rs    Iiad  verified    tiie  notion  of  Dr 
Richardson   and   myself,  and   thus   placed    beyond  doubt  tlie  cxisteiue  of 
the  Thlew-ee-Choh,  or  (ireat   l''isii  River." 

Attemptin>r  t,,  push  on  to  the  river  proper  on  tlie  30th,  thev  found 
the  rapids  of  Musk-ox  Lake  inipracticaiiie  witli  tiicir  present  e(|uipment, 
and  concluded  to  return  to  (ireat  Slavi'  Lake  for  the  winter.  Tlicv 
struck  the  lakes  Clinton-Colden  and  Artillery  on  {\\v  retiuii  trip,  and 
abandoning,'- their  canoe,  set  out  across  the  \\v;^<^c(\  and  broken  eoinilrv 
for  tile  appointed  rendezvous.  Climbing-  over  precipices  aiul  picking- 
their  w.iy  through  gorges  and  laNincs  i-ncuinbered  witli  massi-K  of 


'T.'in- 


AhA/TCIIO. 


aiii 


ilc,  tiK-y   rcaclu-(l   the  exfrcinc   northeast  corner  of  Groat   Slave   Lake 
helore  tl,e   middle   „f  Septeini)er.     Here  they  found    McLcod   and   his 
party  returned;  and  the  framework  of  a  comfortahle  residence  set  up  l.y 
ihcin.      With  the  increased  help,  it  projrresse.l  rapidly;  and  here,  on  the 
■  "111,  tl-  y  were  joined  l.y  Dr.  Kinjr,  with  two  hateaux   laden  with  sup- 
l.lifs.     On  the  5th  of  Novemher   the    house   was   ready    f„r  occupancy, 
.ui.i  they  -ladly  exchanj^ed   their  tents  f„r  its   welcome   shelter.      It   was 
liliy  feet  lon;r  I'v  thirty  wide,  and  was  .livided  into  four  rooms,  besides  a 
central  hall,  where  they  received  their  Indian  visitors.    To  it  was  attached 
a  ;nore  rudely  constrncte.l  kitchen.      It   prove.l  a  very  severe  winter,  th-j 
tlKimonieter   .lescemlin-   to   70  '  I.elow  zero,  an.l    tiiey  were  surrounded 
l.y  starvin-  In.lians,  whom  they  were  hut  little  able  to  assist    from    their 
Innited    stores.       Iluntin-,   their    only    resource,   failed    them,   an.l    they 
luiintc.l  the  camp  of  the  whites  for   tiie  occasional    relief  that   could    he 
^paivd   llu-ni.     "Famine,  with    her    -aunt  and    bony    arm,"  says    Back, 
••  piesse.l  them  at   every  turn,  withered  their  ener-ies,  an.l  strewed  them' 
i-oM    an.l  lifeless  on  the    bosom   of  the  snow.      Often  .11.1    I    share  my 
own    plate  with  the  children,  whose  helpless  state  and  piteous  cries  were 
[Kvuliarly  .listressin-;  compassion  for  the  full  -n.wn  may  ..r  may  not  be 
IMI,  but  that  heart   must  be  cased   in   steel  which  is   insensible   to"  the  cry 
111'  a  rhil.l  foi-  food." 

Akaitcho,  an  Indian  chief  of  the  rejrion  near  Artillery  Lake,  now 
opportunely  ma.le  his  appearance  at  F.,rt  Reliance,  the  abode  of  Mack 
.ni^l  Iiis  party,  with  supplies  of  fresh  provisions,  which  enabled  them 
to  -ive  some  aid  to  the  starvin-  Indians.  They  ..Iso  reduced  their 
own  allowance,  the  otHcers  contenting  themselves  with  half  a  pound  of 
pciuinican  per  .lay.  The  cold  grew  more  intense,  and  the  hunters  could 
scarcely  handle  their  weapons.  It  was  found  necessary  to  wrap  the 
triggers  in  leather  thongs,  the  pains  arising  from  the  touch  of  cold  steel 
were  s..  excruciating.  "  Such,  indeed,  was  the  abstraction  .,f  heat,"  says 
n.ick,"  that  with  eight  large  logs  of  dry  wood  on  the  tire,  I  could  not 
get  the  thermometer  higher  than  12"  below  zero.  Ink  and  paint  froze. 
The  sextant  boxes  and   cases  of  seasoned   wood,  principally  fir,  all  snlit. 


Th 


e  skin  of  tiie  hands  bee; 


uue  drv,  cracked,  and 


spli 
Oldened   into    unsightly 


..11.  .^.  . 


ill 


I 


850 


NEWS   OF  JiUSS. 


J?ashes,  which  wc  were  (,hli<.e.l  to  anoint  with  grease.  On  one  occasion, 
alter  washin-  my  face  within  tiiree  feet  of  the  Hre,  niv  iiair  was  actually 
clotted  with  ice  before  I  liad  time  to  ch-y  it."  The  whites  were  now 
themselves  in  <Ian-er  <,f  perishing,  their  hunters  hcin-  unable  to  replen- 
ish their  fast-dwindlin-  stores;  I„-t  Akaitcho,  with  his  more  iiardy  ,-,nd 
experienced  Indians,  succeeded  in  procuring  considerable  game,  which 
he  freely  shared  with  the  strangers.  "The  great  chief  trusts  in  u.s,"  bo 
sai<l,  uand  it  is  better  that  ten  Indians  shouhl  perish,  than  that  one  wiiite 
man  should  perish  through  our  negligence  and  breach  (,t  faith." 

On   the  .4th  of  February,  iS,:;,.,  McLeod   removed  his  famiiv  nearer 
to  the  Indian  hunting  grounds  in  the  hope  of  being  better  able  to  supply 


KITCHEN  AT  FORT  KtUANCE. 

their  wants.     Six  of  the  natives  near   his   new   camp   died   of  st.uvation, 
and  his  party  were  for  a  time  in   some  danger  of  meeting  the  same  fate.' 
On    the  25th  of  April  a  messenger   arrived   at    1<  ort  Reliance,  to   inform 
Hack  of  the  arrival   m  lingland,  <.f  Capt.  Ross  an<I   the  survivors  of  his 
party.      "In   the    fullness   of  our   hearts    we   assembled    together,"    .says 
JJack,  "and    humbly  ofFered  up   our  thanks  to  tnat  merciful    I'rov'idenee, 
who,  in  the  beautiful  language  of  Scripture,  hath  sai.l:     ^Mine  own  will 
I  bring   again,    as    [    did   sometime    from    the    deeps   of  the  sea.'      The 
thoughts  of  so  wonderful  a  i)rescrvation  ovcrpowere.l  for  a  time  the  com- 
mon occurrences  of  life.      We  had  j.ist  sat  down  to  breakfast,  but  om-  ap- 
petite was  gone,  and  the  day  was  passed  in  a.  feverish  state  <>f  excitement." 


A   SLEDGE  yOURNET. 


Back,  however,  did  not   relax  in  his    preparations  for   explorin.^^  the 
(ir...t     Fish  River,  to  which  he    could  devote  himself  with   the  kj  dis- 
irac-tion,  now  tliat  he  was   relieved  fro.n   all    apprehension    ahout   Ross, 
ilavin,!,^    sent   McLeo.l  .n<l  his    party  ahea.l  to   hnnt,  with  instructions  to 
n.al..   deposits    of  provisions    at    proper    intervals,    and    havin-    hnried 
al    Fort   Reliance    such  stores   as   they  desired    to  take   along,  Back  set 
out  on    the  7th  of  June,  accon^xinied   hy   Dr.  King,  four  attendants,  and 
an  In.lian  guide.      At  Artillery   Lake  he  found  the    hoat  builders  he   had 
di.patclied  in  advance,  and   the  boats  they  had  constructed.     Taking  the 
host  of  these,  lie  fitted  it  with  runners    after  the  niau.ier  of  Parry's  boats 
in  .Sj;.      They  took   a  fresh  start  on  the  14th,  with  six  dogs  attacked  to 
li,e  boat-sle.lge,  but  encountering  severe    snowstorms  and  strong  winds, 
I  heir  progress  was  slow.     0>i    the  33d  they  found  one  of  McLeod's  de- 
ports containing  a  supply  of  deer  and  musk-ox  flesh,  and  two  days  later, 
a  second-in  all,  eleven  animals.     To  overcome  the  squeamishness  of  the 
men,  P.ack  ordered  that  his    own  rations  and  those  of  the  officers,  sho.ild 
comprise  a  due  share  of  the  objectionable  musk-ox    flesh,  and   impressed 
upon   them    tlie  necessity  of  combating  their  prejudices,    and  using  with 
thankfulness  such  food  as  the  country  supplied. 

,     Keaciiing  Sand  Hill  Lake  on  the  37th,    they  found    McLeod's  party 
encamped  there;  and  the    next  day,  after  a  short  portage  of  only  a  ip.ar- 
tcTofa  mile,  the  boat    was  launched    (m   the   upper  -vaters  of  the  Great 
iMsh   River.     They  soon  reached  Back's  limit  of  the  preceding  year,  and 
haNing  successfully  accomplished  the  long  portage  of  four  miles  beyond, 
iiaek   made  his  llnal  dispositions  before   proceeding  to  descend  the  river.' 
lie  .lireeted  MeLeod   with  ten  men  and    fourteen  dogs  to   return  to  Fort 
i^'solution   to   take  charge  of  the  supplies  to  be   forwarded  to  that    point 
U    the  Hudson's  Bay   Company;  to  select    a  permanent  fishing  station, 
and  erect  a  suitable   buil.ling;  and  to    return  by  the  middle  of  September 
t-  the  (ireat  Fish  River  to  aflford  such  assistance  as  might  lie  required  by 
the  exploring  partv  on  its  return  fnim   the  north.      The    earpeuters,   with 
a:.  InH,,u,is  gui.le,  were  sent  a  day  or  two  later  to  join  McLeod;  a'n.l   on 
the  Sih  of  July  Back,  accompanie.l  by  ten  persons,  took  his  departure  in 
the  hoat,  with  3,360  pouiuls  of  provisions  for  the  round  trip. 


I 


r 


1 


r 


853 


PASSING  RAPIDS. 


Now    began  a  series  of  remarkable  feats  of  dexterity  and  courage. 
Rapid  after  rapid  had  to  be  passed,  always  with  elements  of  danger,  and 
often  bristling  with  chances  of  disaster.     For  about  a  hundred  miles  they 
had  the   exciting   alternations  of  cascades  and  rapids  in  quick  succession. 
In  many  of  these  a  slight  miscalculation,  or  what  in  other  circumstances 
would  be  a  trifling   negligence,  would   h.ive   proved    fatal;  but   the   skill 
and  quick  dexterity  of  tlie    men    was   never   at   faidt,  and    the   boat  was 
safely  guided  through   the   most   precipitous   rapids.      Sometimes   it  was 
necessary  to  unload  her,  am!  carry  the  provisions  ahead   to    be  again  put 
aboard  as  soon  as  the  plunge  was  successfully  made.    At  one  time,  wliere 
the  river  trends  to  the  south,  it  seemed  as  if  it  woukl  conduct  them  to 
Chesterfield  Inlet   and   Hudson's    Hay,  but  soon   it    again    turned   to   tiie 
north,  and  there  remained   no  doubt   that  it  was   the    Great    Fisii   River. 
After  a  time  they  reached  the  wide  expansions  which  IJack  successively 
named  Lakes  Felly,  Garry,  Macdougall  and    Franklin.     On  the  28th  of 
July  they  fell    in  with   a  tribe  of  thirty-five   Esquimaux,  who   proved  of 
great  service  to  them  in  making  the   last   long  portage,  worn  out  as  they 
were  by  their  previous   labors.      Hack  descried  in  the   distance   the  head- 
land at  the  mouth,  which   he  named  Victoria,  and  concluded  that  he  had 
at  length  reached  the  estuary    of  the  river. 

"This,  then,"  says    he,   "may    be  considered   as    the   mouth   of  the 
Thlew-ee-Choh,  which,  after  a  violent  antl   tortuous   course  of  530  geo- 
graphical miles,  running  through  an  iron-ribbed  country,  witliout  a  single 
tree  on  the  whole  line  of  its  banks,  expanding  into  ^wc  large  lakes,  with 
clear  iiorizon,  most  embarrassing  to  the  navigator,  and   broken  into  falls, 
cascades  and  rapids,  to  the  numl)er  of  eighty-tiiree  in  the  whole,  pours  its 
water  into  the   Polar   Sea,  in  latitmle  67"   i  i  '   N.,  and   longitude  9 4  '  ,^0' 
W.,  tliat  is  to  .^ay,  about  thirty-seven  miles  more  south  than  tiie  Copper- 
mine   River,   and    nineteen     miles    more    south    than    Hack's    River    (of 
Franklin),   at    the   lower   extremity  of    Hathurst's    Inlet,"   which    opens 
south  from^  Coronation  Gulf.      Ptishing   forward  along  tlie  eastern  shore 
of  the   estuary   with    great   dilliculty,    without    lire,  and    alm<.st   witliout 
water,  in   cold,  foggy  weather,  tramping   through    slush  and  snow,  they 

reached,  in   ten  days,  68'  i^'   k""  h\-  a\"  -S'    1"    .^-1-.;--!-.   P  ■ -i-  \    \    \ 

'  j^   '  "-'     M     3/      'O   y4     O'^     i    ,%vnit_n   l>ack  eonelucied 


VOrAG£:  IN   THE   TERHOli.  353 

to  .nake  the  lin.it  of  his  exploration.     Across  the   estuary  to  the  north- 
v.est  he  saw  a  headland  at  68"  46'  by  ,6°  30',  he  „a..ed  Cape  Richard- 
son   havn,.  before  nan.cd  Capes  JJeaufort  and   Hay  on  the  eastern  side 
I  ...nun,,  nve    weeks    were    cons„n.ed    in    ascendin,   the   river   to 
band  Ildl  Lake,  where  they  arrived  Sept.  .6,  an<l  fonnd  McLeod  await- 
|n.  then,  wuh  n.uch  needed   supplies,  as  n.any  of  their  provision  depots 
ad  been  niled  by  the  volves.     Q,  the    .4th  they  fell  in  with   son.e  In- 
<  -as,  and    soon  after   abandoned   their  boat   because  of  the  dilliculty  of 
the   ascent,  taking,   their  provisions   on   their    ],acks,  about  seventyl-e 
pounds  to  each.     On   the  37th  they  reached  their  old  cjuartcrs  at  Ft    Re- 
l.nnce,  ^^  truly  ^rateful  for  the  nnunlbld   n.ercies  they  had   experienced  in 
.he  course  ot    their   Ion,,  and  perilous  journey,"  after   an  ai.ence  of   .  .  . 
.lays  on  the  part  of  JJack  and  his  in.mediate  attendants.    All  but  six  were 
sot   w.th   McLeod   to  the   fishin<,   station   he  had  selected,  and    Parry's 
s.nall  party  settled  A,r  the   winter,  the  monotony  of  which  was  relieved 
l>y  lunun,,.  an.l  occasional  visits  from  Akaitcho  and  other  Indians 

On  the    3.stof   March,  1S35,  loavin.    Dr.  Kin^  with    instructions  to 
proceed    to    York    Factory,    on    Hudson  Hay,    when   the  season   opened 
.here  to  take  ship  for   England  with  his  companions,  i3ack  set  out  to  re^ 
trace  the  <werland  route   to   Canada.      He    visited    McLeod  and   party  at 
the  l.shery,  and   arrival    at   Norway  House,  on   Lake  Winnipc,  on    the 
-'.flh.      Here    h,s    accounts   with  the    Hudson's   Hay   Company  were    ad- 
justed, an<l    he    pushed  forward    throuoh  Canada  to  New  YoH.,  whence 
he   sa.led   to   Ln.dand,  arrivin,^  a,    Liverpool    on   the  Sth  of  September 
.N35,  alter  an  absence  of  t^vo  years  and  seven  months,  less  nine  davs        V 
-nth  later  Dr.  Ivinj,  and  the  others  of  the  party  arrived  in  I^n.-huul  by 
one  oi  the  Hudson's  IJay  Con.pany's  ships.      Hack  was  awarded  the  ...Id 
uicdal  ot    the  Koyal  (Geographical   Society,  and  promoted  to  the  ra,>i  of 
post-captain  in   the  navy.     The  river  he  discovered  wa.  alterward  called 
by  h,s  name,  without,  however,  entuvly  losing  its  older  designation. 
BACK'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  TERROR. 
At  the  instigat.on  of  the    Royal    Geographical   Societv,  Capt.  Back 
undertook  a  voyage   of  exploration,  or  survey,  mainly  to  supply  some 


;  J 


flff^;- 


854 


NIPPED   IX   THE  ICE. 


t  \: 


mis^illo  links  in  the  chain  of  former  discoveries  ip  North  America.  He 
was  to  malcc  for  \\Aagor  River  or  Repulse  Bay,  as  mij,'ht  be  found  most 
practicable;  and  thence  to  dispatch  exploring-  parties  to  reach  Franklin's 
Point  Turna,<jain  to  the  northwest,  and  Parry's  Fury  and  Ilccla  Strait 
to  the  north,  along  the  western  coast  of  Melville  Peninsula. 

The  Terror   wa"    made  ready  for   sea  with   the  proper  equipment  of 
men  and  supplies,  and  in   nine   months    after  his   return    Hack  set  sail  for 
the  northwest  on  the  14th  of  June,  1836.     About  the  ist  of  Au-nst  they 
encountered  the  ice  in  Davis'  Strait— Back  noticed  one  icel)er-  u  th^,  j,^,,.. 
pendicular  face  of  which  was  not  less  than  300  feet  hic^h  "— and  soon  be- 
came entangled  in  the  ice-floe.     Pushing  through  Hudson's  Strait,  tiiey 
reached    Salisbury  Islan  1   on   the    14th  of  August,  and  made   across  the 
lower  portion  of  Fox's    Ciiannel,  for  the  Frozen   Strait,  on  tiu-ir  way  to 
Repulse    Bay.     On   the  5th  of  September   they  had   to  force   their   way 
into  open  water,  and    Back  thus  describes  the  scene:    "  The  liglit-iicarted 
fellows  pulled  [the  obstructing  masses  of  ice]  in  unison   to  a   cheerful 
song,  and  laughed  and  joked  with  the  unreflecting  merriment  of  school- 
boys.     Every  now  and  tiien  some  luckless  wight  ])roke  through  the  ice, 
and  phniged  up  to  his    neck;   another,  endeavoring  to  remove  a  piece  of 
ice  by  pushing  against  a  larger  ma^s,  wouKl  set  himself  adrift  with  it,  and 
c\ci-\  such   atlventure  was  followed  l)y  shouis  of  laughter  and  vocil'erous 
mirth." 

"  On  the   20th  of  September,  shortly  after  9  o'clock,"    says  Baek,  "  a 
floe  piece  split  in  two,  and  the  extreme    violence  of  the    pressure   ciale.l 
and  crumpled  up  the  windward  ice  in  an  awful  maimer,  forcing  itagain>t 
the  beam  fully  eighteen  feet  high.   The  ship  cracked,  as  it  were,  in  agony, 
and    strong    as    she    was,  must    have    been    crushed    had    not   some    of 
the  smaller  masses    l)een   forced   under   her  bottom,   and  so   diminished 
the  strain  by  actually  lifting   her  bow   nearly   two  feet  out  of  the   water 
In  this  perilous  state  steps  were   taken  to    have  everything    in    readiness 
for  hoisting  out  the  barge;  and,  without  creating   ininecessarv  alarm,  the 
oflicersand  men  were  called  on  tlie  ([uarter-deek,  and  desin.l,  in   ease  of 
emergency,  to  be  active  in  the  performance  of  their  duties  at   tlie   respec- 
tive stations  tlien  notliled  to  them.      It   was  a   serious   monuiit    for  all,  as 


He 

lost 


un  .s 


trait 


It  of 


tor 


lie 


y 


|)LT- 


OL'- 


IK'V 

ihv 


to 


av 


nul 


n>t 


oiiv, 


as 


355 


I 


856 


IMPRISONED. 


the  pressure  still  continued,  nor  could  we  expect  much  if  any  al)ateincnt 
until  the  wind  chany^ed."  The  next  day,  after  beinj^  more  than  twenty- 
four  hours  in  iinminent  peril  of  bein<j  crushed  by  the  pressure,  "  One 
mass  of  ponderous  dimensions  burst  from  its  imprisonment  below,"  and 
the  staunch  Terror,  "  after  several  astounding  thumps  untier  water," 
regained  iier  upright  position,  substantially  uninjured.  They  had  now 
been  a  month  beset,  and  had  concluded  to  cut  an  ice-dock  for  the  ship, 
when  the  ice-continent  began  to  break  up  into  detached  masses  and  hum- 
mocks. For  several  days  the  ship  was  out  of  position,  with  her  stern 
seven  feet  and  a  half  too  high,  her  bow  correspondingly  low,  and 
her  deck  a  slippery  inclined  plane.  On  the  first  of  October  the  vessel 
righted,  with  a  snug  dock,  just  her  size,  ready  made  by  tiie  ice-kiiig. 
They  now  i^roceeded  to  surround  the  ship  with  snow-walls,  and  to  erect 
an  observatory  on  the  floe,  thus  extemporizing  winter  quarters. 

On  the  33d  a  masquerade  party  was  held  on  lioard,  and  theatrical 
entertainments  followed,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  heterogeneous  crew. 
A  few  of  these  were  men-of-war's  men;  half  a  dozen,  perhaps,  had  seen 
service  in  Greenland  vessels;  and  the  bulk  of  the  remainder,  seanuii 
only  in  name,  had  served  in  the  coasting  colliers  of  England.  \\\(\.  so 
the  winter  wore  away  with  tiie  Terror  "securely  locked  in  the  ice,  but 
with  no  guaranty  against  sudden  and  dangerous  surprises,  while  she 
helplessly  driited — slowly  or  rapidly,  according  to  circumstances — liither 
and  thither,  under  the  iutluence  of  the  wind  and  the  movement  of  the 
surrounding  ice.  Christmas  came  and  went;  the  first  of  Januarv,  1S37, 
followed;  January  gave  way  to  February,  and  there  was  vet  no  change. 
As  the  19th  of  that  month  passed  the  dividing  line  into  the  ^oth,  a 
new  danger  arose.  For  three  hours  after  midnight,  the  ice  alteniatelv 
opened  and  shut,  threatening  to  crush  the  stoutly-built  Terror,  like  an 
egg-shell.  At  4  o'clock  great  fissures  appeared,  and  the  ice  began  to 
move.  After  eight  it  grew  more  quiet,  and  at  nine  Back  summoned  the 
men  to  the  quarter-deck  to  give  them  such  exhortations  and  advice  as 
the  occasion  required.  He  reminded  them  that  as  British  seamen  they 
were  called  upon  to  conduct  themselves  with  coolness  and  fortitude,  and 
that,  independently  of  the  obligations  imposed  by  the   Articles  of  War, 


A    CRITICAL    HOUR  357 

every  one  ou-ht  to  he  influenced  by  tlie  still  higher  nature  ol  a  eonscien- 
tious  desire  to  do  his  duty.  They  were  Ave  to  eight  miles  'mm  the  north 
coastofSouthampt..n  Island.  Extra  clothing  was  dealt  to  the  me.i;i 
bales  of  blankets,  bear-skins,  provisions  and  fuel  Nvere  pilc.l  on  deck,  to' 
Ik-  in  muliness  at  a  moment's  notice.  At  noon  the  floe  began  to  drift  to 
tlK.  north.  "  Though  T  h.-.d  seen,"  says  Mack,  '•  vast  bodied  of  ice  from 
Spitsbergen  to  150''  west  longitude,  under  various  aspects,  some  beauti- 
ful, and  all  more  or  less  awe-inspirin^  I  had  never  witnessed,  nor  even 
imagine.l,  anything  so  fearfully  magnificent  as  the  moving  towers  and 
ramparts  that  now  frowned  on  every  side.' 

For   three   hours  the   ship  remained    unmolested,  except   by  the  usual 
pressure  of  the  ice;  but  at  5    o'clock    an    extra    nip    was    received    by   the 
opening  and    shutting   of  the    floe  in  which  she    ^vas  ,,  n,bedde<l,  and  an- 
other an  hour   later  seeme.l  to    make  every  plank  groan  in   agony,  while 
she  was  lifted  up  eighteen   inches.     A   similar    squeeze    was  experienced 
at  seven  from  the  closing   of  a   narrow    lane   astern;   an<l   tlun    for   nine 
ho.us  there    was    quiet.      A    movement  of  the    ice    at   4  o'clock    released 
the  ship,  an.l  she  nxle  once  more  in  the   water,  only  to  be  again  lifted,  an 
hour   later,    eighteen   inches   as   before.     At  intervals,  there   was   a  jerk 
from  the  ice    imderneath,  and    a  squeak   from  the  ship's   timbers,  but    no 
iniix.rtant  change  till   the  15th  of  March.     Back   thus  records  what  then 
happene<l:     "While   we  were   gliding  quickly   along  the  land-which   I 
uiav  here   remark  had    become  more  broken   and  rocky,  though   without 
attaining  an  altitude  of  more  than   perhaps  one  hundrJd  to  two   hundred 
feet-Mt  .  =45  ,..  M.,  without  the  least  warning,  a   heavy  rush  came    upo.i 
the  ship,  and  with    a  tremendous   pressure  on  the  larboard    quarter,  ])ore 
her  over  upon  the  heavy  mass  on  her  starboard  quarter.      The  strain  was 
severe  in  exx-ry  part,  though  fro.n  the  forecastle  she  appeared  to  be  mov- 
ing   in  the  easiest  manner    towanl    the  land  ice.      Suddenlv,  however,  a 
loud  crack  was  heard   below  the  mainmast,  as  if  the  keel  were  broken  or 
carried   away ;  and    simultaneously  the   -niter  stern-post  from  the   ten-foot 
■nark   was  split  down  to  an    unknown   extent,  and  projected  to  the   lar- 
l"'ard  side  upward  of  three  feet.     The  ship  was  thrown  up  by  the  stem 
to  the  seven  and  a  half  feet  mark;  and  that  da.nage    had  been  done   was' 


Ilil 


'•■ii'      i. 


m 


li 


P-':t 


808 


liELEASE. 


soon   placed    beyond    doiilit    hy    llio     increase   of   l<-ik;i,<,'e,    which     n(.\v 
amounted   to  three  feet   per  hour." 

Extra     pumps    were     worked;     and     tlie     cutters    with   two   whale- 
boats    were    loaded   and    hauled    oil'  to   places  of  >rreater    security.      An 
ever-increasin<,r    rush    he<,'an    about    S    o'clock;     and    at    10:1:5    it    cann- 
on   with  a  roar   toward   ihe   slii)),  upturnin'^  the   ice   in   front,  and    rollin^■ 
layer   upon    layer   to   a    heij^ht    of    twenty-live   feet.      This    hu<,'e    mass 
was  pushed  forward  until  it  reached  the  stern,  where  it   stopped,  Inn-lin-f 
however,  a    considerable   fraj^ment   on    the   larboard   quarter,   creatiniL,^  a 
temporary    leakajj^e   by   the  strainin<^  of  the  stern.      Two  iiours   later,   a 
similar  rush  with  a  like  consequence  took  place,  with  the  a(klitional  result 
of  lifting  the  ship's  stern,  and  breakinjif  up  their  "cherished  courtyard,  its 
walls  and   arched    tloors,   j^allery,   and    well-trodden   paths,   which    wrre 
rent,  and  in  some  parts    jjlou.t,'-hed  tip  like  dust.      Within  fifteen    minutes 
another  sur<rin<,r  mass,   thirty    feet    high,    was    driven    toward    the    star- 
board (piarter,  creating  also   a   temporary   leakage,  but   the    main   body 
falling  short  of  the  ship  as  before.      The  ship  cracked   and  trembled  and 
groaned  violently;  and  the   rushes  continued  at  intervals,  but  with  dimin- 
ished   force  until    4  o'clock  in  the  morniiif^  of  March  16,   when    it  ""-rew 
still.      They  were  only  three   miles  from  a   spit  of  land,  which  was  brist- 
ling vvith  shore  ice  surmounted  by  a   ridge  of  rolled-u[)  ice  perhaps  sixtv 
feet  in  iieight,  and  which  they  named  Point  Terror. 

Now  another  season  of  comparative  rejiose  set  in,  lasting  almost 
three  months,  the  vessel  still  drifting  with  th(  ice-several  hundred  miles 
from  first  to  last-  when,  on  the  1  ith  of  July,  while  the  men  were  occii- 
l)ied  with  the  labor  of  cutting  her  loose,  they  were  startled  by  various 
crackings  and  noises  underneath.  Soon  a  loud  rumbling  was  heard,  and  an 
instant  later  tlie  ship  at  length  floated  free  in  her  natural  element,  ha\ing 
finally  burst  the  icy  bonds  which  held  her  i.ist  nine  months.  l)uring 
four  of  these  sl;e  was  held  out  of  the  water  in  an  ice-cradle,  or  Hoatiiig 
ice-dock;  and  tor  weeks  before  being  frozen  in,  she  was  so  closely  beset 
that  she  may  be  said  to  have  been  imprisoiiid  for  almost  eleven  months 
out  of  the  thirteen  that  had  passed  since  she  left  Englai.,1  They  had 
cut  the  ice  to  within  four  feet  of  the  steni-post  before  she  broke  Ioom  ,  .wvX 


AT  HOME. 


850 


then  slic  was  almost  capsized  l.y  the  upheaval  of  the  loosened  mass  be- 
neath. She  rijrhted  on  the  14th,  l)ut  there  was  nothinjr  k-ft  except  to 
ivturn  to  Encrland,  fortunate  if,  in  her  disabled  condition  she  could  make 
the  voyage.  Calkinj,r,  patchin^r,  and  stannchin<,r  her  .t,^'ipinjr  woimds 
as  best  Ihey  could,  they  sailed  for  home,  relin(iuishin<,'  all  attempt  to  ex- 
tend the  scope  of  jreojrraphical  knowledjre  of  North  America.  The  Ter- 
ror not  only  nia.le  the  voya-c  in  safety,  but  will  be  a-ain  heard  of  in  a 
-croud  encounter  with  Arctic  daimcrs. 


^i:  / 


*  . 


i     U 


m 


f.fti 


CHAPTER    XL. 

PRASK    AXn     SIMPSON    IV    XOKTM     AMI- If  IC  A  —  WINTKR     AT    lOKT     «.0\. 
MDKXCK  — SIIOOTIN(;     KSCAIMC      K  API  P  — C  AI'K      PKM.Y— RICH  M{  p- 

son's    i{i\-i;k  —  moxtukai.    islaxd  — MiDnKXDoin     ix     taimli{ 
PRXiNsui.A  —  nKsc-iixns    the     YKxisra  — sAMovKns  — ih  ntixo 

BUTTKIU-T.IKS  — AltCTIc:      A  X  I  M  ALS— TAIMUU     I.AKK  — I.KKT    AI.ONK 
KAREWELI,    TO    THE    TAIMUK. 

Back's  land  jdiirncy  and   sea  voyage  Icfl  the  lircaks   in  tlic  coast  sur- 
vey of  Nortli  America  unclosed,  and  the  task  of  completin,<,r  the  explora- 
tion was  intrusted  hy  the  Hudson's  Hay  C(»mpany  to  t\,   -of  their  ollirers, 
Peter  Warren  Dease  and  Thomas  Simpson.     At  the  very  time  when  the 
Terror   was   floatin-    helplessly    in   the  ice  of   Frozen    Strai;  and   Fox's 
Channel,  these  overland  explorers,  with  a  company  of  twelve  men,  were 
swiftly  descendin.i,^  the  MacKcnzie,  and  in  July  and  August  of  that  year 
(1837)  they  surveyed  the  146  intervening  miles  between  Franklin's  Re- 
turn Reef  and  the  spot  just  beyond  Point  Barrow,  whence  Elson  returned 
to  the  Blossom    in  1836,  as  stated  in  a   preceding  chapter.     The  groinid 
was  found  frozen  to  a  depth  of  several  inches,  and  the  sprav  froze  on  the 
oars  and    rigging  of  the  boats.     Two  rivers,  the  Garry  and  the  Colville, 
were  discovered.     The  ice-floe  from  the  north  closing  in  to  the  shore  ice, 
they  were  compelled    to  abandon  their  boats,  when    tiic   hardier  of  the 
leaders,  Simpson,  with  some  of  the  more  robust  of  the  men,  pushed  for- 
w.-ird  on  foot,  carrying  their  provisions  on  their  backs,  and  on  the  4th  of 
August   reached    the  goal    already  referred   to.     Thomas    Simpson   was 
well  adapted  to  the  arduous  undertaking,  having  once  performed  tiie  feat 
of  marching  in  mid-winter  from  York  Factory  on  Hudson's  Bay   to  Ft. 
Chipewyan,  on  Lake  Athabasca,  a  distance  of  about  3,000  miles,  with  no 
protection  against  the  cold  but  a  cloth  cloak. 

360 


SHOOTING    TlUi  hWr/DS  381 

They  now  u.t..rnc<l  to  Fort  Confulccc  on  (irc.t  Mcar  Lak.  to  spc-ml 
the  winter,  with  instructions  t<,  .L-vote   thc-nsuintj  ,.,  ,so,    to   cxtcn<!l„.r 
the- survey  from  Fra.,klin's  Point  Tunuj^ain,  of  kS..,i,>  ih,   eastward 
until  th.y  met  Hack's  party  expected  in  that  re-^non,  nvoriand  from  then- 
projected  quarters  at  the  head  .f  Hcpulse  liay  .,r  Wa.L^er  River,  which, 
;is  has  heen  sen,,  they  were  unahle  t<,  reach.     On  the  6ii,  ..f   |i„R-.  ,,S^s' 
ihcN   left  Fort  Contidence,  and  ascended  a  river  whici,  emptied  into  .  .reat 
r>ear  Lake  fnnn  the  north,  and  which  they  named  Dease  River  in  ho.u.r 
ol  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  expechtion.     Makin-  thence  for  the  Copper- 
mine, they  descended  that  river  to  Coronation  (inif,  which  th.      reached 
on  the  1st  of  July,  after  a  dan-crous  passa-e  thnn.-h  the  rapids.     The 
sho<,:in-  throu<,^h    Escape  Rap   1    is  thus  descrii.ed   hy    Simpson:      «A 
,^lan  -e  at  the  overflowing  dilF  told  ns  tha,     here    was  no  alternativ      hut 
to  run  down    u  ith  ,,   full    car-,,,      h.  an  instant  we  were  in  •     •  vortex- 
and  hefore  vo  were      vare,  my  hoat  was  hor.ie  tovvani  an  isou.ed   rock' 
which  the  ho,:„.^r  sur-e  almost     oncealed.      To  clear    it   on   the  outside' 
was  no  \nxv^,v  possihie;  our  only  chance  of  sale.v  was  to  run  lu-tween   it 
a..d  the  lofty  eastern  dim      The  word  was  passed,  and  every  hreath  was 
hushcl.     A  stream  which    dashed  dow,    upon   us  over    the  hn.w  of  the 
prccp.ce,  more  than  a  lumdred  fc.  t   iu  hei.^.ht,   min<,ded    with  the  spray 
that  uhn-lcd  u])ward  from  the  rapid,  formin,t:  a  .crrilic  shower-imth     The 
pass    was  ahout  eight  feet  wide,  and  the  error  of  a  single  f  ,ot  .       cither 
side  would  havc<  heen  instant  destruction.     As,guidc<l  by    Sind-.    V  e.  n 
stnnmatc  skill,  the    boat  shot  safely  through  those  jaws  of  .Icvnu   an  ui- 
vohuua      cheer  arose.     Our  next  impulse  was  -o  turn  ,ound  to  view  the 
fate  of    our  comrades  behind.      Fhey    had  profited  bs    th.     peril  wc  itt- 
currcd,  aiKi  kept  without  the  t  oacherous  rock  in  time." 

Here  they  awaited  the  opening  of  the  ice  until  the  .  7th,  n-hcn  they 
proceclcd  east,  reaching  Cape  Harrow  on  the  29th.  Un,  .  to  cross 
Bathurst  Inlet  because  of  the  ice-pack,  they  pushed  northeast  through 
Arctic  Sound,  doubling  Cape  Flind. -s__6S°  15'  bv  to,/  ..s'-inKc^it 
Penntsula,  on  the  9th  of  August.  Here,  in  a  little  bav,  which  they 
named  Hoat  Haven,  about  three  n.!,  ^lu.t  of  Point  n.nagain,  their 
Hu-ther  progress  was  blocked  l>v  the  ice  ;   and  here  the,     ,aited  in  vain 


Ml 


III 


■>HU 


m  « 


iliu. 


IN 


•' 


IS  :• 


,  1  Sti., 


lli'll 


HMIIt 


862 


Ji/a/AJWSOJV'6  liiVEii. 


for  an  opcnin-  till  the   2<.tl,,  when   Simpson,  with  seven  men   an.l    uro- 
visions  for  ten  .lays,  set  out  ..n  fool.     They  arrived  at  FrankUn's  -limit" 
the  first  .lay,  and  ...,  the   23,!  they  reached  a  hold,  elevated  headlan.l,  ..f 
which   Simpson   says:     "1  ascended  the  hei-ht,  f,,,,,,  whence  a  vas.  an.! 
splendid  prospect   hnrst  sn.ldenly    upon  me.     The   sea,  as  if  Iransfonne.l 
by  enchantment,  rolle.l  its  fierce  waves  at  my  feet,  and  beyond  the  reach 
of  vision  to  the  eastward,  islands  of  various  shape  and  size  .,versprea.l  iu 
surface;  and  the  northern  land  terminated  to   the  eye  in  a  bold  and  lofty 
cape,  bearin-  cast-northeast,  thirty  or   f  ,rty  miles  distant,  u  hile  the  con'- 
tinental  coast  trended  away  southeast.     1  stood,  in  fact,  on  a  remarUahk. 
headland,  at  the  eastern  outlet  of  an  ice-ohstructed  strait.     On  the  exten- 
sive  land  to  the   northward  I   hestovve.l  the   name  of  our  most  -racions 
sovcrei-n,  Queen    Victoria.     Its  eastern  visible  extremity  I  called  Cape 
Pclly,  in  compliment  to  the  -overnor  of  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

Simps.M,  now  retraced  his  steps  to  IJoat  Haven,  which  he  reached  on 
the  30th,  havinjr  surveyed  one  hundred  and  forty  mdes  of  coast-line  to 
the  east  of  Point  Turna-ain.  Preparations  were  rapidly  made  for  the 
return  to  Fort  Confidence,  an.l  they  he-an  the  ascent  of  the  Copper- 
mi.ie  River  on  the  3d  of  September.  Arrivin-  at  tiie  m.)ulli  of  the  Ken- 
dall River,  they  struck  out  across  the  country  to  the  west-lea vin-  the 
boats  until  they  should  need  them  in  tiie  spring-and  reached  their  win- 
ter quarters  on  the  14th. 

SettingoutinJune,iS39,  for  their  third   expedtion,  they  devoted  a 
week  to  exploring  Richardson's  River,  which  enters  Coronation  Gulf  \n 
longitude  115°  56',  and  arrived  at  the  gulf  toward  the  end  of  the  month. 
To  their  great  surprise  and  delight  they  found  it  almost  free  ..f  ice,  and 
pushing  rapidly  east,   they   doui)led   Cape  Barrow  on    the    3d   of  July. 
Reaching  Cape  Franklin,  Simpson's  limit  of  tlie  previous  year,  a  m'uuih 
earlier   than^on   that  occasion,  they  doubled    Cape    Alexander,   at   the 
eastern    entrance  of  Dease's  Strait,    in   latitude  68"   55'    and    lon-iiudc 
106^  45',  on  the  3Sth.      They  now  coasted  the  large  bay  or  gulf  extend- 
ing five  or  six  hundred  miles  to  the  east,  still   unnamed,"  in.til  tlie  lolh  of 
August,  when  they  entered  the  narrow  strait  which  separates  the  conti- 
nent  from   King   William's    Land-now  proved  to   he  an   inland-  and 


MUliDEli   or  S/MPHON, 

which  has  been  named  in  honor  of  the  i-xplorer,  Simpson's  Strait.  On 
Ihf  i.^th  tiiey  passed  Richardson's  Point  and  Point  (J-le,  on  the  estuary 
ol  the-  (iie.t  Fish  River—Uaclv's  limit  in  i.S,vf.  On  the  iT.th,  *till  foilovv- 
iii- the  soiitiiern  trend  ..f  tiie  estuary,  tliey  reaciie.l  Monfreal  Islan.l, 
where  Hack  ha<l  left  a  deposit  of  provisions.  The  pen.miean  was 
r-'ind  i.ndl  for  use,  and  the  ciiocolate  also  for  tiie  most  pari,  l.iil  they 
inaiK.-ed  to  scrape  up  enou^rh  ,„  ,„;,lve  a  kettle  full,  and  picked  up  a  tin 
casr  lui.i  a  few  lish-hooks,  "of  which,"  says  Simpson,  "Mr.  Dease  and  I 
took  possession  as  memorials  of  ,„„•  having'  hreakfasted  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  tent  ..f  our  -allant,  thou-ii  less  successful  precursor,  had  stood 
that  very  day  live  ^  ears  before." 

Still  pushin-  eastward,  tiiey  reached  Alierdeen  Island  four  days  later, 
and  their  li.nit  ou  the  25th.  This  was  near  Cape  Ilerschel,  and  was 
ni.nked  l>y  the  usual  cairn  and  deposit  of  documents.  From  a  monu- 
ment t..p  three  miles  inland  they  .  .held  Boothia  Felix  to  the  north  and 
SOPH,  isla.uls  in  Boothia  Gulf  to  the  east,  and  were  in  fact  on  what  is  now 
known  as  Bootliia  Isthmus,  but  which  for  a  time  was  supposed  to  be  a 
peninsula,  atxi  named  after  Simpson.  They  were  about  ninety  miles 
south  of  the  North  Ma-netic  Pole  as  ascertained  by  Ross  ei-ht  years 
bclure.  Retracing  their  course  a.ul  makin.t,^  a  digression  to  the  t'lorth 
tliion-h  Victoria  Strait  to  explore  the  east  coast  of  Victoria  Land  about 
150  miles,  they  reached  the  Coppermine  on  the  i6th  ..f  September,  and 
Fort  Co.tlulence  on  the  •24th,  after  a  boat  voya-e  of  .,600  miles  and  an 
absence  of  not  ,pnte  four  niunlhs.  Simpson,  the  hero  of  these  expedi- 
tious, did  not  Ion-  survive,  bavin-  been  assassinated  the  ensuin- year, 
Mt  the  early  a-e  of  thirty-six,  by  his  Indian  -uides,  betwee.i  the  head' 
watets  of  the  Red  River  a.,.1  the  Mississippi,  while  on  his  way  to 
England. 

MIDDENDORF  IN  TAIMUR  PENINSULA. 

On  tl-.e  4tb.  of  April,  1S43,  the  academician,  Th.  Von  Middendorf, 
aocompanied  by  a  Danish  forester  tiamed  Brandt,  and  a  sin-le  servant,' 
li:«l  arrived  on  the  Yenisei,  below  Turuchausk— 61 ''  by  90^  V',  oast—' 
with  .:i  commission  from  the   Acadei.iy  of  Sciences   at  St.  Petersbur.4-  to 


:li\^ 


•Mi 


DESCENT  OF  THE   TENISEI. 


cxplo,  the  northernmost  peninsula  of  Asia,  known  as  Taimin-.  Tt  has 
been  stated  in  a  precedinjr  chapter  how  one  of  the  lirothcrs  Laptew  had 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Taimur  River,  in  1741.  It  was  now  deemed 
desirable  in  the  interests  of  science  to  ascertain  the  eflbct  of  summer  in 
the  most  nortiiern  continental  climate  of  the  <j^Iobe.  Middendorf,  an  em- 
nient  naturalist,  volunteered  his  services,  which  were  t^ladlv  accepted. 
He  was  eminently  (lualified  for  the  undertakin.i,^  beini;-  possessed  of -real 
physical  strenj^'th,  manual  dexierity  and  powers  of  endurance,  besides  his 
recognized  intellectual  ability,  untirinj,-  zeal  for  science,  and  indomitable 
determination. 

Descendin-,^  the  ^'enisei  to  the  j^oint  whence  lie  determined  to  strike 
across  the   country,  he  was  joined   by  the  topographer  of  llie  expedition 
and  three  Cossacks,  and  some  native  Tun-usi  o-uides.      These  prelimina- 
ries   were   scarcely   adjusted   when    some    of   the    company    were    taken 
down  witli  the  measles.     A  primitive  amlnilance  was  provided  for  them, 
m  the  shape  of  lioxes  lined  with  skins,  and  placed  on  sledi^a's.      Cleariiio- 
the  forests  on    the  i,>th,  they  struck  tile  open    tundras  with  the  thermom- 
eter 36  '  below  zero.     Pushiui,'  to  the    northeast    they  crossed   (he  Pasina 
River,  and  fallin-  in   with  one  Samoyed  horde  after  another— tiie  tempo- 
rary and  only  residents  of  those  cold  re.i,n()ns_they  reached  Filipowskoi- 
Karonoi.   in    latitude    715',  on    the   P.o-anida,   which  ilows   south    and 
joins  the  Cheta,  an  affluent  of  the  Chatan-a.     This  flows  northeast  to  the 
Polar  Sea,   on  the  eastern  coast  of  the    Taimur  Peninstila,  and    Midden- 
dorf was  anxious  to  reach  it  before  the  meltinLT  "("the  .now.     Here,  how- 
ever, he  was   compelled    to    lialt,  as   all  of  his   party  were    sick  witii   the 
measles.      Makiui,--  an   excursion  to  the    Chatanya  to   start   tlie   necessu'v 
preparations   for   his  voyai,a>  down    that    river,    but  lln<iin-  the    epidenn'c 
prevailing   at   Chatangskoi,  he  (luickly  change<l    his    purpose,  and  deter- 
mined  to   proceed    almost  due    north   for   Taimur   River       Returnin-  to 
Filipowskoi-Koronvi,  he  (piickly  procured  tiie  construction  of  the  frame- 
work of  a   boat  of  twelve    feet   keel,  and   set    out    on    tlie    19th  of   Mav, 
with  the   topographer,  an   interpreter  ::nd  two  Cossacks,  and   sixty-ei-hl 
reindeer,  in   company  witli  some   Samoyeds   who  were   bound   that  way. 
Brandt  and  the  others  were  left  behind,  with  instructions  to  occui)y  tlicm- 


^^ 


SCIENTIFIC  OBSERVATIONS. 


365 


selves,  as  soon  as  able,  with  making  meteorolu«,ncal  observations,  ami  col- 
lections of  the  fanna  and  flora  of  the  country. 

Reaching  the  Novuya  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Taimur,  the  party 
suirered  severely  from  a  terriHc  snowslorni  from  the  37th  to  the  3()th. 
Resuming  tiieir  journey  on  the  31st,  they  made  slow  jM-ogress  over 
the  fresh-fallen  snow,  and  did  not  strike  the  Taimur  until  the  14th  of 
jiuK,  in  lalilude  74^  Middendorf  now  i^itched  his  tents,  and  ],roceeded 
to  complete  his  boat,  which  he  named  the  Tundra,  the  ice  began  to 
break  up  on  the  30th,  and  on  the  5th  of  July  siie  was  launched  by  the 
li-hl  of  the  midnight  sun.  \orth  winds  delayed  his  progress  to  and 
through  Taimur  Lake,  but  beyond  the  increasetl  rapidity  of  the  current, 
hurried  him  on.  On  the  6th  of  August  they  had  the  Hrst  frost,  and  on 
the  24th  they  reached  the  sea,  in  75''  40'. 

The  statement  of  the  eminent  Swiss  naturaliM,  De  Saussure,  that  the 
(lillerence  l>etween  light  and  shade  is  greatest  in  summer  and  in  the 
higher  latitudes,  received  conlirmation  from  the  observations  of  Midden- 
dorf With  Ihc  thermometer  at  37  '  below  zero  in  the  shade,  the  hill- 
sides exposed  to  the  sun  were  dripping  with  wet,  and  toward  the  end  of 
juue,  Willi  the  mean  temperature  below  the  freezing  point  of  water,  the 
snow  had  already  disappeared  from  the  sunny  side  of  the  Taimur.  Tor- 
lVllt^  swept  down  the  hillsides,  and  the  great  rivers  rose  forty  feet  above 
tile  winter  level,  sweeping  the  ice  along  to  the  sea.  On  the  3d  of 
August,  Middendoif,  in  ligju  underclothes  and  barefooted,  hunted  Init- 
icrllie.  iu  latitude  7)  13',  the  thermometer  rose  to  68  \  and  near  the 
ground  to  So  ,  while  at  a  spot  e\i)osed  to  the  iiortlieast  wind  it  fell  to  27'. 
The  moisture  of  tlie  air  was  very  great  ;  iu  May  thick  snow  fogs  ob- 
scuivd  the  atmosphere;  in  June  these  changed  to  vapor  fogs,  which  daily 
turned  to  light,  intermittent  showers,  but  toward  midnight  the  atmos- 
l)heiv  UMially  grew  clear  and  serene.  Contrary  to  Aiago's  opinion,  it 
was  tbund  that  thun.lerstorms  occur  within  the  Arctic,  and  winds  rose 
very  suddenly.  Toward  the  eiul  of  August  the  south  and  lunth  winds 
seemed  to  struggle  awhile  for  the  supremacy,  but  the  north  wind  soon 
gained  the  ascendency.  The  fill  of  snow  is  comparatively  light,  and  for 
the  most  part  is  swept  by  the  licrce  wintls  into  ravines,  and  to  the  great 


IIS 


...r^ 


u,.  i.ihftfifim4AK 


I'\ 

<   ^     .  ,!■ 

i 

t 

i 

'    ^'   .  |- 

'«      '; 

i '  1 

i ' ' 

' 

f 

3P0 


/17V  EPIDEMIC. 


ridt^resofsiiow-diift  which  tV.nn  tlic  tlividin;,'  I 
deling-  Sarnoycds  do   not    pcactnitL-.      Middendorf 
on  the  ttiiuh-a,  toward  the  '.nd  of  wint 
and  in  tlie  lakes  and  rivors  only  four  t 


iiic  ])cyou(l  wiiich  the  wan- 


was   astonislied  to  find 


er,  onl\-  two  t 


<)  SIX  inches  of  snow 


I)  eij^Wit  feet  of  ice,  accordinu"  to  tl 


le 


74 


quantity  of  snow  wi'Ji  which  it  was    covered,  as  far    north  as 
land  was  found  to   c  wsist  of  l)arren  phiteaux,  with  occas 

<cant  \x\iretation   scaicelv  concealc'<l  the    l)oul(i 


T 


le 


hciifhts,  wiiere  tlie 


sand  whicii  formed  the    underl 
)f  th 


lonal  uiKhnatni'. 


ers  and 


VI  n<. 


rust.      A 


lirownisli    ir.oss  is  tlie  ehiel 


coverin-,^  ot   the  sod,  except  wiiere   aloiio-  the    streams  and  in  d 


the 


rrass   <rains   the   ascendency,  and  in  speciallv  fivorahl 


epressioiis 


e    situations  at- 


tains a  'jfrowth  of  three 


e  or  four  iiiclie- 


Ou  tl 


and  river,  Middendorf  found 


le    ])r()tecte(l  slopes  of  hike 


considerahie  patches  of  ^rcen  sward,  will 


1  a 


trooi 


I    ,i;rowth   of  ;j^rass    and    llowers.      If 


one    wislK 


to    see    tl 


'T.l  -■ 


},n-ow,"  he   should  visit  the   Taiinur,  where  the  \n 
prol)ahIy  the   most    rapid    in    the    world.      Thi 


O'TC  •    ol 


vei^^'etatioi 


il*   U 


e    animal*   ifnnid  weir    ti,e 


s  as    111'. 


bume  as  are   encountered  in    hoth  hemisphere 
snow-hares,    foxes,  wolves,    reindeer;    hees,   hornets,   hutterti 
lars  spiders,  flies,    i^niat'^;   .ind   last,  tlion^'-h  not  lea4,  tiie    w, 
j)tarmi<x;ni. 

\otwith>landin,L,^  the    cnerg-y  and  cjuickness  of  M 
mulated    result  of   luimerous  petty  del:i\ -^    was,  that  he    onl 


alitude  7=^   — 


/,■) 


les,  calerpil- 
n-y  ;;-uI!    ami 


uldendorl,  the  accii- 


\-  reached  llie 


T 


limur  at    a  date    when    he   sh 


oirwi 


ave    heeii    on    liis    wa\-  had 


lie 


epidemic  had    iiul  only  struck  1 


lis    own    iinmedial 


e  party,  hut  the  iiiiiahi- 


tants    of   Cliatan-->k,    whence    he    had    oiii,Miially    proposed    to    lak 
([nickel   route  hy  ri\-er,  and    aUo  the  horde  of  Saiiio 
ance  and  aid  he  had    relied.      Deyotiiii;-  a  siii'^'le 
to  the  ')l)-,er\ation  of  the  Polar  S 


(ia\- 


\'e(h,  on   wiiose 
the  JStii  of 


fUK! 


ai''ii4. 


ea,  he  saw  it  fi 


ee  ironi  ice    as  lar  a--  the 


eye  could  reach  from  an  elevated  point  on    the   coast,  and  mi  the  i(\\\\  scl 


out  oii)  his  reluni 


lie  '-reat  distance. 


111'  sa\-: 


Iroiii  aii\   luinian  hah 


italioii,  ihe  rapid    strea  n.  a.Miiist  wJiicli    he  had  imw    Im  loiitei 
ad\aiice(l  sca-oii,  with    iN    appioai'liiiii; dark    ni^lil  -  and    |V<>-!- 


1(1,  ami 


made  iiiir 


return  an  imperative  nece'>>il\ 


and 


coil 


Id  1 


law  lui 


t   litll 


e  reliaiici'  on  mir 


remaiiiiiiL;-  streii'^lh.      The    iiisujlicienl  food  and   the  fali'.'Ue^  of  (Uir    j.aii"- 
ne\-,  often  prolon^re(l  to  extreme   evhausf ion,  liad  reduced  our  vin'or;   ami 


''i#£.i- 


TKISCIIl'N-   A   SAMOVEI)   IIIIKI   rA 


tN. 


««: 


I 


868 


LEFT  ALONE. 


\vc  all  began  t(}  feci  the  elleets  of  our  frequeiU  wading  through  cold 
water  when,  as  often  happened,  our  boat  h:id  grounded  upon  a  siiallow, 
or  when  the  Hat  mud  hanks  of  the  river  gave  us  no  alternative  for  reach- 
ing the  dry  land.  It  was  now  the  second  month  since  we  had  not  slept 
under  a  tent,  having  all  the  time  passed  the  nights  behind  a  screen, 
erected  on  tlie  oars  of  the  boat  as  a  shelter  against  the  wind." 

The  north   wind  helped  them   forward,  and   with  oars   and  sail   they 
proceeded   to  the  south,  passing  two  rapids    which  they   at  first  thought 
insurmountable.     On  the  31st  a  gust  of  wind  drove   them  on  a  rock,  di^- 
abling  their  rudder;  and  on  the  5th  of  Septemlier  another  drove  them  on 
a  sand   bank  in  the  northern  end    of  Tainiur  Lake.      With  the   tempera- 
ture  at   only    37"  at    noon,  tiieir  clothes  were   covered    with  a  solid  ice- 
crust;  and  scarcely  a  day  passed  without  sleet  or  snow.      On  the  8th  they 
left  the  sand  bank,  the  storm  having  at  length  subsided,  but  on  the  <jih 
were  dismayed   at   linding    the   new    ice  tbrming  in    their   rear.      While 
putting  tbrth    every    effort    to  reach  the    river,  the  boai  was  crushed    be- 
tween   two   ice-Hoes,   anil   with    dilKculty  was   got  ashore,  disabled  and 
worthless.     Making  a  hand-sledge  they  pushed  forward  on  the  loth;  Inii 
on  the   morning   of  the    nth,  Micklendorf  was  unable   to   proceed.      Hut 
with  a  heroism    worthy  of  an  Arctic   explorer,  he   ordered  his   compan- 
ions forwanl    to   reach,   if  possible,   the    Sainoyeds   hetbre   the  period    „f 
their  annual   return  to  the  south,  and  thus   save  themselves,  and  possibly 
him  too,  if  they  should   fall  1,1  with  the   nomads  soon.      The  scant  su])ply 
of  provisions,  supplementetl  by    Middendorfs  dog,  was  divided    into  live 
C([ual  rations,   and    his  tour   cQmi)an;()ns  set    out,  leaving    the  brave  Mid- 
dendorf    to    struggle    alone     with     his    disease,    and     the    surroundiu- 
desolati(jn. 

"My  companions  had  now  left  me  twelve  days,"  savs  Middcndorf; 
"human  assistance  could  no  longer  be  expected;  I  was  convinced  that  I 
had  only  myself  to  rely  upon,  that  I  was  doomed,  and  as  good  as  num- 
bered with  the  dead.  And  yet  my  courage  did  not  forsaki^  me."  Thus 
he  lay  three  da>'s  longer  until  his  sail  thoughts  threatened  m  unseat  his 
reason,  when,  as  he  says,  a  saving  thought  liashed  upon  him.  "My  hiM 
pieces   of  wood   were  quickly    lighted,    some   water    was   thawed    and 


Tii/sciiiry. 


360 


wanned;  I  poured  into  it  the  spirits  from  a  flask  contaiuiufT  a  specimen 
ol  natural  history,  and  ih-ank.  A  new  life  seemed  to  awaken  in  me;  my 
th()Ui,Hit^  returned  a,i,rain  to  my  family.  Soon  I  fell  into  a  profound  sleep 
—how  \oxv^  it  iastetl  1  know  not— hut  on  awakenin<r,  \  felt  HUe  another 
ni;in,  and  my  hreast  was  filled  with  gratitude.  Appetite  returned  with 
recovery,  and  I  was  induced  to  eat  leather  and  l)irch-hark,  when  a  ptar- 
m'v^an  fortunately  came  within  reach  of  my  .<run.  IIavim<  thus  ohtained 
some  food  for  the  journey,  I  resolved,  though  still  very  feehle,  to  set  out 
and  seek  the  provisions  we  had  h  iried.  Packing  some  articles  of  dress, 
my  gun  and  ammunition,  my  journal,  etc.,  on  my  small  hand-sledge,  I 
proceeded  slowly,  and  frequently  resting.  At  noon  I  saw,  on  a  well- 
known  declivity  of  the  hills,  three  hlack  spots  which  I  had  not  previ- 
ously noticed,  and  as  they  changed  their  position,  I  at  once  altered  my 
route  to  join  them.  We  approached  each  other,  and—judge  of  my  de- 
light—it was  Trischun,  the  Samoyed  chieftain  whom  I  had  previously 
assisted  in  the  prevailing  epidemic,  and  who  now,  guided  by  one  of  my 
companions,  had  set  out  with  three  sledges  to  seek  me.  Eager  to  serve 
his  benefactor,  the  grateful  savage  had  made  his  reindeer  wander  with- 
out food  over  a  space  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  versts  (eighty-seven  miles) 
where  no  moss  grew. 

"  I  now  lieard  that  my  companions  had  fortunately  reached  the 
Samoyeds,  f)ur  days  after  our  separation;  but  the  dreadful  snowstorms 
h.id  prevented  the  nomails  from  coming  sooner  to  my  assistance,  and 
had  even  forced  them  twice  to  retrace  tiieir  steps.  On  September  -^oth 
the  Samoyeds  brought  me  to  my  tent;  and  on  October  9th  we  l)ade  the 
Taimur  an  eternal  firewell.  After  Wvc  months  we  hailed  with  delight, 
on  October  ^o,  the  verge  of  the  forest,  anil  on  the  following  day  we 
reached  the  smoky  hut  on  the  'Joganida  where  we  had  left  our  friends." 

Middendorf  fell  short  nearly  t\^r,>  Jeg-ees  of  reaching  the  north  jjoint 
of  the  peninsula,  and  of  Asia,  called  Cape  Chelyuskin,  in  honor  of  a 
Russian  explorer  of  that  luu^ie  who  reached  it  by  land  in  1742.  Six 
years  earlier  Prontsciiischev  had  reached  within  a  few  minutes  of  it,  and 
one  of  the  Laptews,  in  1759,  within  50',  in  their  coasting  vessels.  But 
even  had  there  been  time  to  make  the  trip,  Middendorf  might  have  pre- 


870 


OBJECT  OF  THE   JOUR  NET. 


ferml  to  s|,cn,l  it  in  extending  his  observations  on  the  fauna  and 
flora,  the  meteorology  and  elimate  of  Taimur.  It  will  be  remembe-ed 
that  these,  and  not  geographical  discovery,  were  the  objects  of  his 
expedition. 


and 
beifd 

.r  his 


F-ARO^  IV. 


FRANKLIN  flNH  SEflHEH  VnYfiEES. 


^"  'Sfe 


"  Oil  the  frozen   decfs  repose, 

'  7'A"  a  dark  and  dreadful  Iiour, 
WJicn   round  the  sJiip  the  ice-fields  close. 

And  the  northern  ni<s]it. clouds  lo~,.vcr. 
But  let  the  ice  drift  on! 

Let  the  cold  blue  desert  spread, 
7 heir  course   zvith   mast  and  flai;-   is  done — 

Even  there  sleep  England\s-    dead.'''' 

MRS.    IIK.MANS. 


CHAPTER    XLI. 


franklin's  last  voyagk— temerity  ok  franklin  ano  party— 

CHOSEN  IIY  TlIK  ADMIRALTY— THE  EREHUS  ANO  TERROR—LAST 
INTELLIGENCE  OF  FRANKLIN  —  FRANKLIN's  FAVORITE  THEORY 
THE    SEARCH— COMMENTS    ON    ARCTIC    SCIENCE. 

Surely  "through  desire,  a  man  having  separated  himself,  secketh  auf'. 
intermcddlcth  with  all  wisdom." 

When  the  wise  man,  three  thousand  years  ago,  made  this  profound 
deliverance  concerning  the  investigating  spirit  of  mankind,  he  certainly 
must  have  cast  a  prophetic  eye  down  the  ages,  and  anticipated  the  march 
of  science  and  the  coming  tread  of  universal  knowledge.  Doubtless,  he 
saw  the  New  World  discovered,  and  peopled  with  an  enterprising  race 
of  beings,  whose  aims  and  intelligence  were  not  restricted  to  the  obser- 
vance  of  a  few  lifeless  forms.  He  must  have  seen  Bacon,  who,  as  the  dis- 
ciple of  forgotten  Aristotle,  set  in  motion  the  now  irresistible  ball  of  in- 
ductive science,  to  be  given  a  fresh  impulse  by  its  more  modern  expo- 
nent, J.  Stuart  Mill.  Possibly,  too,  he  descried  the  inventions  of  our  re- 
cent times,  and  the  crowning  triumphs  of  Edison,  iJell  and  Gvnv.  At 
any  rate,  enough  lias  long  ago  been  realized  to  justify  the  wise  old  sage's 
encomium  upon  human  enterprise.  Men,  fov  the  sake  of  the  truth,  have 
separated  themselves,  not  only  in  the  sense  of  l^eing  students  of  it,  but  in 
some  cases  this  separation  lias  been  literal  and  complete,  involving  total 
isolation  from  society  and  its  advantages,  and  often  a  sacrifice  of  life  itself. 

It  is,  perhaps,  dilHcult  for  the  average  mind  to  appreciate  the  feeling 
which  prompts  men  to  suflTer  in  the  cause  of  some  favorite  theory.  It  is 
easy  to  understand  the  mipulses  which  induce  men  to  fall  for  che  sake  of 
their  firesides,  or  to  bleed  for  the  honor  of  their  native  coimtry.  The  one 
feeling  is  the  domestic  or  paternal  instinct  which  naturally  shields  its 
own;  and  the  other  is  the  almost  universal  sentiment  of  patriotism.     But 

87a 


Ml.';* 


374 


^ir 


I 


m 


TEMERrrr  of  frankltn  and  cue 


w. 


tf)  walk  fcrwanl   into  .k-atli  or  danfrcr   i; 


)!•  the  sake  of  demonstral 


truth  whose,  very  utility  is  n..t   made   wholly   eertain,   i.nplies  a   feeUn;!,' 
not  so  coininou,  nor  so  easy  to  analyze. 

Such  a  spirit  was  tliat  shown  by  Sir  John    Franklin  ami    his    faithful 
followers,  in  their  last  eventful  voyage,  which,  so  far  as  the  limited  data 
wdl  permit,  we  are  now  ahout  to  describe.      It   has   already   been  related 
how    Franklin,  from  the  son  of  a  poor   freeholder,   and   the   position   of 
midshii)man,  rose  successively  to  the  ranks  of  fJeutenanl  and  Captain,  and 
finally,  havin,i,r  been  chosen  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society,  was  knijrhted 
and  became  a  rear-a.lmiral  of  the  Royal  Navy.   I  lis  international  renown 
appears  from  the  ftct  that    the    Frencli    (xeo.i^raphical    Societv    awar.led 
him  their  j^^old  medal,  and  at  a  subsequent  time  elected    him   Jorrespond- 
nig  meml,er  of  the  Institute  of  France.     The  (ireek  nation,  also,  whom 
he  had  materially  aided  in  their  war  of  Iil,eration,  gave   hi.n    formal  an,! 
substantial  token  of  their  appreciation   and   gratitude.      In    1S36   he    was 
appointed  Governor  of  Tasmania,  or  Van  Diemen's  Land,  as  it  was  then 
called,  and  although  political  diiHcuIties  disturbed    his  achninistration   to 
someextent,  his  wise  an.l  moderate   control  secured   for   him   the  warm 
approbation   of  the  government,  and  the  lasting  affection  of  his  colonists 
The  latter  established  a  college  and  a  philosophical  societv  in  bi>  honor- 
and    years    after    they    testified    that   the    memorv   of  his' rule    was   still' 
cherished    by     subscribing    €,,700     toward   an   expedition    designe.l    bv 
Lady  Franklin  for  his  rescue  or  diseovery. 

The  ]>elief  in  a  Northwest  Passage,  which  had  in  the  earlv  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century  been  merely  vague  or  conjectural,  had  now  ..,,,u,, 
u,to  a.settled  conviction.  Franklin's  own  researches  ha.l  done  much  to 
ehmmate  the  mysteries  which  had  hitherto  enshrouded  the  northern  co.st 
of  the  New  World,  and  only  the  last  ^.sy  links  in  the  chain  of  discoverv 
were  supposed  to  need  forging  before  the  long  cherished  project  could  rj- 
ce.ve  .ts  ttdl  reah.ation  in  the  proof  of  a  passage  from  Baffin's  Bay  to 
Behrmg's  Strait. 

In  1845,  acconlingly,  the  15ritish  Admiralty  organized  a  new  expedi- 
t.on  to  make  another  attempt  at  the  Northwest  Passa-e.  The  leulin.^ 
scientilk  n.en  <.f  England  had  been  urging  the  step  fbr  more  than  a  yeai^ 


IPW: 


n 


UUST  OK   FRANKLIN. 


375 


^     a 


j 

i 

IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


/M 


/, 


L^i'^ 


/ 


:.* 


1.0 


I.I 


:^  li^  12.0 


M 
2.2 


L25  i  1.4 


1.6 


PnotogTdphic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


^•N 


iV 


•t^' 


\ 


;\ 


jy  ..     <!S^ 


V»'°"-^ ' 


\ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  ]4S80 

(716)  872-4503 


'1 


'i  } 


'.m 


CHOSEN  h'r  rim  admiralty 


ILliI 


!H  s^ 


iiiid  the  necessary  appropriation  having  finally  been  made,  definite  steps 
were  soon  taken  tc;  l)e,!^ri„  Uie  enterprise.  Durin<,r  the  time  which  tlie 
admiralty  had  taken  to  choose  a  commander,  Sir  John,  who  had  lately 
arrived  from  Tasmania,  was  heard  to  remark  that  he  thought  it  due  t(^ 
him  as  the  senior  Arctic  explorer  of  England. 

«  As  soon  as  i;  was  known  that  he  would  go  if  asked,  the  admiralty 
were  of  course  only  too  glad  to  avail  tliemselves  of  the  experience  of 
such  a  man;  hut  Lord  Haddington,  with  that  kindness  whicii  e%er  dis- 
tinguished him,  suggested  that  Franklin  might  well  rest  at  home  on  his 
huirels.  '  1  might  find  a  good  excuse  for  not  letting  you  go.  Sir  John, 
said  the  peer,  'in  the  telling  record  which  informs  me  that  you  are  sixty 
years  old.'  'No,  no,  my  lord,'  was  Franklin's  rejoinder,  'I  am  only 
fifty-nine.'  Jiefore  such  earnestness  all  scruples  vanished.  The  offer 
was  ollicially  made  and  accepted.  To  Sir  John  Franklin  was  confided 
the  Arctic  expedition,  consisting  of  H.  M.  S.  Erebus,  in  which  he  hoisted 
his  pennant,  and  II.  M.  S.  Terror,  commanded  by  Capt.  Crozier,  who 
had  recently  accompanied  Sir  James  Ross  in  his  wonderful  voyage  to  the 
Antarctic   Seas." 

The  two  vessels  were  thoroughly  refitted  and  furnished  with  all  that 
exi)erience  could  suggest  as  useful  or  necessary.  Provisions  for  three 
years  were  made  ready,  and  ;.  crew  of  oser  a  hundred  men  were  clioscn 
fi-om  the  very  cream  of  the  British  navy.  Among  the  officers  were 
Lieuts.  Gore  and  Fitzjames,  whose  genius  and  energy  stamped  them  as 
no  common  ofiicers. 

The  sliips  left  England  in  May,  ami  were  known  by  the  third  of 
July  to  have  reached  a  point  near  Disco,  Greenland,  where  a  small  ship 
which  had  accompanied  them,  took  on  board  the  last  letters  of  the 
officers  and  crews  for  home.  They  were  afterward  seen  in  the  latter 
part  (;f  July  I)y  a  whaler,  who  described  them  as  "  moored  to  an  iceberg, 
M-aiting  for  a  chance  to  enter  Baffin's  Bay."  From  that  day  till  the 
present  not  one  of  tliat  gallant  band  has  ever  been  seen  aiive,  and  not 
tdl  years  afterward  was  anything  definite  discovered  concerning  tiieir 
fate^  All  tiiat  historians  can  do  is  to  follow  the  ships  in  Hie  imagina- 
tion by  file  aid  of  the  plans  laid  down  beforehand  for  the  guidance  of  the 


FliAiYKLlN'S  FAVORITE    TIIEORT. 


877 


party;  to  conjecture  as  best  they  may  cone.'niiii<,r  tlie  particular  circum- 
stances  of  those  last  trying  hours;  and  to  relate  the  sad  stories  of  those 
whose  mournful  discoveries  complete  the  melancholy  scene. 

From  the  instructions  of  the  admiralty,  and  from  the  scanty  record 
lea  by  the  lost  explorers,  we  are  able  to  trace  with  comparative  assur- 
ance the  course  of  Franklin  after  he  entered  upon  the  special  object  of 
the  expedition.  We  find  that,  after  the  last  intelligence  of  Sir  John 
Franklin  was  received,  bearing  date  of  July,  1845,  from  the  whalers  in 
Melville  Bay,  his  expedition  passed  on  to  Lancaster  Sound  and  entered 
Wellington  Channel,  of  which  the  southern  entrance  had  been  discov- 
ered  by  Sir  Edward  Parry  in  1S19.  The  Erebus  and  Terror  sailed  up 
that  strait  for  150  miles,  and  reached,  in  the  autumn  of  1S45,  the  same 
latitude  that  was  attained  eight  years  subsequently  by  II.  M.  S.  Assist- 
ance and  Pioneer.  Whether  Franklin  intended  to  pursue  this  northern 
coin-se,  antl  was  (vuly  stopjicd  by  ice  in  the  latitude  of  77°  N.,  or  pur- 
posely  relinquished  a  route  which  led  so  far  away  from  the  already 
known  seas  off  the  coast  of  America,  must  be  a  matter  of  speculation* 
but  tile  record  assures  us  that  the  expedition  having  accomplished  this 
examination,  returned  southward  from  latitude  77°,  which  is  at  the  head 
of  Wellington  Channel,  and  re-entered  Barrow's  Strait  by  a  new  chan- 
nel between  Bathurst  and  Cornwaliis  Islands. 

It  was  a  favorite  theory  of  Franklin's  that  the  best  way  of  securino- 
a  passage  from  the  Atlantic  to  tlie  Pacific  was  by  following  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  coast  line  of  North  America.  Indeed,  it  was  his  opinion 
and  subsequently  that  of  McClintock,  that  no  passage  by  a  ship  can  ever 
be  accomplished  in  a  more  northern  direction.  Since,  therefore,  when 
Franklin  sailed  in  KS45,  the  discovery  of  a  Northwest  Passage  was  re- 
duced to  the  finding  of  a  link  between  Parry's  discoveries  on  the  east 
and  his  own  on  the  west,  it  is  probable  that,  in  obedience  to  orders,  he 
steered  for  the  southwest.  Passing,  as  is  thought,  down  Peel's  Strait  in 
1816,  and  reaching  as  far  as  latitude  70°  5'  north,  and  longitude  98^  33' 
west,  whern  the  ships,  as  the  record  shows,  were  beset,  it  is  clear  that  he, 
who  with  others  had  previously  ascertained  the  existence  of  a  channel 
along  the  coast  of  America,  with  which  the  sea  wherein  he  met  his,death 


878 


THE  SEARCH. 


n 


had  a  direct  communication,  was  the  first  real  discoverer  of  a  Northwest 
Passage.     As  will    be  seen   in  another  place,  the   gallant   McClure  had 
worked  out  another  passage  long  before  the  course  of  Franklin  came  to 
light.     This   fact,  while   it   is  a  worthy  source  of  honor  to  the  adventu- 
rous Irishman,  must  not  be  allowed   to  detract  from   the   fame  of  those 
who,  as  their  epitaph  fitly  says,  "  Forged  the  last  link  with  their  lives." 
The  account  which  it  is  possible  to  give  of  the  last  c'ays  of  Franklin 
is,   of  necessity,  very  limited.     As  the  expedition   was    provisioned  for 
three  years,  a  year  and  a  half  elapsed  before  any  anxiety  was  felt   con- 
cerning its  welfare;  but  after  a  council  of  naval  ofiicers  had  been  held,  it 
was  decided  that,  should  no  news  arrive  that  summer,  preparations  should 
be  made  for  its  relief.     As  is  generally  known,  the  British    Government 
afterward  fitted  and  sent  out  a  whole  series  of  vessels,  and  spent  immense 
amounts  of  money  in  prosecuting  the  search.     Lady  Franklin  spent  the 
greater  part  of  her  private  fortune,  and  the  United  States  came  bravely 
to  the  front  in  the  Grinnell  expeditions.     Aside  from  their  importance  in 
relation  to  the  grand  object,    these  expeditions  added  immensely  to  geo- 
graphical knowledge,  and  in  general,  were  invaluable  for  their  contrlbu- 
tions  to  science. 

An  account,  as  extended  as  space  will    jDcrmit,  will  be  given  of  each 
ot   these  daring  ventures  in  their  turn. 

The  writer  deems  it  proper  at  this  point,  to  comment  briefly   upon 
the  results  to  the  world  at  large  of  the  voyages  of  Franklin  and  others. 
The  young  student  and  'he  unthinking  of  any  age,  are  apt  to  look  upon 
tiiese  discoveries  as  isolated  in  time  and  causal  relations  from    the  every- 
<lay  knowledge  which  they   jjossess  on   these  subjects,  and  which   they 
easily  glean  from  the  popular  text-books.     They  should  remember  that 
the  first  certain  knowledge  of  these  regions  was  gained  by  these  self-sac- 
rificing men,  a.id  many  of  the   now  well-known  individual   facts   were 
gathered  by  them  under  the  trying  circumstances  which   we   have   been 
describing.     The    result   of  Franklin's   researches  for   example   are  not 
alone  nor  chiefly  seen  in  the  account  of  his  voyages,  but  in  the  map,  per- 
fected by  his  bravery  and  diligence,  from  which  the  school-boy  of  every 
nation    cons    his  lesson.     The  conclusions  on  the  subject  of  terrestrial 


:^.i\ 

ii.  , 

i  ;. 

i 

,^lL 

COMMENTS   ON  ARCTIC   SCIENCE.  379 

magnetism   are   not  alone  found  in  the  reporis  to  tine  a.lmirally,  hut  the 
tacts  chscoverec)  and  principles  deduced  form  part  of  the  physics  and  the 
astronomy  of  the  common  school  and  coUej^^e.     Ohservations  taken  here 
upon  the  subject  of  botany  have  not  their  solo  lodgin<,.-place  in  the  arch- 
ivcs  of  the  Royal  Society.     They  :nay  be   formulated  and  pcriiaps  veri- 
l.cd  by  Wood,  Gray,  an.l  other   modern  d.sciples  of  Linnaeus;  but  it  was 
the  stron,^  faith  ami  daring  of  Kane  an<l   Richardson,  that  f.rst   plucked 
the  llowers,  and   made  the  tacts  respecting   them  take  their  places  amono- 
tiie   vast   assemblage   of  Nature's   witnesses.      The  relatio.i  between  the 
lives  of  these  men  and  the  individual   thought  and  action  of  the  present 
time,  is  far  more  real  and  intimate  than  is  commonly  admitted.     Hence 
the  propriety  of  becoming   acquainted  with  these    heroes,  in  the  story  of 
their  careers;  enabling  us  to  give  them  due  homage,  and  stimulating  us 
as  they  have  done,  to  sacrifice   something  for  the  commcm    brotheriiood. 


each 


)on 


3rs. 


ipon 

.'crv- 


r  that 


ac- 


('ere 


)ecn 


not 


Kltlf. 


U'J 


CHAPTER    XLTI. 


^mm 


SKAIUII    KOK     KUANKLIN Iw\ST  NEWS— TI[I{  ICK   KXPEDITIONS  I'l.ANNKI) 

KXlMOOniOX     ir.\l)|.;|{     lUCIIAKDSON     AND    KAK INSTRUCTIONS  OF 

TIIH     ADMIKAf.TV AXKIVK    IN     AMKIUCA— A  TKOUliLKSOMK    SONG- 

STEK MKTirv    I'OKTAOTC — A  CACHK MIvNDACIOUS    ESQUIMAUX. 

Tlic  proloujrcd  :il)suiicc  of  Fniiiklin,  and  the  entire  lack  of  knowled^^c 
rcj^arding    his  condition   and  exact   vvhercal)outs,  at  last  gave    rise,  as  we 
have  seen,  to  serious  apprehensions  on  the  part  of  the  admiralty.     It  was 
true   tile  last   letters  received   from  tiie   party  were  of  the  most  hopeful, 
huoyant  tone.      The  expedition,  it  will  be  rememliered,  sailed  from  Eng- 
land   on   the  I9tii  of   May,  1S45,  and  early  in  July   had  reached  Whale- 
fish  Island,  near  Disco,  on   the  Greenland  coast  of  Davis'  Stra'ts,  where, 
having  found  a  convenient  port,  the  transport  which    accompanied  it  was 
cleared  and  sent  home  to  England,  liringing  the  last  letters  that  havelieen 
received  from  the  oihcers   or  crew.      The   following   extract  of  a   letter 
from  Lieul.  Fairholme  of  the  Erel)us,  will   serve    to    show  the    cheerful 
anticipation    of  success   which   prevailed  througliout    the  party   ami   tiic 
happ'-  terms  on  whicli  they  were  with  each  other. 

"  We  have  anchored  in  a  narro\»^  channel  between  two  of  the  islands 
protected  on  all  sides  by  land,  and  in  as  convenient  a  place  for  our  pin- 
pose  as  could  be  possibly  found.  Here  we  are,  with  the  transport  along- 
side, transferring  most  actively  all  her  stores  to  the  two  shi])s.  *  *  * 
"  Of  our  prosj)ects  we  know  little  more  than  when  we  left  Eiiirland. 
but  look  forward  with  anxiety  to  our  reaching  73",  where  it  seems  we 
are  likely  to  meet  the  iiist  ol)structions,  if  any  exist.  On  board  we  are 
as  comfortable  as  it  is  possible  to  be.  T  need  hardly  tell  you  how  much 
we  are  all  delighted  with  our  cajitain.  lie  lias,  I  am  sure,  won  not  only 
tne  respect,  but  the  love  of  every  person  on  board  by  his  amiable  man- 
ner and  kindness  to  all;  and  his  iniluence  is   always   employed   for   some 

880 


ANX/ETT. 


381 


i,roo(l  purpose,  both  among  the  officers  ami  men.  lie  has  been  most  suc- 
icsslul  in  his  selection  of  officers,  and  a  more  a<,'reeable  set  could  hardly 
lie  found.  Sir  John  is  in  much  better  health  than  when  we  left  Enuland, 
and  really  looks  ten  years  younger.  He  takes  an  active  part  in  every- 
thing that  goes  on,  and  his  long  experience  in  such  services  as  this  makes 
him  a  most  valuable  adviser." 

Letters  from  most  of  the  other  offi.cers,  written  in  a  similar  tone, 
were  received  in  ICngland  ;:'.  the  same  time  with  the  above.  An  extract 
of  a  letter  from  Franklin  himself  to  Col.  Sabine,  deserves  to  be  quoted, 
as  expressing  his  own  opinion  of  his  resources,  and  also  his  intention  of 
remaining  out  more  than  a  second  winter,  should  he  not  be  successful  be- 
fore. The  letter  is  ckited  from  Whalefish  Islands,  July  9,  1845;  -i"*^! 
after  noticing  that  the  Erebus  and  Terror  had  on  board  provisions,  fuel, 
clothing,  and  stores  for  three  years  complete,  from  that  date,  he  adds,  "I 
\\o\K  my  dear  wife  and  daughter  will  not  be  anxious  if  we  should  not 
return  by  the  time  they  have  fixed  upon;  and  I  must  beg  of  you  to  give 
them  the  benefit  of  your  advice  anil  experience  when  that  time  arrives, 
for  you  well  know  that,  without  success  in  our  object,  even  after  the  sec- 
ond zvintcr,  we  should  wish  to  try  some  othei-  channel  should  the  state 
of  our  provisions  and  the  health  of  our  crews   justify  it." 

The  above  extracts  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  prospects  and  hopes 
of  the  parties  when  heard  from  the  last  time  before  entering  Barrow 
Strait.  But  nearly  two  years  having  elapsed  without  tidings,  certain 
experienced  navigators,  among  them  Capt.  John  Ross,  expressed  a  fear 
that  the  party  had  become  entangled  in  the  northwestern  ice,  whence 
they  could  not  advance  nor  retreat.  The  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Athniralty,  though  jndging  that  the  second  winter  of  Sir  John's  absence 
was  too  early  a  period  to  give  rise  to  well-founded  apprehensions  for  his 
safety,  lost  no  time  in  calling  for  the  opinions  of  several  naval  officers 
who  were  well  acquainted  with  Arctic  navigation,  and  in  concerting 
plans  of  relief  to  be  carried  out  when  the  proper  time  should  arrive. 

It  is  impossible  to  give,  in  our  limited  space,  even  a  synopsis  of  the 
opinions  which  were  the  response  to  this  call  on  the  part  of  the  Lords 
of  Admiralty.     It  must  suffice  to  say  that  after  weighing  all  suggestions 


Il 

; 

1 

': 

1 

f! 

\  1 

1 

;    1 

! 

888 


RICHARDSON  APPOINTED. 


and  fully  consi.lonn-  the-  nmncro.is  plans  snhmittc.I  to  them,  the  a.hiu- 
ralty  cl.tcrmincl  that  if  no  intelH-c-nce  ,>f  the  missin-  ships  arrived  l,y 
the  close  of  autumn,  1847,  they  wo„I,i  send  ,.,„  three  searehin-  expe.H- 
tions:  f  )„e  lo  r.aneaster  S..,,,.,!,  another  down  the  .MacKen/.ie  River,  and 
a  tiiird  to  i}ehi-in',''s  Strait. 

The  distin^a,ishe,l  serviees  of  Dr.  John  Richardson,  in  the  expediti.nis 
made   l.y  Franklin  in  iS.y.j6,  espeeially  iiis   a.lventures    fr<,m  the    Mac- 
Ken;iictothe   Coppermine,  will  not    have  I.een  for-ottcn   l.y  the  reader, 
and  it   is  necessary  only  to  say  of  him   that   he  was   a  hrave   an,l   skillf„| 
voyager,  an   eminent  and    thorough  naturalist,  and    an   enthusiast   in  the 
project  of  <liscovering  and   perhaps   rescuing  his  friend  a.ul  former  com- 
panion. Sir  John    Franklin.     lu  him,  therefore,  the  admiralty  saw  a  per- 
son well  fitted  to  take  charge  of  one  of  the  proposed  expeditions.     Rich- 
ardson   was  already  familiar  with  the  <letails  of  overland  travel  in  Brit- 
ish America,  and   particularly  in  the  region  of  ihe  MacKen/.ie  and  the 
intricate  maze  of  streams  and  lakes  which  diversify  the  face  of  America 
north  of  the  55th  parallel.    He  was,  therefore,  wisely  intrusted    with  the 
expedition   destined  for   the  descent  of  the    MacKenzie.      This  appoint- 
ment was  announced  in  the  f  >rmal  instructions  issued  to  him  by  the  Lord 
Admiral,  the  opening  paragraph  of  which  is  appended: 

"  Whereas,  we  think  you  fit  to  he  employed  in  an  overlan<l  expedition 
m  search  of  Her  Majesty's  ships  Erebus  and  Terror,  under  the  comman.I 
of  Capt.  Sir  John  Franklin,  which  ships  arc  engaged  in  a  vovage  of  dis- 
covery in  the  Arctic  Seas,  you   are    iiereby  required  and  dirJctcnl  to  take 
under  your  orders    Mr.  Rae,  who    has   been   selected    to  accompany  you, 
and  to  leave  England  on  the  35th  inst.,  by  tlie  mail  steamer  for  Halifax,' 
in  Nova  Scc^ia,  and  New  York;  and  on  yocn-  arrival  at  the  latter  place,' 
you  are  to  proceed  imme<liately  to  Montreal,  for  the  p.n-pose  of  confer- 
ring with  Sir  Geo.  Simpson,  Governor  of  the  Hudson's  JJay  Company's 
settlements,  and  making  arrangements  with  him  for  your  ft.ture  supplies 
and  communications." 

The  general  drift  of  the  instructions  was  to  the  effect  that  from  Can- 
ada, Richardson  was  to  cross  the  country  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  the 
MacKenzie,  which  he  was  to  descend  in  any  way  which  had    been  pro- 


u  . 


ARRIVE  IN  AMERICA. 


888 


vidcd.     lie  was   then  to  coast  al 


oiijr   the  h;i 


ol 


•ays   and  sounds  of  the  Arctic 
care  not  to  extend  the  time  of  his  search   beyond  the  linuts 
prudence.     The  appointment  of  Mr.  John  Rae  as  .secon.i  odk-er  was  the 
su,.est.on  of  Dr.  Richardson,  who    ..new  him  to  be  pecuharly  .nahfed 
io.-  1   o  sen.ce  on  which   he  was   to  be  employed,     lie   had  resided  up- 
war.    of  fifteen  years  in   Prince   Rupert's   Land,  was  thoroughly  versed 
...  a  1  the  methods  of  developing  and   turning   to  advantage  the  natural 
IHoducts  ot    the  country,  a  skillful    hunter,  expert  in  expedients  fo.-  tem- 
peru,^  the  severity  of  the  climate,  an  accurate  observer  with  the  sextant 
-.1   other  instruments   usually  employed  to  deternnne  the   latitude  and 
on,,,tude,  or  the  variations  and  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle,  and  had  just 
iMou.^U  to  a  successful  conclusion,  under  eircumstances  of  unusual  priva- 
(.on,  an  expeditio.i  of  discovery  fitted   out  by  the   Hudson's   Bay  Com 
pany  for  the   purposes  of  exploration.     The  choice,  then,  seemed  a  wise 
one,  and  ,ts  wisdom  was  confirmed  by  subsequent  events. 

O..  the  35th  of  March,  1S4S,  Richardson  and  Rae  left  Liverpool,  and 
landed  at  New  York  on  the  mornin<,  of  the  loth  of  April.  From  this 
P'-t  they  departed  as  soon  as  convenient,  journeying  by  way  of  Lake 
Chan.p  un,  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  chain  of  great  lakes,  until  the 
C.unherland  House,  on  the  Saskatchewan,  was  reached.  They  ha.l  been 
accompanied  up  to  this  point  by  an  escort  of  French,  Indians,  and  half- 
l^.ecds,  procured  in  Canada,  who  had  served  as  guides  and  had  trans- 
ported  then-  goods.  Their  baggage  included  only  their  clothing,  instru- 
ments and  camping  utensils,  as  provisions  for  the  expedition  were  to  be 

0  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  A  party  of  boats  under  the  supervision 
of  Mr  Bell  had  aheady  preceded  them,  and  was  to  co-operate  in  the 
cstahhshn,g  of  quarters,  and   the  procuring  of  provisions.     This  party 

K>y  hoped  to  overtake,  so   as  to  relieve  the  monotony  of    their  journey' 

1  hen- journey,  however,  was  not  destined  to  be  excessively  monotonous, 
fo.-  the  v-aned  scenery  and  the  dangers  of  canoe  navigation,  soon  be- 
cauK.  suftciently  enlivening.  A  thorough  survey  of  the  country  through 
-h.ch  they  passed  was  made  by  Dr.  Richardson,  both  as  to  its  botany 
-Hi  geology,  and   so  far  as  their  limited  means  of  conveyance  would  al- 


I  i 


■  i 


884 


A    TROUBLESOME  SONGSTER. 


low,  specimens  of  the  plai.ts  and  rocks  were  secured  and  placed  in  their 
little  niuseum. 

Many  thin-,'s,  curious  and  unwonted,  were  noted  by  Ur.  Richardson, 
who  k'jpt  a  faitliful  diary  of  each  day's  proceediuj^'s,  and  of  each  new  oh- 
ject  discovered  and  cxainiiud.  ()rnithoioy[y  as  well  as  other  branohes  of 
science,  received  liis  attention. 

"Constantly,"  says  iiis  journal,  "since  the  1st  of  June,  the  song  of  the 
Fn'norilla   /cucop/in>s  has  been    heard  day   and    ni^^'ht,  and    so  loudly,  in 
the  stillness  of  the    latter   season,   as    to  deprive   us  at  lirst    of  rest.     It 
whistles  the  fn-st   bar  of  'Oh,   dear!  what  can  the   matter  be?'  in  a  clear 
tone,  as  if  played   on  a   piccolo  life;  and,  thou.i,di  the  distinctness  of  the 
notes  rendered  them  at  first  very   pleasinj,',  yet,  as  they   haunted  u    up  to 
the  Arctic  circle,  and  were  loudest  at  miduij^ht,  we  came  to  wish  occa- 
sionally that  the  cheerful    little  son<,'ster  would  time  his  serenade  better. 
It  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  indiflerence  of  the  native   population  to 
almost   every  animal  that  does  not  yield   food  or  fm-,  or  otherwise  con- 
tribute  to  their  comfort  or  discomfort,  that  none  of  the  Iroquois  or  Chip- 
peways  of  our    company    knew  the  bird  by  :,irrht,  and  they  all  declared 
boldly  that  no  one  ever  saw  it.      We  were  enabled,  however,  after  a  little 
trouble,  to  identify  the  son<^ster,  his  sonjj,  and  breedinj^-place." 

On  the  27th  of  June  the  jxirty  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Methy  Port- 
age   referred   to,   as   the   reader   will    remember,    in  one   of  the   first  of 
Franklin's   voyatres.     An  Indian   had  built  a   home  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Methy  River,  and  was  in   the   habit  of  lettin-,^    horses  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay    Company    for    facilitating    the     portage     of    goods.      Our    parly 
of  explorers,  however,  received  from    him  the  very   unpleasant  informa- 
tion that  his  horses  had  all  died  from   murrain,  and  that  the  Companv's 
animals  were  also  all  disabled.     This  news  was  received  by  Richardson 
with  great  disappointment,  for  he  had  planned  to  reach  the  sea  as  soon  as 
possible,  so  as  to  explore    Wollaston   Land    (across   the   strait   from   tlic 
mouth  of  the  Coppermine)  thic   season.      This  new  circumstance  seemed 
to    represent  a  delay  of  several  weeks,  and  his  scheme  was  likclv  to  be 
thwarted.     Coming  up  with  Mr.  Bell    before  the  portage  was   reached, 
be  found  several  of  iiis  (Bell's)    men  enfeebled   and  lame  from  previous 


A    CAC//E 


385 


'^''-••'"l>"rtaj,c.s,a,ul  unlittcl  fnr  rculcrinj,  any  assistance.  Rich„-.l- 
M>n  s  own  voya,.crs,  t.,o,  ha.l  hccn  on<r,^.a  with  the-  ,.n.l.rst..„ii„.  that 
they  were  t<.  return  as  soon  as  Hdl's  hoats  wnv  overtaken.  With  a 
I'-n.se  of  extra  pay,  however,  they  were  in.h.ee.i  to  stav  an.l  assist  in 
.1..  conveying  of  the  goo.ls  ac...ss  to  the  next  attainable  waler-a  distance 
ol  ahoiif  Join-teeii  miles. 

I"  the  e.,nal  distribution  of  the  ba;,jra..,  each  nun,  bad  live  nieces  of 
nM.etypoun<ls'weij,ht  each,  exclusive  of  his  own  bedding  and  clotbin-., 
-.1  ol  the  boats,  with  their  nu.sts,  sails,  oars,  anchors,  etc.,  which  coukl 
.....  l>c  transports  in  fewer  than  two  journeys  of  ,he  whole  par.v  The 
praccal  Canadians  could  carry  tw<.  pieces  of  ninCv  pounds  a(  Jacb  Irip 

"^^''  '""-  '""■'^'-^■^'  '"•'•  '■•  ^'^o'-t-'-  «>nes  even  a  ;,rea,er  load  than  .his 

''he  I.nopeans,  however,    could  carry    only  one  piece,  and    .bus    had    to 
.nakc  l.vc  .rips  with  the  1.,^^.,.^  besides  .,vo  with  .he  boa.s.      Tin.,   de 
laye,l,  iU.le  prospect  was  le.t  of  completing  their  sea-voyage  this   season 
\V..l.    the   usual    quota  of  advemures  the  boa.s    at   last  reached  Point 
Separation    -n.arkin^  the    parting  of  the    two    principal    u.outbs   of   the 
Mackenzie,   on  the  .^.st  of  J„,y.      ,  le.e,    according   to   instructions  .hey 
h:.lted    to  1  ury  a  case  of  pcn.n.ican.      The  pit  was  .lu^  :a  the  distance    of 
ten  feet  irom  .he  best-,,n-own  tree  on  the  point,  and  beside,  the  food   the.-c 
was  placed  nv  ,1  a  bottle  containing,  a    n^emorandun,  of  .he  obiecls  of  the 
ovpeduiou,    an.l  such  other   information  as  i,    was  ,ho„.lu  would  be  use 
"•'  "•  '"h.r  parties,  should  they  happen   to  reach  this    river.      Thi,   poi„t 
w.n  be  rcmen.bere.l  as  the  place  ..f  separation  ..f  .he  parties  of  Franklin 
^....1    K.cbardsonin    ,8.6,   when    the    former   explore.l    toward    neb,in..\ 
S.ran,  and  Richar.lson  esamine.l   .he  coast  between   the  AlacKenxie   an.l 
Coppermine.      Apropos   of  performing    bis    duty   at  this  time   and  place 
Richardson    savs:  ' 

''WV  were  .hen  full  of  joyous  anticipa.ion  of  .he  discoveries  .b  >t  lay 
...  -nr  several  pa.hs,an.l  our  crews  were  elated  with  .be  hope  of  n.akin-". 
then  l.rtunes  by  .he  parlianuMuary  rewar.l  pronnse.l  .,.  those  wb,.  should 
..av.^ate  the  Arctic'  Seas  up  .o  eer.ain  -neri.lians.  \Vi,en  we  pushed  olt 
the  beach  .,n  .he  m..rnin,,,.  of  .he  p  h  of  July,  .S.o,  ,o  follow  onrseparate 
routes^we  cheered  each  .>ther  with  hearty  ^ood  will,  and  no  misc^ivim^s 


.  s 


m 


noU'.V   THE   MACKENZIE, 

Sir  JdIim's  party  fell  sonie  miles  siioit  of  the  parliamentary  distaiioe,  ami 
he  made  no  elaim.  N[y  party  accomplished  the  whole  space  between  the 
assiijned  meridians,  Iml  llie  authorities  deeided  tiiaf  the  reward  was  not 
meant  for  hmtts^  Imt  ships." 

IIavin<,r  Innsiu'd  operations  at  the  cdr/u.,  tiie  voyaj^e  was  rcsumeil, 
and  tlic  lioats  passi'd  down  tlie  eastern  branch  of  tiic  MacKen/ie. 
W^iti'ii  now  bejfan  to  be  Uept  fur  ICsquimaux,  for  Kiehardson's  previous 
experience  lauj^hl  him  tliat  tlii-v  were  in  tin-  liabil  of  frei|nentinLj  the 
coast  at  this  tinu- of  year.      AI)omI  Iwd  hinidrrd   natives  were    soon    seen 


u 


KbHJ  I.MAIX  Ul'   NOKHI   AMtKlCA. 

pa(l(llin^•  out  nitiieii-  kavacks  and  ooniiaks.  The  boalmi'n  were  i-autioncd 
to  keep  :loNt'  loj^ether  so  as  not  to  allow  thi'  I''s(|uiniau\  to  o\L'rpowcr 
\\\\\  out-  if  tlie\-  should  s"eiu  '>o  disposed.  A  lively  barter  was  carried 
on  with  ihcni  li\-  Richardson  and  Rat',  who  traded  all  manner  of  iron 
implcnunis  for  the  ruiU-  productions  of  the  iiati\c's.  Tliesi-  were  of  no 
use  to  the  whites,  but  it  had  been  foinid  a  plan  of  poucy  to  make  no  ^ifi 
to  the  ICsipiimaux,  as  the  American  tribes  rei^rarded  it  as  a  mark  of  inferi- 
orit\'  to  recei\i'  a   '^\\\. 

The  innuiries  of  the  party  were  of  course  chieily  directed  to  ob'.ain- 
inj^  inforn-.ation  of  th';  missin;j^  \esseb,,  but  the  Esquimaux,  one  and  all, 
denied    L'ver   having  seen    any    whites,   or  heard  of  any    ships    aloiiL;    the 


\ 


MENDACIOUS  EfZUIMAVX.  ^ 

CO,,,.       V„„,   „f  ,„„^    ,„„„,    ,,„„„^,„,,,„    ,,^.,_^,   ^__.^,^_^^^^^  _^^    _^_^     _ 
whcnthc  utecnp,  wa,  ma,|c  t,.  ,,l„„,lcr  I.Vanklin',  I,,,,,,,  i„  ,,S^rti  ,,„h  „, 
^IK- . :.,c,„„„ancc,  of  .ha.  .„co„„.„  „revc„.o,l  .l,.,,,  ,V,„„   c.n  Ji„.  'L 

-n,cc.,o,,  ,,,  ,l,c.„,,elvc,o,.  ,l,c.i,.  ,vla.ivc.  with  .ha,  ,,,,co,nplc..c.,l  ,ra.;,iy 
...    ...a.,    ...    a,„„e,.  ,„  ,h.  i,„,ui,,v  r,.,-   whi.c  „„.,„  , ,  „„i,„i„;    I 

":"""f  ';'""■- -"    ■^'^■'  .i-'  ■"  'he  .n„„.h  ,.r  .h.    m!,.Kc.„1._ 

A  |>arty  of  „.h„c.  ,„cn  arc  livi„i,  .hcc."     Thin  was  k„ow„   „,  l„.  ,, 

alsd,o,x  ,  a,  ,h.  c„„„„, „  ha.l  la,,,!..!  .here  .ho  day  prcvio„s   „i,h„„. 

i.av„„  .„covcrc,.  any   .race.     The  sava,c-,   ,„...ive    wa,,    .,vl,,c„„v    ,„ 

....1..CC  .he,„  .„  h„„l,  which  .hey  ha,l  hoc,  h.vi.cl r,,„„  .he  f,..  „f 

.he,.-  ,„.e,v,cw.  wi.h  ,ho  aative,.     Accordi,,.  ,„  Ri.hanl,,,,,,  „ei,he,.  .he 

"'';"""""•  ""'•,"■'■'" '■  "-  '"■-■■■  'ril.c,  of  A,  ..;.    A,n..lea  feel  .he 

-'■„  (itttctcd  111  a  falsehood,  ;,n<!  uivaiiahly    practice  it 

."  ":'     ""   .'^"'  '""^".V  "-y  -"  .a y  or  .hei,.  pe..y  11.      Z, 

'  he-  ,„„ ha,-  „„ereo„r,e  „i.h  each  o.he,-  .he  r„,lia„,  ,eld,„„  .ell  .h„ 
-."... H1.C  hr,., .,„„„ce,a„d  if  .hey, „coee,l  i,.  e.ci.i,,,  a.l,„i,.a.i„„  or 
..*....shn.c„..  ,hc„-  i„ve„.i„„  ,.„,„  „„  wi.ho„.  c„d.  !.>„„  .he  ,na„„e,  .,f 
.l..-,.cal<c,-,  ,a.he,-  ,ha„  hy  hi,  woni,,  i,  hi,  .r„.h  or  falsehood  arrived  a.- 
-.1  ..I.e.,  a  eo,„i„,,„„,  c|„e„i„„h,.  i,  „ece„ary  .o  elici.  .he  facts. 

Mo  ,a.„fac.o,y  i„,-„r,„a.i„„   having  bee,,  jja.herc.l  fro,,,  .he  „a.ives 
.1..  ,o,.r,,cy  ea,.ward  alo„,   .he  coas.    wa,    co„.i„„e,l ;  ,a„di„,„   ,,ei„: 

; ;'  "  ''":,""^  "'"■'  '"  ™^>-'  ™'"l"<-e  -.1   .hor„,..h    h„.h  ,he  ,,ca,eh 

I"'  .l.c  losl  llec,  a„d  ,hc  ,cie„.i,ic  exa,ni„,,.i„„  of  the  c,.„„try. 


1 1 :";■!! 


, 


iMllai 


■li       ,      k 


Hi 


CHAPTER    XLIII, 

lUCi'AKDSO.v's      JorKNKV       lOWAHI)       TIIK      C()IM'EI{MINI': AN       KAKLY 

WINTlilt A    KKASONAIiLK    THEOKY CONJhCTURKS  —  KKTUKN     lO 

'OUT  CONKinKXCK — I'l.AN    FOK  THE    SUMMEIJ — liAJi's    EXPEDITION 

CONKEH    WITH     ESQUIMAUX llETUKX    TO    THE    COl'PEH  MINE — 

IN'TEKPKETER     DKOWNEI) — LOST     IN     THE    WOODS AIM'KOVAI,    OF 

IHK     ADMIKAI/IY. 

As  has  already  '.;jen  intimated,  Dr.  Richardson's  account  of  his  jour- 
ney abounds  with  vivid  jjicturcs  of  the  natural  features,  productions,  and 
people,  of  the  re<jions  through  which  he  passed.  Rocks,  Howers,  trees 
anil  natives  were  all  carefully  studied,  and  their  habits,  peculiarities  and 
anomalies  faithfully  jjortrayed.  In  fact,  most  Arctic  navigators  have 
done  the  sam:;,  and  it  is  to  their  energy,  zeal  and  ability  that  Arctic  sci- 
ence, in  its  various  branches,  owes  its  jiresent  advanced  status.  As  the 
2Kirpose  of  the  present  volume,  however,  is  not  to  treat  of  natural  history, 
nor  geology,  as  such,  an  incidental  mention  of  the  facts  relative  to  these 
sciences  must  suffice. 

Dr.  Richardso>\  had  hoped  to  reach  the  Coppermine  River,  and  from 
there  to  cross  over  and  explore  WoUaston  Land  the  first  summer.  lie 
was  disappointed  to  find  that  the  new  ice  began  to  form  early  in  Septem- 
ber, so  as  not  only  to  impede  his  progress  by  its  own  resistance,  but  by 
cct.ienting  together  in  impenetrable  solidity  the  immense  floes  of  pack- 
ice,  which  hiia  not  succeeded  in  forcing  their  way  through  the  narrow 
channel  between  the  continent  of  America  and  the  islands,  or  lands  on 
the  north.  The  unavoidable  conclusion  of  the  sea-voyage,  while  still  at 
some  distance  from  the  Coppermine  TUver,  was  contemplated  by  the 
commander  and  the  entire  crew  with  the  deepest  regret.  It  had  been 
hoped,  that  even  if  no  time  was  left  to  exjolore  Wollaston  Land,  the  Cop- 
permine, at   least,  could   be  reached,  and  the  boats  left  somewhere  along 

888 


A   REASONAULE    TIIEORV.  399 

its  banks,  where  they  wouhl  he  available  f..r  another  s.nn.ner's  use      But 
.f  they  were  n.,w  ahandoned  „m   the  eoast,  it  eouhl    net  l,e  expeeted  that 
they  would  escape  the  searches  of  the  htuuin.,.  parties  who  would  follow 
up  the  explorers'  Ibotmarks,  an.l  uho  were  certain  to  ],reak  up  the  IkkUs 
"•>■  tlu.  copper  fosteni„c,s.      The  unusual   lateness  of  the  sprin<,,  an.l   the 
unexpected  delay  at  Methy  Portaj^e,  had  n.ade  the  arrival  at  the  sea  latc-r 
t'^^'u   had    been    anticipated,  and   in  a  region  where   summer  holds  swuv 
only  SIX  weeks,  even    a  few   days   are   often    of   the   utmost   importance 
Notwithstanding,  the    brevity  of  the   sumn.er,  neither   that,  nor  the  late- 
ness of   their   arrival,  would    have   prevented    the  party  fron.  crossin<.  to 
Wollaston    Land,  ha,l    it   been   possible   to  effect   such  a  crossing.     The 
only  hmdrance   was   the   unnavijrable  condition  of  the  close-packed    ice- 
<l.dt.     A  Hat,  smooth    floe  is   often  of  assistance  in   protectin<.  a    vessel 
i.-um   pressure,  and,  in  case  of  extreme  necessity,  a  boat  can  be  drao-.ed 
over.ts  surface  with   good   headway;    but   the   ice   that   obstructecr  U.e 
progress  of  our  explorers  at  this  time,  was  composed  of  hummock  v  pieces 
of  n-regular  shape,  and  consequently  ready  to  tur.i  over   and   crush  boat 
or  person  u]K)n  the  least  disturbance. 

Richardson  plainly  remembered  th.t  on  both  of  his  former  voya-es 
to  these  seas,  .leither  he  nor  Franklin  had  found  this  condition  present 
■"  the  channels  under  consideration.  Oti  those  occasions  onlv  small 
packs  were  visible  here  and  there,  the  general  openness  of  the  sea  alTonl. 
ing  a.nple  opportunity  for  passage  up  to  a  later  period  than  the  ist  of 
September.  In  seeking  a  reason  for  the  existing  state  of  affairs,  Rich- 
ardson f<,un<l  himself  able  to  establish  a  reasonable  conjecture  regarding 
the  prolonged  absence  of  the  missing  crew. 

The  theory  of  a  cycle  of  good  a.id  bad  years  had  alreadv  been 
■nooled  by  several  meteorologists,  and  observations  on  the  temperature  of 
a  series  of  years  had  seemed  to  confirm  its  reasonableness.  Ei-hty  years' 
observation  at  London  showed  that  groups  of  warm  years  altrrnate  with 
groups  of  cold  ones  in  such  :,  way  as  to  render  it  most  probable  that  the 
mean  annual  temperatures  rise  and  fall  ;„  ^uch  a  manner  as  may  be 
represented  by  a  series  of  elliptical  curves,  corresponding  to  periods  of 
irom  twelve   to    fifteen    years;    although    local    or  casual    circumstances 


CONyECrURES. 


J! 


1     u 


i  I' 


.1; 


cause  tht!  means  t<j  change  in  particular   years,  and,  indeed,  in   particular 
places  also. 

The  conjecture,  then,  was  that  Franklin  entered  Lancaster  Sound  at 
the  close  of  a  group  of  favorable  years,  when  the  ice  ^vas  in  the  greatest 
state  of  (limituition,  and  that,  having  boldly  pushed  on  in  one  of  the  clos- 
uig  years  of  the  favorable  cycle,  unexpected  ice  was  produced  during 
tlie  unfavorable  years  following,  and  thus  an  insurmountable  barrier  to 
his  return  was  made. 

This  conjecture,  while  it  could  not,  of  course,  descend  to  detail  in 
this  particular  case,  seems  to  have  been  the  correct  one;  for  (to  anticipate 
our  narrative)  it  \v;is  afterward  found  tliat  Franklin's  vessels  actually 
were  beset  ])y  ice  in  .September,  1S46,  and  that  too  in  a  much  lower  lati- 
tude than  was  at  this  time  reached  l)y  Richardson.  It  will  he  found, 
also,  that  the  explorers  for  the  next  few  years,  from  1S4S-57,  found  the 
s])rings  very  biekward,  and  tiie  winters  exceedingly  long  and  severe. 
The  experiences  of  Kane  in  northern  latitudes  for  three  difTerent  winters 
may  be  hereafter  cited  as  cases  in  jjoint.  We  have  here  to  do,  however, 
not  with  theories,  but  with  facts,  and  the  practical  problem  of  how  to 
luid  Franklin  and  convey  relief  to  him,  was  the  all  important  question 
which  presented  itself  to  the  admiralty  and  those  representing  thcni 
upon  the  seas. 

As  we  have  seen,  circumstances  compelled  the  party  to  desist  from 
further  undertakings  this  fall,  and  preparations  were  made  to  journev  by 
land  back  to  Ft.  Confidence,  where  Mr.  Bell  was  supposed  to  be  pre- 
paring winter  quarters  for  the  voyagers.  Burying  a  quantity  of  pem- 
mican,  and  also  of  ammunition,  near  the  places  where  the  boats  were  to 
be  left,  they  started  on  the  third  of  September,  carrying  evcrythino- 
which  their  strength  would  permit.  After  a  tedious  journey,  made  more 
so  by  the  heavy  burdens  which  they  bore,  they  arrived  at  Ft.  Confidence 
on  the  15th.  Here  they  found  Mr.  Bell,  who  had  reached  the  site  on 
the  17th  of  August,  and  hail  immediately  set  to  work.  Since  that  time 
he  had  Iniilt  an  ample  storehouse,  two  houses  for  the  men,  and  a  dwell- 
ing house  for  the  officers,  consisting  of  a  hall,  three  sleeping  apartments, 
and  a  storeroom.     Dispatches  and  letters  were  now  made  readv,  m\<.\  on 


'!? 


PLAN  FOR   THE  SUMMER. 


801 


tlic  1 8th   wore  taken   in   eharse   by  men   chosen    for  the  purpose,  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  British  settlements. 

Here,  then,  at  Ft.  Confidence,  the  winter  of  1S4S-9  was  passed; 
nothing  of  striking  importance  occurring  to  break  the  monotony  of  a 
characteristic  season  in  the  wilds  of  North  America. 

Tile  return  of  summer  brought  with  it  the  necessity  of  deciding  upon 
some  course  of  action  for  the  further  prosecution  of  the  search.   It  was  still 
thought  best  to  visit  Wollaston  Land,  but  in    the  absence  of  their  boats, 
the  method  of  procedure  grew   into  a    perplexing   problem.     Had   they 
succeeded  in  taking  their  boats  up  the  Coppermine,  beyond  the  reach  of 
tiie  Esquimaux,  according  to  their  expectations  when  the  plan  of  search 
was  formed,  the  voyage  might  have  been  resumed  in  the  summer  of  1S49, 
with  two  or  three  boats;  and  in   that  case,  the  whole  party   might   have 
gone,  and  so  have  aided  one  another  among  the  floes.      But  as  they   had 
been    compelled  to  leave  their  craft   in  September,  without  the  smallest 
liope  of  its  being  found  again  in  a  seaworthy  condition,  and  having  only 
one  boat  remaining  that  could  be  employed  on  the  service,  it  became  nec- 
essary to  determine  which  of  the  two  leading  officers.  Dr.  Richardson  or 
Mr.  Rae,  should    take  charge  of  tliat  vessel  and  the  small  jjarty  it  could 
contain.     Setting  aside  personal   considerations,  and  looking  only  to  the 
means  if  providing  for  the  examination  of  as  large  a  portion  of  the  Arctic 
Sea  as  could  be  accomplished,  Dr.  Richardson  had  not  much  hesitation  in 
deciding  in  tavor  of  Mr.  Rae.     His    ability  and   zeal  were  unquestiona- 
ble; he  was  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  his  personal  activity,  and  his  skill  as 
a  hunter,  fitted  him  peculiarly  for  such  an  enterprise. 

Mr.  Rae  had  already  during  the  winter  explored  the  country  be- 
tween Ft.  Confidence  and  the  Coppermine  River,  in  order  to  select  the 
best  route  for  dragging  the  boat  over  in  the  spring.  In  April  he  con- 
veyed provisions,  boat-stores,  and  other  necessaries  across  the  country  to 
one  of  the  streams  tributary  to  the  Coppermine,  and  a  convenient  jolace 
for  landing,  in  tlie  event  of  the  ice  breaking  up.  These  he  left  in  charge 
of  two  of  his  men  and  two  Indian  hunters,  who  were  to  be  engaged  in 
the  meanlime,  in  obtaining  and  curing  the  flesh  of  the  reindeer  and 
musk-ox,  for  summer  use.     Having  to  wait  many  weeks  for  the  opening 


;j93 


fNTEliVIEW   WITH   ES:^UIMAUX. 


N 


of  Ihe  nvers,  it  was  ,1.  .ni.ldlc  of  J..,,  ,„,,,,  ,„.  sea  was  rcachccl,  and 
asth.K-cin  tho  channels  was  s.ill  inMx.nc.traI>Ie,  suv.ra!  weeks  n.ore 
were  occnpied  in  exploring  the  various  rivers  which  had  their  n.ouths 
near  the  ponit  where  the  Coppermine  llncls  an  outlet. 

Their  advance   along  the  coast,  when    once  it    l.egan,  was  verv  slow 
own,g  to  the  still   comparatively    in>penetrahle   condition  of  the  ice-   uul 
the    place   where    the  boats  were   left   the   prece.ling   autumn,   was'  not 
reached  until  the  34th  of  July.     The  boats  were  found  nn.ch  broken   up 
by  the  action   of  the    ice,  which  had   invaded  the  inlet  where    thev   were 
left,  and  also  Iw  the  Esquima.,x,  who  had  dismantled  them  of  hin^e  por 
tions  of   ^voodwork,  that   they  n.ight  obtain  the  iron    an<l  copper  used  in 
then-  construction.      The   tents,   oil-cloths,   and    part  of  the  sails  still   re- 
mamed   unmjure.l,  and   were  made   extremely  useful   to  Mr.   Rae     who 
was  dl  supplied    wi,'     these  articles.     The  r«r/}.  of  pemmican  and  pow- 
der  was  also    unt.>uched,  its  covering  of  snow  probably  causing  it  to  es- 
cape  detection. 

Passing  on  to  the  west,  they  soon  came  to  the  point  where  the  search 
had  ],ecn  concluded  the  previous  season,  being  also  the  most  convenient 
though  not  the  nearest  point  from  which  Wollaston  Land  could  be 
reached.  Indeed,  it  ^vas  not  only  unnecessary  to  go  further,  but  also  im- 
possd^le;  ior  the  junction  here  of  the  rough  hummocks  on  one  side  and 
the  steep  clifl^  on  the  other,  made  further  thought  of  passage  useless. 
They  p.tchecl  their  tents  on  the  top  of  a  clilT  and  waited  for  the  first 
favorable  change  in  tlie  sea. 

A  fesv  days  after  this  the  Esquimaux  interpreter  and  one  of  the  men 
when  some  distance  inland  lookitig  for  game,  overtook  live  Esquimaux' 
who  were  traveling  toward  the  interior  with  a  lo.ul  of  iish.  From  these' 
It  was  lound  that  the  sea-ice  had  begun  breaking  up  onlv  the  day  before 
the  party  had  arrive.l  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine.  These  natives 
also  testified  that  they  had  been,  dming  the  winter,  in  company  with  the 
Esqun.iaux  of  Wollaston  Land,  and  that  the  latter  had  never  ^een  Euro- 
peans,  large  ships,  or  boats. 

Their  detention  here  was  very  long  and  tedious.     Several   <rales  of 
wind  occurred  from  the  south,  but  the  space  of  open  water  was  so  s.nall 


!|: 


ij 


304 


RETURN  TO    THE  COPPERMINE. 


'•'i 


I     - 


that  little  cnTect  upon  the  ice  was  ohservahle.  The  situation  was  tanta- 
lizin-  in  the  extreme  to  all  the  party.  Occasionally  at  tiie  time  ..C  tlu- 
tide  a  lead  of  water  would  appear,  a  mile  or  so  in  length,  and  wide 
cnoufrh  to  admit  of  the  passa<,'e  of  a  boat.  Everything  would  be  ;,t 
once  prepared  for  launching;  when  suddenly,  some  adverse  circumsiant-e 
would  cause  the  opening  tcj  grow  narrow,  until  no  longer  safe  for  boat 
or  man  to  venture  in. 

The  ice  continued  drifting  to  and  fro  with  the  tides,  without  separat- 
ing sufficiently  to  allow  of  passing   among   it,  till  the    19th   of  August, 
when  there  seemed  to  he  more  oix;n  water  to  seaward  than  liatl  yet  bet'n 
seen.     After  waiting  for  some   hours   for   a   troublesome   pack    near   the 
shore,  to  disperse,  they  at  hist  pushed  off;  and  after  many  narrow  escapes 
from  being  squeezed,   they   at   last   reached    comparatively  open    water-, 
where  they  had  soon  to   use    their   oars.      They    had   pulled    more    tliaii 
seven  miles,  when  they  came  to  a  stream  of  ice,  so  close   packed  and   so 
rough  that  they  could  neither  pass  over   nor  through  it.      Under  thoc 
circumstances    it    was    thougiit   advisable  to  return   to   the  mam   shoiv, 
where  tiiey  landed  the  next  day.      On   the   very  next  day  wind  began  to 
blow  from  the  northeast,  and  in    four   hours   not   a   perch  of  open   water 
was  to  l)e  seen— nothing  but  a  continuous  sheet  of  white,  solid  drift  ice. 
As  the  fine  weather  had  now  evidently  broken  uj),  no  course  remained 
but  to  retreat  to  tlie  Coppermine  and  Ft.   Confidence.     An  accident  oc- 
curred in  ascending   the    Coppermine    wiiich    had   even   more    effect    in 
dampening  the  spirits  of  the  party  than  the   failure   to   reach    Wollaston 
Land.     They  liad  successfully  ascended  the   river  to  what  wa^  known  as 
the  "Bloody  Falls,"   marking  the  beginning  of  a   series  of  intricate  an.l 
dangerous  rapids.    It    had    been   the   custom,   in  former  ascents  of  these 
rapids,  to  draw  the  boats  along  the  bank,  till  the  most  dilHcult  portion  was 
23assed,and  then  to  launch  the  boat  and  tow  it  up  over  the  remainder  of  the 
distance.  As  the  boat  of  our  voyagers  was  exceedingly  woin  am!  unsul)-* 
stantial,it  was  thought  best  to  do  the  same  in  this  case.  All  that  appeaiv.l 
to  be  of  any  difficulty  was  easily  accomplished,  and  there   was   only  .me 
short  place  to  be  ascended,  which  was  so  smooth  that  a  loaded  ])oat  mi^ht 
have  passed   it;    here,    liowevcr,    from  some    unaccountable    cause,    the 


'1,1 


THE  INTERPRETER  DROWNED.  808 

steersman  was  seized  with  a  sudden  panic,  and  called  to  those  towin- 
the  boat  to  slack  the  line.  This  was  no  sooner  done  suiHcientlv  to  allovv 
iiun  to  get  llrm  footing,  than  he  leaped  on  shore,  followed  by  the  Ix.w- 
man,  and  allowed  the  boat  to  sheer  into  the  cnrrent,  when  the  line  broke, 
and  the  boat  was  hurried  down  stream  into  an  eddy.  To  this  point  Rae' 
and  Albert,  the  i.iterpreter,  ran,  and  stationed  themselves  at  two  points  of 
rock  near  which  the  wreck  would  pass.  Misunderstanding  an  order  of 
the  commander,  the  Esquimaux  leaped  into  the  boat  when  it  was  near 
enough,  and  both  were  swept  away  together.  The  native  was  finally 
thrown  out  and  sank,  not  to  appear  again.  The  occurrence  was  much 
regretted,  as  the  young  man  was  greatly  liked  for  his  activity,  lively  and 
amiable  disposition,  and  extreme  goodness. 

Rae's  failure  to  cross  to  Wollaston  Land,  is  attributable,  not  at  all  to 
lackof  skillorbravery-buttothe  impassable  condition  of  the  ice  in 
the  strait  which  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  traverse.  His  mortifica- 
tion from  his  failure  was  very  keen,  and  much  more  severe  than  he  saw 
fit  to  <lisplay  in  his  official  report.  lie  was,  in  realitv,  a  vcrv  brave  an<I 
intelligent  man,  and  received,  as  he  deserved,  the  approbation  of  the 
Ihitisli  Government. 

Having  now  finished  the  story  cf  Mr.  Rae's  search  vovagc,  we 
revert  to  the  experiences  of  Dr.  Richardson,  and  the  remainder\.f  the 
party,  during  the  summer  of  1849.  On  the  7th  of  May  they  took  their 
leave  of  Rae,  who  had  not  yet  left  Ft.  Confidence  to  descend  the  Cop- 
permine, and  proceeded  to  Ft.  Franklin,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Great 
Hear  Lake.  As  they  anticipated  some  difficulty  in  na.vigating  Bear  Lake 
River,  which  flows  out  of  Great  Bear  Lake  into  the  MacKenzie,  a  few 
miles  below  Ft.  Norman,  a  barge  had  been  ordered  which  was  to  meet 
them  at  the  head  of  the  river.  They  waited  over  a  month  for  the  barge 
when  some  men  appeared  who  reported  that  the  river  was  not  yet  open. 
They  now  decided  to  descend  the  river  at  once,  and  send  the  barge, 
back  for  the  stores.  Most  of  the  expedition  started  in  a  fishing-boat'; 
l)ut  two  of  them  were  instructed  to  follow  along  the  bank  of  the  river 
on  foot,  each  carrying  with  him  his  own   bedding   and   provision.     One 


<l 


the   men,  named   Brodie,  struck  into  the  inter 


ior  to  avail  himself  of  a 


!1  ! 


'  a 


lij 


300 


APPIiOVAL   OF   THE  A/)M/RA//rr. 


short  c-ut,  and  iiol  soon  lejoiniii-j^  tlu-   party,  was  supposed  to  i.c  lost,  ami 
consuierahlc    apprehension    was    fl-U    lor    his   safety.      It    was    afterward 
found  that,   wiien  lie  detected  the  faet   of  his  wailvin-   in   the    wron-  di- 
rection,  he  he.t,'an  to  run,  as  is  nsnal    in    snch    eases,   till    he   came    to   the 
bank  of  a  tortuous  stream,  and  bein<if  a  fearless  swimmer,  swam  aeross  It, 
carryin<j  his  clothes  on  his  head.     The  river   comin<,'   a.Lcain    in   his   wav, 
he  crossed   it   a  second  time  in  like  manner,  hut  on  the  last    occasion   hi^ 
Inmdle  slipped  away  from  him,   and    lloated    oil",  while    he    re,i,Mined    the 
bank  in  a  state  of  perfect   nudity.      After  a    few    moments'  reflection  he 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  without  clothes  he  must   jjerish,  and  that    hi- 
mi<,dit   as  well  he  drowned  in  tryin<r  to  recover  them,  as   to  attempt  pn.- 
ceedinjj:  naked.      On  this  he  plun<,n;d  in  aj^ain,  and  this  time  succeeded  in 
landinjr  safely  w.th  his  habiliments.   He  soon  discovered  his  whereabouts, 
and  rejoined  tlie  partv. 

This  adventure  is  related  to  illustrate  what  a  traveler  in  these  wilds 
was  liable  to  encounter,  and  as  an  example  of  what  happened  to  all  ,.| 
the  seamju  of  this  expedition.  None  of  them  could  be  tau<rht  that  they 
were  liable  to  such  accidents,  till  they  learned  it  })y  experience.  One 
man  who  thus  strayed  wa^,  wh^n  found,  c(mtentedly  steenn<,r  f,,r  the 
moon,  which  l)ein<,r  near  the  horizon,  and  streaminj,^  red  throu<rii  the  for- 
est, was  mistaken  l)y  him  for  the  fire  of  the  men'^  bivouac. 

The  ascent  of  the  MacKen/ie,  and  the  subsequent  journey  to  Can- 
ada, and  finally  back  to  (ireat  Britain,  was  not  attended  with  any  inci- 
dent worthy  of  note,  and  the  party  of  Richardson  landed  at  Liverpool 
on  the  6th  of  November,  after  an  absence  of  nineteen  months,  twelve  of 
them  passed  in  incessant  travelinjr.  Richardson  made  no  delay  in  pre- 
sentin;^-  himself  to  the  admiralty,  and  makin-  a  full  report  of  his  pn.- 
cecdin<4-s,  which  elicited  from  their  lordships  a  uniform  expression  ,,f 
approbation.  His  narrative  was  afterward  published  in  book  form, 
which  volume,  with  its  rich  fund  of  incident  and  adventure,  and  thor- 
ough analysis  of  all  observed  phenomena,  stands  among  the  classics  of 
Arctic  literature. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


KX.MU>,Tn,N  VSVKH  SIK  .,AMKS  r.  U„SS_,NSTUUCTI«NS  OK  TMK  AD- 
M.KALTV-,.UK,.AKATr(..VS-UPKHNAVIK-IN  A  ..ACK-MAXWKI.,. 
HAV-  -A  .VOVK,.  KXI-EUIKXT-SPKINO  OCCUPATIONS— rUKKK  SUU- 
VKVINC;  I-ARTIHS-AN  ARCTIC  MOUSK— WKI.MVG TON  CHANNEL— 
MPS-.MP.USONK,)  -A  MIUACUMurs  KSCAPK-A  KOHckO  HK- 
TKKAT       COMMKNTS    ON     ARCTIC'    NAVKJATION. 

I'n..ni.,c..l  anion-  those  who  en-a-cd  in  tlic  discussion  cnccrning 
llu.  probable  whereabouts  of  Frankh-n,  and  in  the  eventual  efforts  made 
I.,  relieve  that  distin-uislied  navi-ator,  was  Sir  James  C.  Ross,  of  whom 
special  mention  has  already  been  made.  The  three  expeditions  planned 
in  ..S47,an.l  execute.l  in  1S4S,  have  been  referred  to  in  a  preceding 
chapter.  They  were  based  mainly  upon  tb.e  instructions  under  which 
!•  ranklin  sailed,  upon  known  conditions  existing  in  the  northern  seas, 
and  upon  the  conjectured  course  of  Franklin,  in  case  of  failure  or 
cnuM^Ljencv. 

The   expedition  which  was   regarded   at  the   time  as  of  most  impor- 
tancc,  was  the  one  destined  to  Lancaster   Sound.     It  had  for  its  object  to 
take  up  the  route  followed  by   Franklin,  and  by  diligently  searching 
for  any  signal-posts  he   might   have  erected,  to  trace   him  out   and   carry 
the  required  relief  to  his  exhausted  crews.    For  such  an  enterprise  as  this, 
none  were  thought  to  be  better  fitted  by  ability  and  experience  than  the' 
<laring  commander  whose    name  heads   the  chapter.     In  company  with 
hi.  distinguished   uncle,  he    had   already  traversed  many  portions  of  the 
globe,  and  iiad  acquainted  himself  extensively  and  m  a  practical  manner 
witli  all   branches  of  the   nautical   science.     Pertinent  to  this  particular 
undertaking,  he  had  planted  the  British  Hag  upon  the  magnetic  pole,  and 
iK'ul  learned   by  experience    the   peculiarities  of  Arctic  sailing,  and  the 

:iarriers  of  the  north.     Considt 


ianceu\ 


necessi 


amoi 


897 


nng 


308 


INSTPUCTrONS. 


these  ciiijilillcjitions,  as  well  as  the  practical  wisdom  exhihitcrl  in  Ross' 
discussion  of  the  then  alUnhsorbinf,' questit  .1,  the  admiralty  had  no  ht-si- 
tation  in  piacinj^  him  at  the  head  of  this  important  expedition. 

The  facts  upon  which  his  plan  was  based  will  siiiliciently  appear  from 
the  followiiifj  ((notations,  drawn  from  his  letter  of  advice  to  the  admi- 
ralty: "As  vessels  destined  to  f)l!ow  the  track  of  the  expedition  must 
necessarily  encounter  the  same  diiKcultics,  and  he  liable  to  the  samo  se- 
vere  pressure  from  the  great  body  of  ice  they  must  pass  throu<,'h  in  their 
way  to  Lancaster  Sound,  it  is  desirable  that  two  ships  of  not  less  tliaii 
500  tons  ])e  purchased  for  this  service,  and  fortified  and  eciuipped  in  every 
respect  as  were  the  Erebus  and  Terror  for  v\ntarctic  seas. 

"  Each  ship  should,  in  addition,  be  supplied  with  a  small  vessel  or 
launch  of  about  twenty  tons,  which  she  could  hoist  in,  to  be  fitted  with  a 
steam  engine  and  boiler  of  ten-horse  power,  for  a  purpose  to  be  hereafter 
noticed. 

"The  ships  should  sail  at  the  close  of  April,  184S,  and  proceed  to 
Lancaster  Sound  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  carefully  searching  Ix.ih 
shores  of  that  extensive  inlet,  and  of  Barrow's  Strait,  and  then  progress 
to  the  westward. 

"As  soon  as  the  formation  of  water  along  the  coast  between  the  land 
and  the  main  hody  f)f  the  ice  admitted,  the  small  steam  launch  should 
be  .lispatched  into  Lancaster  Souutl,  to  communicate  with  the  whale 
ships  at  the  usual  time  of  their  arrival  in  those  regions,  by  which  nieaiis 
infonnation  of  the  safety  or  return  of  Sir  John  Franklin  might  be  eon- 
veyed  to  the  ships  before  their  liberation  from  their  winter  quarters,  as 
well  ;;s  any  further  Instructions  the  Lords  Commissioners  might  he 
pleased  to  send  for  their  future  guidance. 

"  The  easternmost  ship  having  been  safely  secured  in  winter  quarters, 
the  other  ship  should  proceed  alone  to  the  westward,  and  endeavor  to 
reach  \Vintcr  Harbor,  in  Melville  Island,  or  some  convenient  port  in 
Bank's  Land,  in  which  to  pass  the  winter. 

«  From  this  point,  also,  parties  should  be  dispatched  early  in  sprin<T, 
before  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice.  The  first  should  trace  the  western 
coast  of  Bank's  Land,  and,  proceeding  to  Cape  Bathurst,  or  some  other 


PliEPARATlONS. 


800 


ronspuv,.o,.s  point  on  tlu-  continn.t,  previously  asrcc.l  on  with  Sir  [ohn 
K.c-hanlson,  .vach  .1,.  Ihuison's  May  Cnipany's  settlement  of  Ft.  (Jood 
Hope,  on  the  MacKen/.ie,  whence  they  may  travel  sonthwar.l  I,v  the 
-M.al  route  of  ,!,.  tra.lers  to  York  Factory,  an.l  thence  to  Kuj^laml,  as 
soon  as  convenient. 

"  The  second  party  should  explore  the  eastern  shore  of  Hank's  I... 
a.Kl    inakin-   lor  Cape   Krusenstern,  communicate  with    Sir  [ohn  Rich- 
.r.ison's  party  on  ils  dcscen.linjr  the  Coppermine  River,  and  'either  assist 
l>i.n  m  cnmpletin^^   the  examination  of  Wollaston  and  Victoria  Land,  or 
return  to  Hn.^dand  hy  any  route  he  should  direct. 

"These  two  parties  would  pass  over  that  space  in  which  most  proba- 
bly tin.  ships  have  become  involved,  if  a.  all,  and  would,  therefore,  have 
the  iK-st  chance  of  communicatin-  to  Sir  Job.,  Fra.ddin  information  of 
the  measures  that  have  been  adopted  for  his  relief,  and  of  .lirectino-  him 
to  Ihc  hcst  point  to  proceed,  if  he  should  consider  it  i,ccessary  to  abandon 
hi--  ships. 

"OlIuT  part.es  may  be  .hspatched,  as  mi-ht  appear  desirable  to  the 
connnan.lcr  of  the  expedition,  accor.lin-  to  circumstances;  but  the  steam 
hnnuhcs  should  certainly  be  employed  to  keep  up  the  communication 
^cl^^cen  the  ships,  ,o  transmit  such  information  for  the  -uiuance  of  each 
elhcr  as  n.i^ht  be  necessary  Ibr  the  safety  and  success  of  the  u.uler- 
t;ikin<,f." 

This  plan  has  been  ^iven  thus  fully,  partly  because  it  foreshadows 
and  exphnns  the  voyage  about  to  be  describe,  and  partly  because  it 
shmvs  with  what  completeness  of  detail  and  j^n-asp  of  the  subject  these 
.•..te.pnsm-  statesmen  were  wont  to  project  their  schemes.  Owing  to 
varyin.^- circumstances  all  the  details  of  this  scheme  could  not  be  tt.ily 
^■='nird  nut;  for,  as  we  have  seen  already,  Richardson  did  not  be-in  he 
csploration  of  Wollaston  Land,  nor  di<l  he  have  opportunitv  to  conv 
ninnicate  with  Ross'  vessels  at  all,  a.id  it  was  not  until  after  his  retur.i  to 
I'-.'.-l.MHl  that  he  became  fully  apprised  of  the  proceedings  of  that  otHccr, 
and  of  the  state  of  the  search. 

The  xvork  of  fitting   up  vessels   for  the  use  of  the   expedition   becran 
eany  ,n   the  season   of  ,848;  but   as   very  elaborate  preparations  were 


i  t  (tl  I'i 

VIU 

'       i 

(|>> '  ' '  1  iBi  H 

' 

fij: 

III 

||j 

*  9 

11' 

lIRn 

,'i 

ff  f   ' ' 

1    k 

400 


/A^     t    I'ACh 


(Ir,  ll 


ni.KU-,  liic  iiiiiiiiiLjcMmMiK   wciv  11..1    rom|)l.li<l    mitit    )mu-.     Tlic    vi«sm-I> 
clioscii    wi'iv   111,     lliit.  rprisc,  ..r   |v   Inns,   m.l    ih.'    Iiivt-sli-;,t,,i ,  ..f   |,S(, 

I'ls   mimlicii'il    1^:^    MiiiK, 
|'^iiii;inl  ill    \\\v    |';Mli'r|iri«,t';  mikI    with    him    sviTc  Liciils. 


Ions  luiilluii,  ;itiil  III.-  ( (iiiiliitu'd  iifus  .iihI    .>lli 


V 


«>ss    |;||St(l    III- 


M'C'liiiv,    M'C'liiihHk   .iikI    li 


lowiu',  111'  ilu-   riMMici    iwii  (>r  whom    iiinri 


w 


ill   In-   lu-;ii(l    luiiMrUr.       IMic    Iiivi-sli'Ml 


or  \v 


!•:.  ).  Uinl. 


;is  loinm.iniird   hy   C';i|)t. 


Thi'  i'\|u-(lilioii  Misc!  sail  Mil  ihi-   iJlh  ..riimc,  ;m<l  iiMdic.l  the   Dan 
prniav  iU,  siiiiaii'd    dii    oiicuriJu-    -_;r,)n|)  ol'  Wniiiair 


isji  M'llli'iiun 


I  Ml'  I 


IsiaiKJs,  oil  thi'  wi'sU-iii  shoif  of  lialliiiV  r.a\,  <iii  llu-  hih  ,.1'   )iiU.      |' 
iii'4  liiioii-h   ihis    iiia/c  t.r  islands    and    ii  <•    lhc\    wcic    made    I'asi 
jolh  to  an  ii-riuT-    a'^iomid  ol'  C'api'    SharkK^lon.        Dmiii-  ihc  nr\l   I 
(liiys  M'ssids  wiMr  lowed  l.\    llinr  lamuhrs  ihroii-h    sIhmiiis    ol" 
iiiid  oil  Ihc  .'Olh  of   |iil\    had    rcaclud    the   llncc  isjan 


on    .111' 


f\V 


loose  lee 


(Is  (.1    |>alliii,  III    Jali- 


liidi'  71 


\.    r 


u-  season  liad  now   iieeonu'sd  lai  ad\  aneed,  and 


|)i'o:;^ri'ss 


\v 


as  so  malerially  impi'ded  liy  lahns  and  li-iil   winds,  1  jial  Ixipe  oC 


;U(  oiii- 


plishiii'^  mik-h  lielore  winUT  should  sc>|  in,  was  preehidi 


N 


o  jiains  were  spaii-d,  liowi'\-er,  lo  use  eveiv  opporiimii  v  of  piishin. 


lu'a\  \-  hrt'e/.e   arose  wh 


U'll 


forward;  and  liiiall\,  on  ilu'  joth  ol"  An^iisi, 

drovi'  the  ships  thi-ou-h  a    ihiik    pack  of  iee,  in    llu-  midsl  of   whieh,  had 

tlu'\    l.ei'ii    eompelli'.i    to    stoj),    Itoth    ships    wonid    ha\c    hei-ii    iiie\ilahl\' 


ciiislied 


As    il    was,  some   daniaLTr  was    nei'ivi   li)v    llu-ni,  lhon"li  I 


or- 


tunaleU   lu-illuT  was  disahlcHl.      lIa\in->-   n 


ow    i  Tossed    Uallm 


liav.    the 


Uiips  slood  ill  lo  Pond's    Inlet;  lint  lhou;^h  they    ki-i)t  close  to   shore,  and 
nade  ii-|)(.-aled   signals,  no  vt'sli;4e  of  ICstpmn  iii\  or   other  1 


could  hi'  seen.     On  ihe  jhth  lhe\-  arrived  oil"  1 


imnan   iieni^s 


ossi--sion  I5ay,  and  a  paitv 


:iriv,  on   that  mmv 


was  sent  on  shoit.'  to  seanh  for  any  Irai'i's  ol"  ihe  evpedilioii  having- 
touched  at  this  general  ])()inl  ol"  rc-iidczvoiis.  NothiiiL;-  was  found  liere 
oxci  pt  Ihe  paper  iiH-orditi^-  tlu'  visit  of  Sir  lalward  1' 
day  (the  :;()th)  in  iSk).  Thoy  examined  the  coast  wi-slward  l"rom  this 
point  with  -n-al  care,  and  on  (i.c  ' :  '  ol"  Septcmhcr  arrived  oil"  f 
\'oik    (on  Lancaster   Sound),  !ca\  :;•.     iien    abtuidant    land 


:ine 


marks  toi    1  he 


l)ciiolit  of  anv  vvlio  niitrht  folio 


IV  :     ,I.J     i'    I. 


w 


c  now,"  says  Koss,  "stood  over  toward  Northeast  Cajjc,  until  wi 


i|l|f|'|f|('^l;!P'|l!|j!|ij-||i(|jf||iM 


2(i 


40t 


ill'  ,l'« 


f,..j 


4(3 


A  NOVEL   EXPEDIENT. 


;rlr 


•m 


came  in  with  the  edge  of  a  pack  too   dense  for  iis  to  penetrate,  lying'  be- 
tween   us  and  Leopold  Island,  about  fourteen    miles  broad ;  we  therefore 
coasted  the    north  shore  of  Harrow's   Strait,  to    seek  a   harlx).  further   to 
the  westward,  and  to  examine  the  numerous  inlets  of  that  shore.     Max- 
Aveil  Hay  and   several    smaller   indentations,  were  thoroughly   explored, 
and,  although  we  got  near  the  entrance  of  Wellington  Channel,  the  firm 
barrier  t.f  ice  which  stretched  across  and  had   not  ])roken  away  this   sea- 
son, convinced  us  that  all  was  impracticable  in  that  direction.      We  now 
stood  to  the  southwest  to  seek  for  a  harbor  near  Cape  Rennell,  but  found 
a   heavy   body  of  ice  extending   from  the  west  of  Cornwallis  Land  in  a 
compact   mass,  to    Leopold    Island.      Coasting  along   the   pack    durin;-- 
stormy  and    foggy  weather,   we  had   ditliculty  in   keeping  the  ships   free 
during  the  night,  for  I  believe  so  great  a  quantity  of  ice  was  never  before 
seen  in  P>arrow's  Strait  at  this  period  of  the  season." 

Fortune  at  last  smiled  upon  them,  and  the  pack  was  passed   in  safety. 

The  ships  were  secured   in  Leopokl  Harbor  on  the  nth  of  September 

a  most  desirable  situation,  being  at  the  junction  of  the  four  great  chan- 
nels of  Barrow's  Strait,  Lancaster  Sound,  Prince  Regent  Inlet,  and 
Wellington  Channel.  In  case  Franklin,  having  abandoned  his  ships, 
should  attempt  a  retreat  through  any  one  of  the  above-mentioned  chan- 
nels, it  was  plain  that  he  must  be  apprised  of  the  presence  of  these  ships 
in  the  vicinity. 

On  the  very  day  following  this  fortunate  occurrence,  the  main  pack 
closed  in  with  the  land,  and  completely  sealed  the  mouth  of  the  liarbor. 
As  the  beginning  of  the  long  Arctic  night  was  near  at  hand,  haste  was 
now  matle  to  complete  tKe  preparations  for  the  winter.  This  was  acconi- 
l)lishcd  on  the  i3th  of  October,  about  the  time  when  the  sun  sank  out  of 
sight  for  his  long  period  of  alienation.  The  winter  was  usefully  spent  in 
exploring  on  foot  all  the  iidets  and  unknown  points  in  reach,  both  witii 
reference  to  discovering  traces  of  Franklin,  and  also  in  order  to  promote 
the  accuracy  of  the  British  charts.  A  novel  expedient  was  adojjted  for 
the  25urpose  of  extending  to  the  lost  navigators  knowledge  of  the  prox- 
imity of  assistance.  Ross  caught  large  numbers  of  white  foxes,  and, 
after    inscribing  copper  collars  with  information  concerning   the  where- 


PRINCE  REGENT'S  INLET.  453 

abouts  of  the  ships  and  the  depot  of  provisions,  and  clinching  them  about 
.he  ncci<s  of  the  animals,  released  them.  It  was  known  that  a  party,  in 
case  oclearth  of  food,  would  naturally  seek  much  after  these  animals,"  and 
■t  was  hoped  that  the  four-footed  naessengers  mij,ht  be  of  service  in  trans- 
.n.ttn.g  the  desir.'  intelligence.  The  same  idea  was  used  by  Parry 
years  befbre.  He  had  left  medals  with  the  Esquimaux  on  the  shori 
wh.ch  he  v,s,te,l,so  that  in  case  a  rescue  party  was  necessary,  they  nught 
the  more  readdy  come  upon  the  desired  data. 

The  months  of  April  and  May  ue.e  occupied  by  Capt.  Ross,  Lieut. 
MChntockand  a  party  of  twelve  n.en,  in  examining  and  thoro.^h,. 
explonug  all  the  inlets  and  smaller  indentations  of  the  northern^nd 
western  coasts  of  Boothia  Peninsula,  in  which  any  ships  nnght  have 
-und  shelter  From  the  high  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cape  Bunnv, 
Capt.  Ross  obtained  a  xery  extensive  view,  and  observed  that  the  whole 
space  between  it  and  Cape  Walker  to  the  west,  and  Wellington  Chan- 
nel to  the  north,  svas  occupied  by  very  heavy,  bummocky  ice' 

"  The  examination  of  the  coast,"  says  Sir  James,  "was  pursued  until 
the  5th  of  ]..n.,  when,  having  consumed  n.ore  than  half  our  provisions 
an.l  the  strength  <,f  the  party  being  n.uch  reduce.l,  I  was  reluctantly' 
con,pelled  to  abandon  An-ther  operations,  as  it  was,  moreover,  necessary 
to  g.ve  the  men  the  day  of  rest.  But  that  the  time  n.ight  not  be  wholly 
lo.<  I  proceecled  with  two  hands  to  the  extreme  south  point  in  si-dnt 
I'o.n  our  encampment,  distant  about  eight  or  nine  miles  " 

This   extren.e  poh.  is  situate.1   in    latitude  7-  38'  N.,  and   longitude 
9.    40     ^^--'  -on  the  west  face  of  a  small  elevated  peninsula.'    The 
state  o,   the  atmosphere  being,  at  the  tin.e  of  Ross' observation,  peculiarly 
avnahle   for   d,stn,ctness  of  vision,   land   of  any   great   elevat.on    n^LdU 
have  oeen  seen  at   the  distance  of  .00  n.iles.     Bearing   nearly  <U,e   so^th 
.|-n   here,  about  fifty  ndles  away,  Ross  discovered  the  highest  cape  on 
the  coast.     Prince  Regent's  Inlet  was  fbund    to  be   separated    from  the 
western  seas  by  a   narrow  neck   of  land.      Upon  examination  the  ice  in 
th.s  <,uarter  proved  to  be  eight  feet  thick.     A  conspicuous  cairn  of  stones 
u-..,s  erecte<!  n,  the  vicinity,  and  on  the  6th  of  June  they  began    their  re 
t-"  to  the  ships.     Here  they  arrived  after  a  journey  of  seCenteen  days 


Uil 


ll 


l.=* 


404 


RELICS   OF  FORMER    VOYAGES. 


'i%-^V 


SO  completely  worn  out  ])y  fatigue  that  for  several  weeks  every  man  was, 
for  some  cause  or  other,  in  the  doctor's  hands.  Upon  their  arrival 
they  found  that  during  their  alisence  Mr.  Matthias,  the  assistant  surgeon 
of  llu'  ICnterprisc,  had  died  of  consumption,  and  that  the  health  of  many 
mori'  was  declining. 

While  iioss  was  alisent  Commander  Bird  hatl  dispatched  several  sur- 
veying parties  in  dilFerent  directions.  Lieut.  Barnard  took  charge  of  the 
first,  which  proceeded  along  the  north  coast  of  Barrow  vStrait,  cross- 
ing the  ice  to  Cape  Ilurd;  Lieut.  Browne  led  a  second  to  the  extreme 
shore  of  i'rince  Regent's  Inlet;  and  a  third  party  of  six  men,  conducted 
hy  Lieut.  Rohinson  along  the  western  shore  of  the  inlet,  extended  their 
examination  of  the  coast  as  far  as  Creswell  Bay,  several  miles  to  the 
southward  of  Fury  Beach.  The  house  in  wliich  Sir  John  Ross  had 
wintered  in  1833-3,  was  found  still  standing,  together  with  a  quantitv  of 
stores  and  provisions  of  one  of  the  ships  lost  in  1S27.  On  opening  some 
of  the  packages,  their  contents  of  flour,  peas,  and  meat  were  found  in  a 
state  of  excellent  preservation,  and  the  portable  souj)  as  wholesome  as 
when  first  manufactured.  The  labors  of  all  these  parties  were  curtailed 
and  hindered  by  the  sufFerings  of  the  individuals  from  snow-blindness, 
sprained  ankles,  and  debility. 

By  these  excursions  taken  in  connection  with  the  expedition  incident- 
ally referred  to  of  Mr.  Rae  in  1S47,  t'^'^  whole  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet 
and  the  Gulf  of  Boothia  was  examined,  with  the  exception  of  160  miles 
between  l'"ur\'  Beach  and  Lord  Mayor's  Bay,  and  as  there  were  no  indi- 
cations of  the  ships  having  touched  on  any  part  of  the  coast  so  narrowly 
traced,  il  seemed  to  Commander  Ross  certain  that  they  had  not  attempted 
to  fnid  a  passage  in  that  direction. 

On  this  accoiuit  he  decided  that  it  was  hest  to  press  on  to  the  wc^t 
as  soon  as  his  ships  should  become  liberated.  The  chief  hope  now  cen- 
tered in  the  efforts  of  Sir  John  Richardson;  for  he  concluded  that  Sir 
John  I'ranklin's  ships  must  have  penetrated  so  far  beyond  Melville 
Island  as  to  induce  him  to  prefer  to  make  for  the  continent  of  America, 
rather  than  to  seek  for  aid  from  the  whalers  in  Baffin's  Bay.  The  crews, 
weakened    hy    excessive    exertion,    were   now  in   a    very    unlit  state  to 


nESEr. 


40,-> 


accomphsl.   the    heavy    lal^or    which   they    were    obliged    ,o  undertake, 
'•"t  all  hands  wh.,  were  strong  enough  to  use  an  ax  or  a  saw,  were  set  to 
uork  to  cut  a  channel  towanl  the  point  of  the  harbor,  a  distance  of  son,e. 
what  n.ore  than  two  nules.      ^^y  dint  of  extra  exertion   the   passa-^e  was 
completed,  and  the  ships  cleared  <,n   the  .8th  of  August.      Jie^.re '^akin.. 
Ilnal   leave  of  the   harbor,  however,  a  house    was  built  and  covere.l  with 
such  of  the  ship's  housing   material  as   coul.l  be   dispensed  uith.      fn  the 
h<.use  were   left  provisions,  fuel,  etc.,  for    the    twelvemonth's  supply  of  a 
large   party,  an<l    in   a  convenient   place  was    n^oored    the   steam    humeh 
helonging   to   the    Investigator.      This   being  seven  feet  longer   than  the 
other,  made  a  fine   vessel,  capable,  if  necessary,  of  convevh.g  Sir    John 
Prankhn's  whole  party  to  safe  quarters  with  the  whalers  in  JJanin's"liay 
U  was  now  decided  to   proceed  to  the  north  side  of  Barrow's  Strait 
t.T  the    purpose  of  examining    Wellington    Channel,   and   of  penetrat' 
.n,.,d   possible,  as   tar   west   as   Alelville  Island;  but  when  about  twelve 
n..Ics   Iron,   the   shore  the   ships   came   upon   the    land    ice,   an<l   it    was 
nnposs.ble  to  proceed  further.     As  they  were  struggli:g  through  the  ice- 
packs and  endeavoring  to  proceed  westward,  a  heavy  gale  brought  upon 
then,   the  loose  ice  through  which  they  had  been  making  their  way    and 
th:s  close  beset  them  for  several  days.      The  vessels  sustained  severe' nips 
tor  son,e  time,  and   were  also  endangered   by  the  piling  up  around   them 
01  great  hummocks,  which  threatened  at  times  to  cover  an.l  overwhelm 
then,.     The   temperature  at  last  fell  to   zero,  and  the   pack  froze  around 
llK'.n  nuo  a   solid  mass.      The  experiences   of  the   next   weeks  are   thus 
described   by  Ross: 

"  We  were  so  circtnnstance.l  that  for  some  days  we  could  not  unship 
the  .udder,  an.l  ^vhen  by  the  laborious  operation  of  sawing  and  ren.ovinl 
tlH'  hummocks  from  under  the  stem,  we  were  able  to  do  so,  we  fcnnul  i'^ 
tw.stcl  and  .lauK.ged;  and  the  ship  was  so  nn.ch  strained  as  to  in- 
crease the  leakage  iVom  three  inches  in  a  tV,rtnight,  to  fourteen  ,laily 
IhcKv  was  stationary  fbr  a  lew  days;  the  pressure  had  so  tokled  ti,e 
l.^ht.r  pieces  over  each  other  and  they  were  so  interlaced  as  to  form 
•H.c  cntn-e  sheet,  extending  from  slmre  to  shore  of -Barrow's  Strait  uuX 
a^  lar  to  the  east  and  west  as  the  eye  could  discern   from    the    mast-lUul 


*■' 


40(1 


mi 


» 


DELIVERANCE. 


while  the  extreme  seventy  of  the  temperature  had   cemented   the  whole 
so  firmly  together  thai  it  appeared  hi-hly  improhahle  that  it  could  breaic 
up  again  this  summer.      In  the  space  which  had  been    cleared    away   for 
unshipping  tlie  rudder,  the  newly   formed    ice    was   fifteen    inches   thici<, 
and    n  some  places  along  the  ship's   side,  the   thirteen. feet   screws  were 
too  sliort  to  work.      We  had  now  fully  made  up  our  minds  that  the  ships 
were  fixed  for  the  winter,  and  dismal  as  tne  prospect  appeared,  it  was  far 
preferable  to   l)eing  carried  along   the   west  coast  of  Baffin's  Hay,  where 
grounded   bergs   are   in  such  lunnbers  upon  the   shallow   bank.,   of  that 
shore    as  to  render  it  next  to  impossible  for  ships  involved  in  a   pack  to 
escape  destruction.    It  was  therefore,  with  a  mixture  of  hope  and  anxiety 
that,  on  the  wind  shifting  to  the  westward,  we  perceived  the  whole  bodv 
of  ice  begin   to  drive   to   the   eastward,  at  the  rate  of  eight  to  ten    miles 
per  day.     Every  effoil  on  our  part  was  totally  unavailing,  for  no  human 
Ijower  could   have    moved  either   of  the  ships  a    single   inch;   they  were 
thus  completely  taken  out  of  our  hands,  and  in  the   center  of  a  field    of 
ice  more  than  fifty  miles  in  circumference,  were  carried  along  the  south- 
ern shore  of  Lancaster  Sound. 

".After  passing  its  entrance,  the  ice  drifted  in  a  more  southerly  direc- 
tion along  the  western  shores  of  Baffin's  Bay,  until  we  were  almost 
abreast  of  Pond's  Bay,  to  the  southward  of  which,  we  observed 
a  great  number  of  icebergs  stretching  across  our  path,  and  pre- 
senting the  fearfi.!  prospect  of  our  worst  anticipations.  But  when  least 
expected  by  us,  our  release  was  almost  miraculously  brought  about. 
The  great  field  of  ice  was  rent  into  innumerable  fnigments,  as  if  bv 
some  unseen   power." 

Every  resource  was  immediately  brought  into  active  use,  and  hy 
packing,  \/arping,  and  sailing,  the  ice  was  cleared,  and  the  ships  reached 
an  open  space  of  water  on  the  35th  of  September. 

"It  is  impossible,"  says  Sir  James,  "to  convey  any  idea  of  the  sen- 
sations we  experienced  when  we  found  ourselves  once  more  at  lilierty, 
while  many  a  grateful  heart  poured  forth  its  praises  and  thanksgiving  to 
Almighty  God  for  this  unlooked-for  deliverance. 

"  The  advance  of  winter  had  now  closed  all  the   harbors  against    us, 


COMMENTS   OiV  AliCTIC   NAVIGATION. 


407 


.111(1  as  it  was  impossible  to  penetrate  to  tiie  westward  throu'^h  the  pack 
In.in  which  we  had  just  been  liberated,  I  made  the  sij^rnal  to  the 
Investigator,  of  va\  intentions  to  return  to  l':n<rland."  After  a  tavora])lc  . 
;ind  imeventful  voyage,  the  ships  arrived  in  England  early  in  November, 
on  the  fifth  of  which  month,  Ross  reported  to  the  admiralty  the  result 
of  his  vo^'ag'j. 

The  accident  which  prevented  this  party  from  examining  the  waters 
nnd  coast  toward  Melville  Island,  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  versatility 
of  the  elements  in  Arctic  regions,  and  the  extreme  nncertaintv  of  the 
future,  even  for  a  short  time,  with  which  a  polar  navigator  must,  of 
iRccssity,  enter  those  unknown  waters.  In  ordinary  seas,  a  few  hours  of 
adverse  wind  simply  drive  a  ship  from  her  course  a  few  miles,  or  hinder 
for  an  hour,  or  a  day,  her  direct  progress;  a  return  of  favorable  breezes 
sutlicing  in  a  short  time,  to  counterbalance  the  temporary  misfortunes. 
I5ul  in  the  latitude  of  almost  perpetual  ice,  no  one  can  predict  what  hour 
the  pack  may  close  about  the  hapless  craft,  and  crush  her  sides  or  im- 
prison her  for  dreary  months  in  a  desolate,  frozen  mass.  When  the 
peculiarities  of  Arctic  navigation  are  considered,  the  marvel  should  l)e, 
not  that  so  little,  but  that  so  much,  has  been  brought  to  light  of  the 
mystery  surrounding  the  "  Storied  Pole." 


IIP]'    \'  v\ 


ll 

I  - 

'J 

\ 

■ 

,  \ 

I    ■  ■ 

\- 

■  1 

« 1 

■i 

[ '    ■( 

'  i 


>V'>\ 


CTT  AFTER     XLV. 

KXI'KDIItCJN     \l.\     lii:ill{|\(;'s      STHAII' TiriC    KHKAI.I)    AND     l'I,()\-KK 

]'lM.l.i;.\'s     lioAl'     jOHHNF.V I,A\l.ASli;i!     SOUND (JKKAT    IMiKI'A- 

KATioNs  -  -  Dist<)\'i;ini:s  —  iiip;  rKiNiK  Ai.iii;i!i'  i{i;rrii  \s  lo 
KN(;i.A\D  si.i;d(;i;  J()i;k\|.;ys  —  riii:  I'laNtK  Ai,i!i:i{  r--A  t  inri- 
CAi,   sni'ArioN — \\iN'ii;i{   on    ijoakd    iiii-;    I'lnMic   amuoki', 

Tlic  sciirch  expedition  7>/a  Hchrin^-'s  .Strait,  was  suj^gestcd  and  or. 
ganizcd  upon  tho  ground,  that  it"  Franklin  succeeded  in  pusliint;-  his  way 
througli  the  western  ice,  and  thus  proved  tlie  existence  of  a  Northwest 
Passa<,fe,  lie  would  likely  be  found  at  or  near  the  coast  of  Russian  Amer- 
ica, frozen  up  in  the  waters  of  that  re^^iou,  or  cruisinjif  a])out  to  add  to  the 
gco<,'raphical  knowledij^e  of  those  comparatively  unknown  parts. 

This   expedition  was   composed   of  the   Herald,  under    Capt.    Kellet, 
and  the  Plover  in  charge  of  Coniniander  Moore.      The  vessels  were  ex- 
pected to  arrive  in  Hehring's  Strait  about  the  ist  t)f  July,  1848,  and  were 
directed  to  i^roceed  along  the  American  coast  as  far  as  possible,  consistent 
with  the  certainty  of  preventi-ng  the  ships  being  beset  by  the  ice.     A  har- 
i)or  was  to  be  sought  for  the  Plover  Svithbi  the  strait,  to  which  that   ves- 
sel was  to  be  conducted,  and  two  whale-boatg  were  to  go  on  to  the  east- 
ward in  search  of  the  missing  voyagers,  and   to  communicate,  if  possible, 
with  tile  Maclvenzie   River  party.      The    Plover  was    fitted    out   in  tlie 
Thames  in    December,  iS^y;  I)ut   baviiig  been  found   unseaworthy,    was 
compelled,  when  she  went  to  sea,  to  put  into   Plymouth    for  repairs,  and 
did   not  liiially  leave  l-^iglaiid  until    February,  1S48.      This  lardy  depart- 
ure, conjoined  with    her   dull   sailing,  prevented   her  from   passing    Hch- 
ring's  Strait  at  all  in  iS|.,S,  but  she  wintered  on  the  Asiatic  coast  just  out- 
side of  the  strait. 

The  Herald  visited  Kotzebue  Sound,  repassed  the  straits  before  the 
arrival  of  tlie  I'lovei-,  and  returned  to  winter  in  South  America,  wiih  the 
intention  of  going  northward  again  next  season. 

408 


GREAT  PliEPARATlONS. 


409 


The  summer  of  ,Sjo  was  spent  l.y  the  two  ves  .Is  in  a  series  of  faith- 
ful explorations,  whose  resnits  a.t.le.l  ,n-eatlv  to  otn-  knowled-^e  of  the 
Russian  seas,  without,  however,  disclosinj^  any  traces  of  Franidin  .„■  his 
men.  Especially  remarkahle  in  connection  with  this  vova.^e  was  -,  l.o.t 
journey  to  the  eastwani  l>y  I.ieut.  PuUen.  Son.e  details  of  this  advo- 
turons  voyage  are  ^iven  hy  lAn,,.  Harper,  in  his  private  correspondence. 
In  tour  open  hoats  they  had  set  out  for  MacKen.ie's  River,  which  they 
.cached  after  a  perilous  voya^^e  of  thirty-two  days.  Ascendn,^  this  river 
thcv  came  to  Fort  Simpson,  where  they  met  Mr.  Rac,  an.l  rcccive.I  an 
account  o(  h,s  r.wn  proceedin^rs  atid  those  of  Dr.  Ricliar.lso,,. 

On  the  30thofjune  of  the  followino-  summer,  the  whole  partv  <.f 
Pullcn,  with  the  servants  of  the  Hudson  Hay  Con.panv  an.l  their  Jiock 
ot  four,  started  f;,r  the  sea  to  emhark  for  Fnt^land.  On  the  .-,,\.  how- 
ever, tiicy  were  met  hy  a  canoe  containinjr  dispatches  from  admiraltv  or. 
-Icnn^  the  search  for  Franklin  to  be  resume.I  alon^  the  Arctic  ^oast 
Stopped  l,y  the  ice,  and  shatterin<,  one  of  his  l,oats  in  the  perilous  at' 
tempt  to  cross  the  northern  channels,  PuUen  was  also  .nrsuccessftd  in  this 
undertakmo",  and  subsequently  returned  to  En<,dand. 

In    the    n.  :;, time,  preparations   fi.r  the   search   by   wav  of  Lancaster 
Sound  were  :..ule  on  a    lar^e   scale.      The    Resolute    waJ  con.nissioned 
oy  Capt.  Horatio  L.  Austin,  and  the  Assistance,  Cap,.  On.nanev,  was 
put  under  h.s  onlers,  to.^.ether  with  the  Pioneer  and  Intrepid,  stean'.  tu^^s 
comn.an.led    l,y    Lieuts.  Osborn  and    Cator.      Capt.  Willian,    Fennv   Tn' 
experienced  whale-fisher,  was  also  en^a^ed  fbr  the  search,  an.l  plam-  in 
—  i  of  the  Lady  Franklin  an,l  the  Sophia.     In  addition  to  these  ex 
P-l.-ons  futclout  hy  the  a<imiralty,  others  furnished  fVon.  private  sources 
showed  the  interest  that  was  widely  and  deeplv  felt  in   the   cause       Capt 
Snjohn  Ross,  In  spite  of  his  advanced  years,  sailed  in  the  Felix  schooner' 
an.l,  as  we  shall  see,  the  United  States  came  forward    in    the    first  of  the' 
Onnnell  expeditions,  a  full   account   of  which  will    be  o-jven  in  its  place- 
Lady  Frankhn    likewise,  with  that    untiring  energy  and    conjugal  devo- 
f-  ^vlm:h  marked  her  conduct  throughout,  dispatched  the  Prince  Albert 
-'<lcr   the  onlers   of  Con.mander   Forsyth,   of    the    Royal    Navy        As 
n.anv  o,   these  were   largely  subordinate  m  thur  objects,  and  unattended 


410 


D/SCO  VElifES. 


r,'r:^r\r 


by  important   results,  the  reader  will  not  W  Ixirdcncd  with  a  detailed  ae- 
coimt  (.f  tlu-ir  adventures.    They  were  all  sent  out  in  (  iS^o)  and  en.-4a,',re(I 
in  searchin<r  the  same  traet,  the  eoasis  on  hoth  sides  of  Lancaster  Sound. 
Overcomin-jf  all  dimculties  from  tlie  Hairm's  15ay  ice  hy  the  powerful 
aid  of  the  steamers,  Capt.  Austin's  sijuadron  readied  the  enlram-e  to  the 
sound   in   July  -Capt.  I'eiuiy's  vessel   foliowin-,'  in  their  wake.       There 
they  separated,  and    while    the    Pioneer    and    the    Resolute    remained   to 
examine  the  nei<rhhorhood  of  Pond's  May,  Capt.  Ommaney  proceeded  to 
Hccchey  Island  and  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  discoverini^-  the  first  traces 
of  Franklin's  expedition  yet  hrou^'ht  to  lijrht.      Capt.  Austin,  his  attend- 
ant steamer.  Penny,  and  tlie  American   squadron,  soon  joined  the  Assist- 
ance    at     Cape     Riley,     and     minute     investigation     only     proved     the 
importance    of  tlie    discoveries,  and   demonstrated    this  to   have  been   the 
scene  of  Franklin's  winter  quarters.      The    site  of  the  encampment    was 
plainly  marked  by  the  various  signs  of  the  former  occupants.    \o  record 
was    found,    however,  and    concerning   the    whereabouts   or   fate   of  tlie 
missing  voyagers,  the    crews    were    no  wiser  than    before..     Papers  were 
left  at  Cape   Riley  by  each  ship   in    its   turn,  and    the  Assistance    landed 
provisions  at  Whaler's  Point   tbr   the   succor  of  Franklin's   crew,  sliould 
they  ever  reach  that  place. 

These  discoveries  were  made  in  August,  and,  as  winter  was  rapidly 
approaching,  little  more  could  be  done  this  season.  Penny  pushed  up 
Wellington  Channel  as  far  as  Cornwallis'  Island,  but  turned  back  l)efbre 
an  impassable  barrier  of  ice,  beyond  which  he  was  chagrined  to  dis- 
cover open  water  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Thi'  Lady  Franklin 
and  Sophia  sought  winter  cpiarters  in  Assistance  Harbor,  at  the  south 
extremity  of  Cornwallis'  Land,  and  they  were  speedily  joined  by  Sir 
John  Ross'  Felix,  while  the  Resolute  and  Assistance,  (.f  Austin,  soon 
became  fastened  in  the  pack  which  filled  up  the  channel  between  (Grif- 
fith's Island  and  Cornwallis'  Land.  The  Prince  Albert  sailed  for  l^ng- 
land  before  winter  set  in;  and  her  example  was  followed  by  the  Advance 
and  the  Rescue  of  the  Americans,  though,  as  subseciucnt  chapters  will 
explain,  fate  had  reserved  for  these  two  a  more  pcrilcus  passage  than  a 
simple  journey  to  New  York. 


-  (iJ 


AUSrrN  ItETVRNS  TO  RNGLAND.  411 

As  the  winter  advanced,  the   hollows  between  the    lunnn.ocks  in  the 
.ce  about   the    vessels   beca.ne    lille.i  up  wi.h   snow,  an.l  sled^nn-,.  parties 
were  orJ,^■nn^e.l.      In    all,  fifteen    sle,l,.es  were  sent    out  with  lo^  ,nen    so 
that  only  seventy-five  remained  to  take  el^n-e  of  the  sl.ips.      Itis  in.pos- 
sihle  to    .ive    any   .letailed    account   of   these    well-p.a,-.ned    and    brave 
atten.pts,  ihe  prosecution  of  which  involve.l  more  hardship  than  had  been 
endured   ihrouj^hout  the  whole  of  the   winter   preceding;.      Fati.rue  from 
-Irawinj.  heavily  loa.le.l  sledj^es  over  ice  often  rou^d,  and  precipitous,  suf- 
)ormj,.  from  exposure  to  the  intense  cold,  from  which  no  an.ount  of  eloth- 
n.,^  could  protect  the  traveler,  and  more  than  all,  the  terrible  snow  blind- 
ness ot   an  Arctic  winter;   all  these  told  heavily  upon  them,  and  to  these 
was  added  the  heavier  weijjht  of  disappointment.      Each   party  retm-ned 
Willi  the  same  sorrowful  response,  "  No  si<rns!" 

Several    parties   from   the    Lady  Franklin   were   se.it  up  Wellin-^ton 
Ciiannel;  one  of  them  Penny  commanded  himself,  and  finding  the  chan- 
■K-I  too  open  to  admit  of  sledj^e  traveling,  he   returned  to  his  vessel,  pro- 
VHlcd    hunself   with  a    boat,   commenced    his  journey  anew,  and    after  a 
scnes  of  adventures   and   difficulties,  which    he   overcame  with   coura<.e 
worthy  of   a  hero,  he  penetrated  up  Queen's  Channel  as  far  as    Barin<r's 
Island  and  Cape   I3eecher,  where,  most  reluctantly,  he  was  compellarto 
t.nn  back.     A  fine  open  sea  stretched  away  to  the  north  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  but  his  boats  were  weak  and   small,  his   men  were  few,  and 
he  ^vas  obliged  to  withsta.ul   the  temptation  to   embark  on  the    bosom  of 
lii.s  n.viting    water.      Penny  really  thought   that    Franklin   had  followed 
th.s  route,  an.l    tiiat  his  ships,  if  ever  fbund,  must   be   looked  for  on   the 
untracked  waters  of  the  Polar  Ocean.     Capt.  Austin,  however,  could  not 
be  persuaded  of  the   truth  of  this  theory,  and   as  nothing  could    be  done 
without  his  co-operation,  Pe.my  was    compelled    to  follow    the   course 
])o,nte<l  out  by  the   ad.niralty  scp.adron,  which,   after   two   InefFectual   at- 
tempts to  enter  Smith's  and  Jones'  Sounds,  returned  to  England. 

I.uiy  Franklin's  vessel,  the  Prince  Albert,  did  not  stay  "to  share  with 
luT  companions  the  inclemencies  of  an  Arctic  Christmas,  but  leavlno- 
them  m  preparation  for  winter,  she  brought  home  the  welcome  hitclir. 
gcnce  of  the  discoveries  at  Becchey  Island,  which  inspired  all  interested 


Jllliti- 


4Vi 


A  CRirrcAL  srruATrox. 


in  Hie  laiisc  witli  a  lively  1i..ik-,  aii<i  si-rvid  not  a  little  to  expedite  prepa- 
rations for  a  comini,'  season.  No  time  was  lost  in  refittin;^'  the  1-  ive  lit- 
tie  craft,  which  was  placed  in  char^^e  of  Mr.  Kennedy.  His  secoml  in 
command  was  f.ient.  IJellot,  that  nohle  volunteer  in  the  cause  of  hinnan- 
ily,  whose  j,'encroiis  self-devotion  procured  for  hini  a  fraternal  n -ard 
from  all  En-,dishmeii.  The  ol.ject  of  llu'  present  voya^'e  was  to  exam- 
ine- into  Ke-,-nt\  Inlet  and  the  coasl  of  \orth  Somerset,  an  important 
district  for  which  no  provision  seemed  to  have  heen  made  in  tlu'  admi- 
ralty ])Ian  of  search;  for  nothini,^  could  then  he  known  in  ICn.udaiid  of  the 
sled-re  parties  hy  means  of  which  C'apt.  Austin  was  at  that  verv  time 
in  part  supplyinuf  tlie  deliciency. 

The  easterly  ;,^des  had  formed  a  1)arrier  of  ice  across  Harrow's  Strait, 
cuttin^r„(r;,ii  access  to  Cape  Riley  or  (iriilith's  Island,  so  that  the  Alhert 
was  fain,  to  turn  at  once  into  Re,s,rent's  Inlet,  ami  take  temp<;rary  refu.!.ce 
from  the  wind  in  I'ort  Bowen.  As  it  was  very  undesirahle,  however,  to 
winter  on  the  coast  opposite  to  that  along  which  lay  their  line  of  searcli, 
Kennedy,  with  four  men,  crossed  to  Port  Leopold  amid  masses  of  ice,  to 
reconnoiter  the  western  line  of  coast,  as  well  as  to  ascertain  whether  any 
documents  had  heen  left  at  this  point  by  previous  searching  parties. 

After  an  hour  sper.t  in  examining  the  locality  and  seeking  for  papers 
they    prejiared  to   return,  hut  to  their   d-smny  found   their  passage  cut  ofT 
by  the  ice,  which,  opening  only  in  dangerous  crevices,  proved  a  hopeless 
obstacle  when  they    attempted  to  reach  the  vessel  on  foot.      It  is  ditllcult 
to  conceive  of  a  more  deplorable  situation.      Darkness  was    fast  coming 
on,  the  doe  on  which    they  stood  was  passing  rapidly  down  the  channel, 
and  the  ear    was  deafened   hy    the   crashing   of  huge    ice-blocks,   which 
(k'shcd  furiously  against  each  other,  and  threatened  momentarily  to  hreak 
in  fragments  the  portion  they  occupied.      The  only  alternal\-e  was  to  re- 
turn  lo  shore    as   best   they  could,   ai'.d  tluis,   separated    from   their   ship, 
clothing,  and  jjrovisions,  tl;ey  passed   the  night;  their  (.nly  shelter  being 
their  boat,  under  which  each   man  in  turn  took  an  hour's  lest.      To  these 
disagreeable  experiences  was  added  in  the   morning  the   mortification  of 
finding  that  their   ship    had   disappeared!      Their  course  was  nowllxcd; 
they    must    endure  the   winter  a;    well  as   they  could.      l'\)rtnnately,    the 


U'INTEli  OV  lUiAIil)  THR  PRINCE  .\LHEliT. 


418 


<lop..(  ..fpiovisions  Ic-fl  l,y  Sir  Janu-s  K„ss  at  WhaU-r's  I'oiiit,  wns  easily 
:KTossiI,lc',  and  InuliM- evcM-ythin-  in  a -o,„I  stalo  of  prcsiTvalion,  they 
iinnu-diatdy  pn.i'cc.K-.I  to  make-  ihcnisolvc.s  as  o,n,r..ttahlo  as  p(,ssil,Ie. 
Thfv  tittr.l  up  ilu-  stc-ani-la.nidi,  wlurli,  it  will  W  ivnuMnluMV-l,  was  left 
l.y  Sir  jatucs  lor  ilu.  possil)!,-  transportation  of  Sir  John'  Franklin,  am! 
ukuIl'  a  I'omfortahk-  temporary  liwc-llint,'. 

Thus  rc-si,tr,H.,l  I,,  the-  i-xijri-ncii's  o|-  tlu-ir  situation,  tlu-y  wcmv  joyfully 
surprisc-.l  0,1  the  lylh  of  (Mohrr,  l.y  the  appearanee  of  Mr.  iJelJot  with 
;i  party  of  srven  men,  who  lia.l  .lra,-.^ri.,l  ii,r  jolly  hoat  with  tlu-m  ail  the 
way  from  the  ship.      It  seemed   that  this    jrallant  olVieer   had   ma.le   two 


I'J  KIUS  or   SLKDGBTKAVl.t.. 

previous  attempts  to  reach  the  unfortunate   party,  who  now  forj^^ot  their 
ln)iil)les  in  accompanying,'  their  friends  hack  to  the  vessel. 

The  lon.i,^  winter  passed  on  l)oard  the  Prince  Alhert  in  the  ordinary 
routine;  its  monotony  l)ein<,r  somewhat  relieved  hy  the  liarrel-or-^ran  pre- 
sented liy  the  hbcral  Prince  from  whom  their  vessel  took  its  name.  A 
lew  excursions  took  phiee  from  time  to  time,  to  form  provision  depots  for 
:i  contemplated  journey  of  exploration,  or  to  calculate  how  soon  they 
mi-ht  start.  On  the  35th  of  February  the  <rnni(l  expedition  departed. 
It  consisted,  exclusive  of  the  reserve  party,  which  accompanied  it  some 
distance— of  Kennedy,  Dellot,  and  six  men,  together  with  four  sledges, 


414 


A  NEW  S::iUADIiOX. 


(Iniwii  partly  by  dojrs,  and  partly  hy  tlic  men.  It  is  truly  surprisiiifj  to 
find  what  these  men  accomplished  with  this  slender  equipment.  Thev 
traced  the  course  of  North  Somerset  to  its  southern  extremity,  crossed 
Victoria  Strait,  explored  thorou,<,'hIy  Prince  of  Wales'  Land,  and  fol- 
lowed  tlie  coast  of  North  Somerset  hack  a;,'ain  to  their  starting,'  point, 
havinjjj,  in  an  absence  of  ninety-seven  days,  performed  a  journey  of 
eleven  hundred  miles,  without  illness  or  accident. 

Atk-r  the  breakinjjf  up  of  tlie  ice,  the  Prince  Albert  repaired  to  Cape 
Riley,  where  the  North  Star,  under  our  friend  Capt.  Pullen,  was  sta- 
tioned as  depot-ship  to  a  squadron  which  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  sent 
out  inider  Sir  Edward  Belcher.  Kennedy  and  IJcUot  were  at  first  anx- 
ious to  remain  out  another  season,  and  projected  the  plan  of  sendinjj  the 
vessel  back,  while  they  remained  with  tiie  present  expedition.  Circum- 
stances, however,  induced  tiiem  to  ehanjre  their  i)lan,  and  they  reached 
Aberdeen,  with  their  full  number  of  men,  on  the  7th  of  October,  1853. 


1^^    ^ 


CIIAPTKU    XL  VI. 


SKA.UH      irxniCK     mVlUHK     AN,,     rOI.MNsoN  -  TMK     KXTKUPIUSK     AND 

invi:sti<;at()h  sent  out   A.-Arv-Auoux,,  caim.;  houn-sand- 
\vu  II    isi.ANi)s_,N   K(vr/i.:iu;i.:   souni,_alonk   ,n   tiik  aiut.c- 

A    CAIHN     KKKCTKl.  -A     I.K  WIT- riNGK«  Kl,    V  ATI  V  K  -  AGUOUN  I,  ^ 

A   r,„M.    uixKPTroN-A    x.u'EL  cruoNouH;  v  _  „•  ai.sk   iioim.:s_ 
Noi!  iii\vi;sr   i'As.sA(;i.;    i'i<i:i)ic' iko. 

Ilos.'  (liscovviy  squa.ln,,.  was  scarcely  wclcomc.I  honio  from  its 
|K.riln„s  operations  of  1848-9,  wIum,  it  was  at  once  decide!  hy  the  K„... 
lish  (Government  to  retlt  the  yes^els,  fo,-  ,i,e  purpose  of  resumin.^  the 
srarrh  (or  FrankUn  hy  way  of  Behrinj^'s  Stra  ,  -the  scene  of  the  search 
on  .he  part  of  the  Ployer  and  the  Herald.  It  will  he  rememhcrcd  that 
llH'  I.nlrrpnse  and  Inyesti,!rator  liad  failed  in  their  attempt  to  .^et  west 
"t  Leopol.l  Island,  in  the  summer  of  ,8^,;,  and  only  escape.rfrom  a 
sv.HU-.'s  imprisonment  in  tiiat  inhospitahle  spot,  to  he  swept  with  the  ice 
in  Harrow's  Strait  out  into  lJalli,rs  Hay,  so  that  they  ha  I  just  time  to 
r.'treal  to  ICn-land  hcfore  the  -cncral  closin-  of  all  Arctic  seas. 

Snaken  and  worn  as  the  two  ships  were,  a  little  Judicious  work  in  the 
'I'H-kvard  soon  put  then,  into  a  proper  condition  once  inore  to  coinhat 
tiu'  uv  of  Arctic  manufacture.  Capt.  Richard  Collinson  was  appointed 
as  s.nior  olKcer  and  leader  of  the  expedition,  to  the  Enterprise,  and 
Co.nnmnder  Rohert  Le  Mesurier  M'Clure  to  the  Investigator.  The 
tonner  enjoye.l  a  hi,,,.h  naval  reputation,  and  in  China  his  ahiUties  as  a 
M.•^^yor  had  done  the  State  good  service.  The  latter,  the  destined  <Iis- 
-vcrer  of  the  Northwest  Passage,  having  p.assed  a  useful  apprentice- 
^h.p  n.  the  British  service  for  twenty  years,  received  an  appointment  to 
<!-•  I..vest,gator,as  a  reward  f.y  valuable  service  as  lientenant  under 
Ivo'-s  in  1S48-0. 

415 


41G 


AROUND  THE  HORN. 


iii 


Up  ':< 


ISL 


Til  1849-50  there  was  iki  lack  of  volunteers  for  Arctic  service. 
The  voyages  of  tlie  precediiii^^  seasons  liad  attracted  tiie  attention  of 
all;  and  an  interest  in  tlie  cause,  coupled  with  a  desire  foi-  adx^nture 
greatly  hastened  the  completion  of  the  preparations.  On  the  loth  of 
January  ihe  I  wo  ships  set  out;  hut  heing,  as  Arctic-hound  ships  must  lie, 
heavily  laden  with  jjrovisions  and  lixtures,  it  hccamc  necessary  to  stop 
at  Plymouth  and  do  bome  sliglit  repairing — a  measure  which  gave  them 
an  opportunity  of  securing  several  more  good  seamen. 

No  delay  was  allowed  here,  however,  for  the  great  distance  hetwcen 
England  and  Behring's  Strait  had  to  he  traversed  hy  way  of  Cap-  Horn. 
This  iu\oh.-ed  a  journey  of  six  months  hefore  the  sea  could  he  reached- 
and  it  was  fully  realized  that  tlie  delay  of  a  month  might  cause  the  gate 
to  the  highwa)-  they  sought  to  be  closed  against  them.  The  services  of 
a  German  clergym;in,  who  had  l)een  a  Moravian  missionary,  were  duly 
engaged  as  interpreter,  ami  he  was  dispatched  on  hoard  the  Investi- 
gator at  Pl\-mouth. 

A  few  hours  afterward  the  Arctic  squadron  weighed  anchor  and  s  liled 
forth  with  a  fair  and  fresh  wind.  As  the  greater  interest  attaches  to  the 
Investigator,  on  account  of  her  connection  with  the  discovery  of  the 
Northwest  Passage,  it  will  he  our  aim  particularly  to  follow  her  fortunes 
over  the  northern  seas. 

It  was  not  until  the  I Sth  of  March,  1S50,  nearly  two  months  after 
leaving  England,  that  the  Investigator  crossed  the  Southern  Tropic  in 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  although  the  greatest  possible  speed  had  been  made, 
and  the  two  vessels,  having  parted  company  from  the  first,  had  not  been, 
as  is  usual,  the  means  of  detaining  each  other.  After  being  towed 
through  the  Strait  into  the'Pacific,  she  landed  on  the  17th  of  April,  at 
Port  Famine,  on  the  coast  of  Chili. 

Here  Capl.  M'Clure  learned  that  the  Enterprise  had  already  passed, 
and  what  was  still  more  to  be  regretted,  had  taken  with  her  all  the  beef 
cattle,  so  that  the  Investigator's  prospect  of  fresh  meat  was  no  nearer 
than  the  Sandwich  Islands,  to  reach  which  the  wide  Pacific  had  to  be 
traversed,  as  the  Atlantic  had  already  been.  At  Fortescue  Ray,  how- 
ever, the    Investigator   fouiul  the  Enterprise  lying   at    anchor,   ami    aa 


ALONE  IN  THE  ARCTIC. 


417 


opportunity  was  ufTordcl  f„r  comparing  notes  upon  their  respective  ,our- 
neys.  On  the  19th  of  April  the  weather  permitted  of  their  again  startin-r 
out.  Once  in  the  broa.l  Pacific  the  two  vessels  separated,  never  again  to 
rejoin. 

Crossing  the  Equator   on    the    ,5th    of  June,   the   vessel   of  our   nar- 
rative was  aided  by  the  S.  E.  tra.les  into  7  '  N.  latitude.     O.i   the    .st    of 
July  they  anchored  gladly  enough  outside   the   harbor  of  Ilonoh.lu     the 
wind  not  being  favorable  for  entering  it.      They   foun.l  that    Capt.    Col- 
li.ison  had  already  called  at  this  port  and  proceeded   on   his   way.     After 
purchasing  as  speedily  as  possible  all  necessary  supplies  of  fruit  and  vege- 
tables, they  departed,  fully  equipped  for  their  Arctic  voyage,  o.,  tlie  .ftl^of 
July,  1S50.      The  ice,  however,  was  still  40"  distant,  the  Enterprise  un- 
doubtedly far  ahead,  and  the  season  would  be  closing  in,  in  about  sixty  days. 
Capt.  M'Clure  might  well  be  anxious  to  devise  the  best  means  of  reaching 
Jkhring's  Sf.-aits.      It  was  rumored  at  Honolulu    that  the  Enterprise,   in 
case  of  arriving  at  Kotzebue  Sound,  on  the  coast  of  Russian  America!   in 
advance    of  the    Investigator,    proposed   to    take   with  her   the   Plover, 
anchored  since  1S48  in  that  harbor,  and  leave  the  ship  of  M'Clure  in  her 
place  on  the  American  coast. 

To  prevent  an  occurrence  which  would    prove   so   damaging  to   the 
ardor  of  his  men,  M'Clure  made  every  breeze  do  him  service,  and  arrived 
in  Kotzebue  Sound  on  the  29th  of  July.     As  no  traces  of  the   Enterprise 
had  been  seen  by  the  Plover's  men,  it  was   inferred   that   she    had    either 
passed  in  a  fog,  or  had  not  yet  come  up.     Capt.  M'Clure's   impulse   was 
t<.  push  on  and  either  join  the  Enterprise  or,  failiug  in  that,  at  least  spend 
the  remainder  of  the  season  in  profitable  exploration.    Capt.  Kellett  of  the 
Plover,  although  M'Clure's  senior,  did  not  feel  that  he  had  the  authority 
to  detain  him,  especially  in    the   uncertainty    of   the   whereabouts   of  the 
Enterprise.      The  InvestigaK.r,  then,  at  once    set  sail,  and    in  fortv-eight 
hours  was  out  of  sigh,  and   alone   on    the   rough   surface   of  the    stormy 
strait.     Running   northward  as  far  as  it  was  safe  on    account   of  the   icJ, 
M'Clure  retraced  his  course  southward  and  eastward,   until    he   reached' 
Wainwright  Inlet,  and  again  sighted  the  Plover  for  a  time. 

Keeping   now   very   close   .„  tho   Ameriean   coast,  or  as  near  as  the 
37 


Mi 


S:i„.< 


418 


A  LIGHT  FINGERED  NATIVE. 


ice-  woul.l  permit,  tlic  vessel  made  lapui  progress  toward  Point  Barrow. 
At  midnigiit  they  rounded  the  northwest  extreme  of  the  American  con- 
tinent, and  he-an  their  progress  toward  the  eastward.  On  the  morning 
<.r  the  r,th  of  August,  1S50,  the  officers  and  crew  felt  free  from  all  anxiety 
on  the  score  of  being  able  to  enter  the  Arctic  Ocean  from  Behring's  Strait. 
Tlieir  lirst  aspiration  was  to  reach  Melville  Island,  Init  as  a  waste  of 
ice  stretclied  before  them  in  that  direction  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
it  was  <lecide(l  to  reach  if  possible,  the  "landwatcr,"  on  the  comparatively 
safe  sea  between  the  main  land  and  the  main  body  of  ice;  and  once  in 
that  water  to  struggle  eastward  for  that  open  sea  off  the  MacKcnzie 
River,  spoken  of  by  Sir  John  Richardson. 

On  August  S,  when  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  east  of  Point 
Barrow,  a  man  was  sent  ashore  to  leave  a  notice  of  the  passage  of  the 
Investigator.,  and  to  erect  a  cairn.  Here  some  native  Esquimaux  were 
found,  of  whom  incjuiry  was  made  concerning  the  character  of  the  water 
to  the  eastward.  Communication  being  generally  established  with  tlie 
tribe,  it  was  admitted  by  some  of  the  men  that  they  had  seen  a  ship  in 
Kotzebue  Sound  (no  doubt  the  Plover).  They  gave  promise  of  an 
open  channel  from  three  to  five  miles  in  width,  all  along  the  shore  until 
winter;  but  they  could  give  no  idea  of  what  time  that  season  began. 
M'Clurc  told  them  that  he  was  looking  for  a  lost  brother,  and  made 
them  promise  that  if  they  ever  met  the  wandering  party  they  should  he 
kind  to  them,  and  give  them  "deer's-flcsh." 

The  chief  characteristics  of  this  tribe  seemed  to  be  obesity,  dirtiness, 
and  dishonesty  "Thieving,  performed  in  a  most  artless  and  skillful 
maimer,  ajjpeared  their  principal  accomplishment.  As  Capt.  M'Chne 
was  giving  out  some  tobacco  as  a  present,  he  felt  a  hand  in  his  trousers' 
pocket,  and  on  looking  down  found  a  native,  receiving  a  gift  with  one 
hand,  and  actually  picking  his  pocket  with  the  other.  Yet,  when  de- 
tected, the  fellow  laughed  so  good-humoredly  and  all  his  compatriots 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  joke  so  amazingly,  that  even  the  aggrieved  panics 
joined  in  the  general  merriment." 

Working  on  to  the  eastward  the  Investigator  had    reached,  on   Aug. 
14,  longitude  14S"    17'    west,  and  became   much   hampered    amonir   the 


A  COOL  RECEPTION.  4^, 

l.nv  islands,  which,  for  a  ship  in  f„..y  weather,  wore  exceeclin..ly  .lan- 
.onerous.  They  liad  now  passed  the  point  at  which  Franklin  had^u-rived 
n.  h,s  jotn-ncy  westward  iVon,  the  MacKenzie,  and  might  be  said  to  be 
iipproachmg  tlie  delta  of  that  .<,rreat  river. 

After  several  narrow  escapes  on  the  14th  of  Auj^ust  the  good  ship 
lound  herself  quite  beset  with  the  shoals  surrounding  the  individual 
.^lan.ls  of  this  little  archipelago;  and  at  last,  in  attempting  to  escape 
through  a  narrow  s.rait  of  three  fathoms  depth,  she  unfortunatelv  took 
the  ground.  All  sail  was  at  first  put  on,  in  the  hope  of  dracr^i,;.  her 
through  it ;  but  the  effort  proved  fruitless.  Even  the  laying  ou^of  all  the 
anchors  failed  to  float  the  vessel.  All  the  load  possible  was  now  put 
into  boats,  several  tons  of  water  were  let  out  of  the  tanks  on  board  and 
at  last,  after  being  aground  five  hours,  the  Investigator  was  once  more 
got  afloat. 

On  the  night  of  Aug.  7  new  ice  was  found  for  the  first  time  upon  the 
siulace  »t  the  sea,  a  certain  indication  of  the  speedv  approach  of  winter 
and  some  doubted  whether  the  MacKenzie  could  be  reached.     The  c^en- 
cral  embarrassment  was  augmented  by  a  mistake  of  the  officers  in  change 
In  the  io^.ry  weather  prevalent  at  this  season  along  the  coast,  a  blh.d 
lead  through   the  ice   was  followed   for   ninety  miles,  being  mistaken  for 
tin-  channel  l^etween  the  main  ice  and  the  shore.      Retracing  their  steps 
thev  lortunately  found    a  passage  out  of  the   ice,  and   were  soon    off  the' 
MacKenzie  fifty  miles  distant  from  the  mainland. 

On  the  .4th  of  August  the  Investigator  approached  Port  Warren 
and  a  party  landed,  hoping  that  the  natives  at  this  point  traded  ^vith  the 
H.uison's  P.ay  Company,  presuming  that  in  this  way  another  dispatch 
could  be  sent  to  England.  Their  surprise,  therefore,  may  be  ima-nned 
at  hnchng  themselves  received  with  bra.ulished  weapons  of  all  sorts  \n.\  a 
goeral  expression  of  defiance.  A  friendly  footmg  at  last  bein</estab 
l.^hc-,1,  a  brass  button  of  European  manufacture  was  seen  suspended  from 
the  ear  of  the  chief.  In  reply  to  inquiries  he  candidly  confessed  that  it 
iH'longed  to  a  white  man,  one  of  a  party  who  had  arrived  at  Port  War 
rcn  Irom  the  westward.  They  had  no  boat,  nor  other  means  of  convey- 
hut  had  built  a  hoi  -    -       -  ^ 


;nci 


and   finally  dejiarted   inlanil.     Th 


e  owner  of 


4','0 


NATIVE  CUPIDITT 


m  11 


t 


\\  p 


1 1 


the  brass  button  Iiad  wandered  iVoni  the  rest  of  Iiis  partv,  and  been 
U-ille<l  by  a  native,  wlio  now,  seein-,'  the  ^reat  ship,  had  iled.  The  white 
man  liad  been  Inn-ied  hy  the  chief  and  his  son.  Witii  regard  to  time, 
ho\ve\er,  the  chief's  aecount  was  sinL,nihirly  va-ne,  and  he  could  liy  no 
means  be  induced  to  '[\^  the  (bite  witli  any  more  accnracv  than  "  It  nii^jhl 
l)e  last  year  and  it  mij^ht  be  when  lie  was  a  child." 

This  tale  ol  course  Ljave  rise  to  many  conjectures,  many  were  of  the 
opinion  that  the  wanderiuLj  whites  could  be  no  other  than  members  of 
Franklin's  party;  and  all  a<,nved  as  to  the  propriety  of  makin<,'- thoroufjh 
investi;^'-ation  before  leaviu'^  the  vicinity.  A  thick  fo':^  which  warned 
them  to  return  to  the  ship,  did  not  allow  them  to  visit  the  white  man's 
<,M-ave,  but  on  followiut,^  the  direction  indicated  by  the  chief,  a  hut  was 
discovereil.  They  were  disappointed  to  find  that  the  hut  was  old,  and 
that  the  occupants  had  vacated  it  years  before,  while  the  decayed  wood 
of  which  it  was  made  bore  not  the  slijrhtest  trace  by  which  to  glean  infor- 
mation of  the  former  tenants.  There  was  at  least  nothing  upon  which 
to  base  the  slightest  connection  with  Franklin's  fate,  and  therefore  noth- 
ing to  cause  further  delay  in  their  onward   voyage. 

Another  tribe  of  Esciuiniaux  was  encountered  about  the  close  of 
August  o(F  Cape  Bathurst,  who,  being  friendly,  undertook  to  convey  the 
dispatches  to  the  Hudson's  IJay  Company,  which  it  had  been  found  im- 
possible to  transmit  from  Port  Warren.  It  was  of  course  necessary  to 
make  some  trilling  presents  in  return,  and  M'Chu-e  gives  an  interestiii'-- 
account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  women,  excited  by  what  thev  had 
already  receivetl,  and  tempted  by  the  display  of  articles  before  them,  at 
last  became  unmanageable  and  rnshetl  upon  the  stores,  seizing  what  they 
could  reach,  and  carrying  it  off  apparently  without  compunction. 

The  1st  of  September  found  the  Investigator  still  laboring  to  the 
eastward.  From  the  1st  to  the  5th  the  \essel  was  occupied  in 
rounding  the  I?ay  formed  by  Capes  Bathiu-st  and  Parry.  On  the 
4th  large  fires  Nvere  seen  on  shore,  and  at  first  were  supposed  to 
have  been  built  by  the  natives  to  attract  attention.  It  was  not 
likely,  however,  that  natives  would  indulge  in  so  la\ish  an  expenditure 
of  fuel,  and  the  appearance  was  at  last  attributed  to  (he  presence  on  shore 


NOh' TinvEs r  p. i.s.s . u.i.  j -uon 1 7  /./;. 

of  Franklin  a,ul  his  con.nules.  Figures  in  white  wcc  seen  n.ovin.. 
ahont,  and  various  suggestive  objects  wore  descried  hv  the  anxiotrs 
scatchers.  Bitterly  wen  our  voyagers  disappointed  to  find  upon  exan.in-, 
..on  only  a  few  small  volcanic  moun.ls  of  a  sulphuric  nature,  while  the 
tracks  of  reindeer,  coming  for  water  to  a  neighboring  sprin-.,  ck-nlv 
explanied  the  mystery  of  the  moving  ficrures. 

A  n-esh  breeze  an<l  clearer  weather^vith  n.ore  open  water  enable.! 
.he  Invesfgator  to  set  away  from  the  Continent  more  than  she  ha.l  clone- 
->-l  OM  the  7th  of  September  Capt.  M'Clure  landed  on  a  newlv-dis' 
covere,!  p.ece  of  hnul,  to  take  possession  of  it  in  the  Queen's  name.  ^This 
U..S  ,,amed  Baring's  Land  A-om  the  Lonl  of  the  Admiralty,  in  ignorance 
of  Its  bemg  connected  with  Banks  Land  already  discovered 

rWnce  Albert  Land  was  at  last  reached,  and  exhibited,  in  its  interior 
...nges  of  mountains  covered  with  snow.    Gulls  an<l  other  birds  were  seen 
i  ymg  southward  -  a  certain  indication  that  winter  was  soon    to   set  in 
A  hope  began  to  possess   the  n.ariners  that  they  were  to  accomplish  wha^ 

others  had  heretofore  failed  in  achieving  __  namelv    .he  A\^  r    , 

'  ".-.         'i'"ii'-i\,  llie  (hscovery  of   the 
N..,-,lnvc.».  l.»,„«c.     The  ,l„„.o,-s  ,„■  U,c  cxpclitio,,,  „,,,  „„„„„,.    ,„,„. 

sh,,,-.ll  wee  f„.K„e,o„.  -Only  give  us  ,i„,c,"  thcv  «,i,l,  ..,„.,  „e 
"MM  nuke  ,he  Northwest  Passaic."  X„„„  „f  Septen^her  cj.h  place.l 
Ihe.n  ,.nly  ,t/v/i-  miles  from  liarrow's  Sirail. 

"Icaanot,"  say,  M'Clure's  joar,.,:,  ..leseribe  n,y  anxious  feelings 
(.a„  ,,  I,e  possible  t],at  tltis  water  communieates  witl,  Harrow's  Str-Ut' 
-.  shall  prove  to  he  the  l„„,..so„.,ht  Xorthwcs,  ,.assa,e?  Can  it  h„  tha^ 
so  h„,nhle  a  ereattu-e  as  I  „.ill  he  pemutte.l  to  perform  what  has   hafflcl 

;"  '*;""■■; ''  "-'^^^  '■"■•  '"'"■'-*  "'■.-n-s.=    lint  all  praise  he  ascrihe.l  to 

ll.n.  who  has  eou.lnctcti  u,  so  far  on  „,„-  way  i„  safetv.     His   wavs   are 

"■-nn- ways,  nor  are  the  ,„eaus  that  He    uses  to   aceontplish    Hi^  '  end, 
».   nn  o,„.  eo,„prohe,„io„.     The   wi,.l„„,    „f  ,he   worl.l    is    foolishness 

\\  "n  I  lim. 


•'. 


CIIAPTF.K     XLX'II. 

SKJNS    f)I-    WIVTKK ItlCSl'T IMt  KI'A  I{  KI)     I'OK     DAXCKK WI  :■      ..i!  F  V<;     rv 

IIIH       AlU    IK-     I'OIwVIt       IIUN  II\(;-(;i{Oi;\l)S  — SUM.MKK       AfiAlN  

I'KiNri-;   Ai-iticur's  caim;    -riii.;   knii;i!im{im.:    -  axxikty   i\   i;.\(; 

LAM)  I<KI,Ii:i--        ICXIMiDITIONS  A       SICfONI)        WIN'TKK       I\        ril|.; 

ARCTIC TIIIC       SICAUCII     -  THIC       DISCOX'KU  V   —  PI  M  '  S      K  i:ci;i'll()\ 

A     IIAIM'Y    IKKVV AH  AN  DONMKNT    OK    Till':    I  NVICSTU;  A  TOH, 


!i  ■' 


Scptombor  i  i,  1S50,  broii_<rht  with  it  iinclouhtecl  si<,nis  of  v/inter.  The 
thermometer  fell  to  i  r'  iielow  the  freezini,^  ^int;  and  a  northwest  <^r;,lc 
rolled  the  ice  ilovvii  into  the  channel,  and  rendered  it  almost  nnnavi<,'ahle. 
No  harbor  was  in  si;4ht,  and  the  Ion-;  dark  nif^ins  rendered  pr()i;ress 
peculiarly  danjj^crons  and  diirunilt.  On  the  uth  of  September  M'Clure's 
journal  is  to  the  followini^r  clfect : 

"The  teinperatnro   of  the  water   has   now  fdlen   to    zS"    Fahrenheit 
(freezinjr  point  of  sea-water.)     The  l)ree/.e  has  freshened  to  a  -ale,  luiu--- 
in;4   with  it  snow,  and   sendini,^  down  hw^e  masses  of  ice  npon  us.      The 
pressure  is  considerai)!e,  Usthvj;    the  vessel  several   de,L,n-ees.      Forlunatelv 
a  lari,re  floe,  which  was  fast  approaching-  the  vessel,  has  had  its    pro^ness 
arrested   by  one  extreme  of  it  taking-  the  Lj^mund,  and  the    other  lockiu'^ 
with  a  '^rounded   floe   upon   our   weather   l)eam.      It    is  thus   coinpletelv 
checked,  and    forms  a  safe  harrier    ajj^ainst  all   further   pressure.     As  the 
rudder  was    likely    to  become  damai^ed,  it    was  unluuii,'-    and  suspended 
over    the  stern.      We    can   now    do   nothing,  beinj,^   rej^-ularlv    beset,  hut 
await  any   favorable  chani^e  of  the  ice,  to  which  we  anxiously  look    for- 
ward,   knovvin.<r    that    the    navi.gable    season    for    this  year    has    almost 
reached  its  utmost   limit,  and  that  a   few  hours  of  clear  water   will  in  all 
probability    solve  the  problem  of    the    practicability    of  the  Northwest 
Fassa-e." 

422 


PliEPAIfED  FOR  nAXaiilt. 
Till-  13th  :iii(l  14th  l)rou<,Hit  no  chaiifre  for  ilic  1 


K'ttcr,  hut  on  tl 


ic 


423 


=;th 


tlu.  wind  vccvl  to  ilic  southward,  and  tlic  vessel  hc-an  to  ,h-ift  up  the 
channel.  On  the  16th  a  point  was  readied  only  thirty  miles  (Von,  the 
he-innin-  of  the  water,  whieh,  inuler  the  name  of  Harrow,  Melville,  an.l 
LancastL-r,  eonneets  with  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  thron-h  the'  ice- 
sti.dded  waters  of  Baffin's  JJay.  For  some  reason,  tlie  ice  in  which  they 
had  heen  driftin-  would  go  no  farther,  and  thus  at  this  tantalixin-  dis- 
tance from  Harrow's  Strait  they  were  compelled  to  stop,  and  for  Ttime 
rclinquisii  their  hope  of  reachin«r  the  Northwest  Passa-re. 

11  was  necessary  now  to  decide  whether  they  would  re'race  their 
steps  to  the  south  and  Ihul  a  suitahle  place  for  wintering,  or  remain  in  the 
pack  and  l.rave  the  dangers  long  since  declared  fatal  by  alleged  compe- 
tent authorities.  "  I  decided,"  says  M'CIure,  "upon  the  latter"course,  en- 
c.)urage<l  by  the  consideration  that  to  relinquish  the  groini.l  obtained 
through  so  much  difficulty,  for  the  remote  chance  of  finding  safe  winter 
.|uarlers,  would  be  injudicious,  thoroughly  impressed  as  I  was  with  the 
al^olute  importance  of  retaining  every  mile,  to  insure  any  favorable  re- 
sult while  navigating  these  seas." 

The  ice  now  closed  about  the  Investigator,  and  her  peril  for  a  time  was 
imminent.  As  t lie  massive  floes  came  crowding  against  her,  causing  her  to 
surge  back  and  forth  in  her  narrow  bed,  the  noise  was  so  deafening  That  the 
orders  of  the  officers,  although  delivered  through  trumpets,  could  scarcely 
l.c  understood.  Anticipating  the  worst  that  could  happen,  Cap't. 
M'CIure  ordered  a  large  quantity  of  provisions  and  fuel  to  be  placed  on 
deck,  the  officers  an<l  men  to  be  carefully  told  off  to  their  boats,  and 
every  one  to  be  in  readings  for  a  final  catastrophe.  ICvery  precaution 
was  taken  to  save  life,  even  if  the  ship  coul.l  not  be  preserved.  At 
length,  however,  the  old  floes  became  so  strongly  cemented  by  the  young 
ice,  that  the  element  around  the  vessel  assumed  a  state  of  quiescencr, 
and  the  danger  which  had  been  threatening  was  for  a  time  averted. 

The  housing  was  now  stretched  over  the  ship,  and  the  customary 
preparations  for  winter  were  made.  Care  was  taken  to  leave  the  sunny 
side  of  the  vessel  uncovered,  in  order  that  the  light  might  be  enjoyed 
as  long  as  possible,  for   Capt.  M'CIure  was   well  aware  of  the  scorbutic 


1 


S  4  J 


V''     J 


C'! 


m 


II  i  :■; 


L^l 


wiNTEiitm;  IX  run  arctic. 


<I.lhcul,.cs  with  which  he  must  co„tcM..l,  :,n,l  sou^lu  to  ..ntido,.  ih.-m  ,s 
tar  as  possible  in  advance.  Aitoj^ether,  the  crew  was  ,„a<ic  much  ,no,c 
••^-  •"•.l.narily  comfortable,  an.l  the  usually  cheerless  prospect  of  a  win- 
ter  u.  the  ice  was  brighcene.l  to  a  wonderful  de;,n-ee  by  hopeful  spirits 
and  willin^r  hands. 

The  winter  was  well  spent  in  evplorin-  the  coast  adjacent  to  ,hc  ves- 
sol's  position,  and  in  battlin.r  the  temlency  to  scurvy,  bv  killin--  what- 
ever could  ],e  found.  On  the  „Sth  of  April,  „S,-,,  three  explorin-. 
sled-c    parties  were  sent   out    imder    Lieut.    Haswell,   Lieut.   Cresswell^ 


AHCTIC   IIAKKS. 

and  Mr.  Wynniatt,  respectively  to  the  southeast,  northwest,  an.l  north- 
east, with  six  weeks'  provisions  each.  Hy  these  observations  the  sur- 
rounding coast  lines  were  accurately  trace.l,  but  no  si-^ni  of  the  missin.^ 
vessels  could  be  discovered.  The  party  Hrst  mcntioncl  discovere.l  a 
tribe  of  Esquimaux  who  subsequently  visited  Capt.  M'Clure;  they 
proved  remarkably  intelli.i,rent,  and  readily  trace.!  on  paper  the  coast 
hne  of  Wollaston  a,.d  Victoria  La.ul,  therel)y  determining  the  Ion-. 
disputed  point,  whether  or  not  these  districts  really  belong  to  the  Con- 
tinent of  Xorth  America.  Above  eight  hundred  miles  were  traversed 
by  these  three   parties,   who  .liligently  cTcctcd   cairns   and  .lepositcd   in- 


slrnctions  wherever  they  would    he  lil<dv  to  ..Test  the  attention  ..f  wan- 
.l-vrs;  an.l   all   returned   to    hea,l<,uarters  eonvinee.l,   In.n,    the   total    ah 
s<aue  ot    trace   or  sij^n,   that    Franklin   o.ul.l    not    have   penetrated   these 
iX'LCions, 

Hetween   the  5th   and    ..d   of  May  those   on   l,oard    the    Inves,i...,o,- 
1-1-i    w.th    delight    the    sij,ns  of    eon.in^    summer.      The   ves^er^s 
cnllce<l   an.i   painted,  and   hatchways  opened  to  dry  up  lon^  accumulated 
-i-np  hetween  decks;    the   stores   were  exa.    '    .1   an.l   culle.I  wi.h  ..v  „ 
care,  an.l   the   health  of  ollicers  and    crew   was   thorou^hlv  looke.Mnto 
Not  a  trace  of   scurvy  was    <liscovere<I,  u,    ,,,„,,   „„j,„;,„,i,,,   ;„   „,, 
h.story  of   Arctic  voyages."      This   wonderful   exemption   fron,   disease 
W.-.S  largely  due  to  the  prevalence  of  j,ame,  and  the  skill  exhihited   hy 
.he   crew  ,n   the  seci.rin,.  of  it.      One    valley  visited   hv  then,   was   liter- 
:niv  ahve   w.th    ptarmigans    an.I    ha.es,  an<l   the   keen    appetites  of  the 
seamen  eventually  made  them   keen  sportsmen. 

In   the   latter  part  of  May  a  lar<,e  hear  passing  the   ship  wa     shot  hy 
M  Clure,  and   irs  stomach  was   found  ,0   contain  an   astounding,  medlev 
"  There  were  raisins  that  had  not  lon<,.  heen  swallowed;     a  few  sma'll 
p.eces  of  tohacco-leaf;  hits  of  t^.t  pork   cut   into  cuhes,  which   the   ship's 
cook  declared   must    have   heen    use.l    in    n^akin^,    mock-turtle   soup,    an 
-tu-le  often  found  on  hoard  a  ship   in  a  preserved  form;  and  lastlv    fr..^ 
ments  of  stickino^  plaster  which,  Uou.  the  tonns  m    which  thev  ha,i  h.ei, 
cut,    nn.st    evidently    have    passed    throu^^h    the    hand    of    a"  sur<>eon  " 
Lapt.    M'Clure,    heing    ignorant   of    the    ships    which     ha.l    heen    sent 
on.    from    England,    could    think    of    only    two    wavs    in    which    this 
phenomenon     was    possihle,    namely,    that    the     hear     had    come    over 
-n>e     floe    of    ice    visitecl    hy    the     Investi-^ator    last    autumn,    or    that 
•he    Lnterprise   must    he    wintering    somewhere    in    the    vicinity.       B„t 
ue    know,    or    might,    if    we     had     followed     the     Enterprise     on     her 
c"urse  Iron.   South  America  to  Russian  A.nerica,  that  she  had    returned 
to  the  south,  and  was  at  this  time  in  China.      The   first  theory   was    ren 
;!--'  nnprolKihle  hy  the  f^,ct  that  no  vestige    left    hv  the  Investigator  in 
'-■  HMu-ning  of  the  previous  autumn,  could  have  avoide.l    destruction   in 
the  en<lless  grinding   of  the    moving  ice.      A   meat-can  containing  all  the 


420 


Tin:  /:x //.h'/'u/s 


WW 


artick's   mciitioiied  above,   was  at'tcrwanl  (oiin.l. 


which  could  render  thcin  no  service,   -thai 
tcrcd  ill  their  immediate  neiyhhnrhood. 


coiivincinj''  all  of  ;i    fm't 


some    other    party  iiad    win- 


The   Ice  which  had  so  loii<r  held  the  v 


about  the  middle  of  July,  and  M'Clure  shaped 
east,  iutendinj;,  if  possible,  to  soiuid  the  northern  coast  of 
At  the  outset  ..f  her  vova^je  the    Investij,fator   had 
doe  to   which  sii 


essel  a  prisoner,   be<'an  to  vield 


liis  course    for  the  nortl 


M 


el  VI  lie 


Island 


e    \v 


a    narrow  escape;   the 
as  temporarily  attached -ave   wav,  and  the  detached 


portion  hc'iwr  whirled 


round   and   crushed   to<^'ether    hv  the    press 


ure    of 


.snrr()uiulin<,'  ice,    l)ore  down  with   tremendous    vel 
the  sturdy  vessel.     The  cl 


elocltv    and    t'orce 


upon 


lains  and   lines   were   at    once  lei    '■•,,   ami    f 


le 


e  event ;   for  the  vessel  no 


blow 


and    so    esc 


ipei 


ont^er 
from 


ship  thus  freed  from  the  floe —a  fortunat 
held  stationary,  was  driven  onward   bv  thi 
the  influence  of  the  lloe. 

Escaped  from  this  danjrer,  the  Investit^Mtor  followed  her  course  with 
comparative    case   until  the  Joth  of  Au-ust,  when  they  were  driven   be- 
tween the  ice  and    the   beach,   a    little    nortii    of  Prince    Albert's   Cape. 
Here  they  lay  till  the  ist  of  September,  in  comparative  safety.      \i   this 
time,   however,   they  were    threatened   with    imminent  peril  from  an  im- 
mense floe    to  which  they  were    attached,    beino-    raised    by   surround, n- 
pressure,  and  elevated  i>erpendiciilarly  thirty   feet.      A    few  moments  ,.f 
suspense   and   anxious   watching;-  showed  all  on  l-.oard  how  small    an    ad- 
ditional  force  would  turn  the  -lassy    rockin,i;-stone   completely  over,  and 
crush  the  helpless  vessel  in  that   awful  tall.      Gradually  the    iloe    slipped 
down   and    ri'^hted    itself,  and    the  ship  so  Ion-  and  severely  tried,  a,i,^ain 
sailed  level    on   her   course.      After   a    series   of  such   experiences  as    we 
have  just  narated,  the  Invcsti<jfator  was  compelled  once  more  by  the    ad- 
vance of  winter   to    seek    winter  (piarters.      A    harbor   on    the    north  oC 
Rarinj,'  Island  was  chosen,  and  the   winter  of  1S53-3  was   bc-nm. 

Havin,i,r  nov,'  brouj^ht  to  a  close  the  narration  of  the  Investi^i,'ator\s 
experience  up  to  1S5;?,  let  ns  turn  to  the  course  of  the  Enterprise,  which 
started  with  the  Investi.L;ator  under  such  ])romisino-  circumstances.  I  lav- 
ing^, as  before  intimated,  wintered  in  China  in  iS50--i,she  had  the  iieM 
season  again  approached  the  north  coa.st  of  America,  a^id  on  the  ^^tli  of 


ANX//:/  r  /.y  Km: LAND.  407 

.h.Iy    was   foILnvin^r  i„  tluMrack  „r  the    Invcsti^rator,  an,u...i    l'.,i,u  Bar- 
row.      Strujrfrlin^    .-.lon-     as     far    as     slic    could,  sl.c    wintered     in    the 
i^v  ill   iSsi^j,   at   the  southeni   end  of  i'rjuce  of  Wales    Strait.      It   was 
not  until  September,  1852,  that  the  linteiprise  seems  f.   have    made   any 
pn.-ress  eastward  from    lu-r   winterin-.place-a    direction  which  Capt. 
Collinson   naturally  decide.l  upon  attempting,  with   a  view  to   penetrate 
Uu-  distance  between  him  an.l  Cape  Walker.      He    reached    on  the   26th 
of  September,   Wollaston  Land,  where  he   passed   the  winter  of  ,852-3, 
of  which   we   are   now    writin>r.      I„    these    winter  <iuarters   they    were' 
visited  by  Esquimaux,  one  tribe    of  whom  numbered  over  300.     In  their 
possession  was  found  a   piece    of  iron,  which   many    still    believe  to  have 
come  from  the  missin-  ships.     This  seems  very  probable  from   what   we 
know  of  the  place  of  Franklin's  death;  but  Capt.  Collinson,  bein- igno- 
rant    of  that    fact,    could   have  no  idea  of  how  close  his  ship    was  to  the 
place  where  Dr.  Rae's  informants   afterward   stated   that   they    had    seen 
the.  remains  of  Franklin's  ,nen.   Leaving  now  the  Enterprise,  presuming 
iliat  siie  experienced  a  very  severe  winter,  we  turn  once  more  to  the  In" 
vcstigator,  wiiose  adventurous  crew   and  officers    were    spending    their 
second  wniter  in  the  ice. 

rheir  story  from  this  point  may  be  told  in  few  words.  All  the 
ICnglisii  vessels  which  had  sailed  in^the  same  year  with  the  two  ships  of 
our  narrative,  had  returned  home,  and  great  anxiety  was  beginning  to  be 
felt  for  tile  long-absent  fleet.  The  commander  of  the  Investigator  had 
])aMnise(i  tiic  necessity  of  eventually  abandoning  his  ship;  bu"  as  a  pre- 
liminary step,  selected  a  party  of  men  who  were  to  make  the  best  of 
their  way  out  of  the  ice  and  get  to  England  if  possible.  A  fortunate 
combination  of  circmnstances,  however,  was  about  to  make  this  danger- 
ous journey  unnecessary. 

In  accordance  with  the  "Arctic  Committee's  Report,"  an  expedition 
for  tile  relief  of  the  Enterprise  and  Investigator  was  sent  out  from  Eng- 
laiul  in  the  spring  of  1S53.  It  consisted  of  the  Assistance  and  the  ResolutI, 
under  Sir  Edward  Belcher  and  Capt.  Kellett;  two  steam-tugs.  Intrepid 
an.!  Pioneer;  and  a  iM-ovision-ship,  the  North  Star,  under  Commander 
I'lilleu.     The  northern  waters 


were    reached    by  way    of  ]^,affin's    1 


>av 


yi 


ili±_sir. 


*1? 


11 


ir 


428 


imr. FEF  EXPK nrrrny. 


m 


■ 


alx.iit  tlu-  1st  of  SoptcrnljLT,  1853,  and  tlu-  sciircli  iiniiKvliatcly  W'^wx. 
Mflville  Island  was  rcuclu-d  by  Capt.  Kfllrlt  ..f  tlu-  l<.es()lmc,  a-d  C'..in- 
iiiaiukT  M'CliiUock  of  tin;  Intrepid,  011  'tin;  5th  -.f  SL-ptc'inl.L-f,  and  thu 
vossfis  in;idc'  fast  to  r-c  which  still  iinijciv.l  in  Winter  Harbor,  thi-  well- 
known  wnitcrin-^-place  of  Sir  iCdward  Parry  in  the  year  1819. 

Ilavini,'  hcrome  securely  frozen  in  Ibr  the  time,  parties  were  sent 
nut  durin-,'  the  fall  an.I  winter  for  discovering-  traces  (.f  either  ..f  tlie 
>hips  s(ni,i,rht.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  Lieut.  Meachani  of  the  Reso- 
lute, happened  to  inspect  more  closely  than  usual  tlie  famous  mass  of 
sandstone  on  whieh  Parry  had  caused  his'  ship's  name  to  he  en-n.ved. 
lie  could  scarcely  credit  his  senses  when  he  discovered  a  document 
upon  its  summit,  detailing'  the  practical  accomplishment  of  the  North- 
west Passaj^'c,  and  the  position  of  II.  M.  S.  Investi-jator  in   Hanks    I.  i.id. 

Impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  Investi^jator  had  <,mt  out  of  tlie 
IJayof  Mercy  and  passed  to  the  northwest  of  Melville  Island,  M'Clin- 
toik  and  Meacham  chose  routes  which  would  intercept  her  supposed 
track;  consequently,  Lieut.  Pim  of  the  Resolute,  was,  with  Dr.  Dom- 
ville  of  the  same  ship,  chosen  to  make  a  journey  with  sledj^es  from 
Melville  Island  to  Banks  Land;  and  on  March  10,  1S53,  they  started, 
amid  the  prayers  and  cheers  of  their  shipmates. 

In  the  meantime,  April,  1S53,  j,rreeted  the  iimiates  of  the  Investi.i,^- 
tor.  All  preparations  had  been  made' for  the  departure  of  the  party  be- 
fore referred  to.  On  the  5th  of  April  a  fine  deer  was  hnn-  up  rea.Iy  to 
I>e  .livided  for  a  hearty  meal,  of  which  all  hands  were  to  partake  bJf.re 
their  separation.  The  events  of  this  day  are  <,Mven  in  the  lan-ua-e  of 
M'Clure's  journal:  "  VVhlle  walkinj;  near  the  ship  *  *  *  •1=  *  -j,. 
we  perceived  a  fi<,rin-'j  walking,-  rapidly  toward  ns  from  the  rou-h  ice  at 
the  entrance  of  the  bay.  From  his  face  and  jrestures  we  l)oth  naturally 
supposed  at  first  that  he  was  some  one  of  our  party  pursued  by  a  bear, 
but  as  we  approached  him,  doubts  arose  as  to  who  it  could  be.  He  was 
certainly  unlike  any  of  our  men;  but  recollectin-  that  it  was  possible 
s-.nie  one  mi-ht  be  tryin-  a  new  tra.,elin-  dress,  preparatory  K,  the 
departure  of  our  sled,tres,  and  certain  that  no  one  elsu-  was  near,  we  eon- 
liuucd   to   advance;   when  within  about   two  hundred  yards  of  i,.,  this 


4^0 


P/Ars  RECEPTION. 


it  i  i  \  li 


.strange   figure  threw   up  his  arms,  and    made  gesticulations  resembling 
those    of  Esquimaux,  besides    shouting  at    the  top    of  his  voice,    words 
which,  from  the  wi.id  and  the  intense  excitement  of  the  moment,  sounde.l 
like    a  wild  screech;  and  this  brought  us  to  a  stand-still.     The  stranger 
came  quietly  on,  and  we  saw  that  his  face  was  black  as  ebony,  and  really 
at  the  moment  we  might  be  pardoned  for  wondering  whether  he  was  a 
denizen  of  this  world  or  the  other,  and  had  he  but  given  us  a  glimpse  of 
a  tail  or  a  cloven  hoof,  we  should  have  assuredly  taken  to  our  legs;  as   it 
was,  we  gallantly  stood  our  ground,  and  had  the  skies  fallen  upon  lis,  we 
could    hardly    have    been    more  astonished    than    when  the    dark-fiiced 
stranger  called  out: 

"'I'm    Lieut.    Pim,  late   of  the  Herald,   and   now  in  the   Resolute. 
Capt.  Kellett  is  in  her  at  Dealy  Island.' 

"To  rush  at,  and  seize  him  by  the  hand,  was  the  first  impulse,  for  the 
heart  was  too  full  for  utterance.     The    announcement   cf  relief  at  hand, 
when  none  was  supposed  to  be  even  within  the  Arctic  circle,  was  too  sud- 
den, unexpected,  and  joyous,  for  our    mn.ds  to  comprehend  it  at  once. 
The    news  flew  with  lightning   rapidity,  the  ship  was  all  in  commotion; 
the  sick  forgetting  their  maladies,  leapt  from  their  hammocks;  the  artifi-' 
cers  dropped    their  tools,  and  the   lower  deck  was    cleared  of  men,  for 
they    all  rushed  to  the  hatchway  to  be  assured   that  a  stranger  was' ac- 
tually amongst  them,  and  that  his  tale  was  true.    Despondency  fled  from 
the  ship,  and   Lieut.  Pim   received  a   welcome-pure,  hearty,  and  grate- 
ful—that he  will  assuredly  remember  and  cherish  to  the  end'of  his  days." 
M'Clure  at  once  decided  to  visit  Capt.  Kellett  to  make  arrangements 
with  him  for  conveying  to  England  all  the  sick  on  board    his   vessel.     It 
was  still  his  purpose  to   remain   by   the   Investigator  another  season  if 
necessary,  rather  than  abandon  her  while   any  possibility   of  her  release 
remained.     We  can  easily  conceive   of  the   nature   of  his   .iiecting  with 
Capt.  Kellett.     They  had  last  parted  on  that  eventful  day  in  1S50  when 
Kellett  had  felt  tempted  to  restrain  M'Clure  until  his  consort  came  up- 
a  course  which,  if  it  had  been  adopted,  would  probably  have  prevented  the 
happy  achievement  of  the  Northwest  Passage. 

Capt.  Kellett,  however,  did  not  feel  it  to  be  in   accordance   with  his 


THE  IN  VES r/GA  TOR  ABANDONED.  431 

duty  to  allow  M'Clure  to  once  more  peril  the  lives  of  his  crew  hv  rashly 
remaining  in  the  ice  durin-  the  winter  of  ,853-4.  A  consulta- 
tion hetween  Dr.  Donn-ille  and  Dr.  Armstronj,^  resulted  in  condemnin^r 
the  measure  as  impracticable,  considering  the  health  of  the  Investigator's 
crew;  ami  M'Clure  himself,  f„un<l  to  his  surprise  and  mortification  that 
only  four  of  his  whole  number  felt  able  and  willin-  to  go  throuj^h 
another  winter.  Much,  therefore,  as  he  rej^retted  the  step,  he  felt  justified 
in  leavin-  the  Investigator  and  proceeding  with  his  disabled  crew  to  the 
hospitable  Resolute  and  Intrepid,  where  he  arrived  June  17.  Their 
troubles,  however,  wore  yet  by  no  means  at  an  end;  for  the  gallant 
squadron  which  had  volunteered  their  rescue,  in  tm-n  found  itself"  beset 
an<l  unable  to  leave  its  doubtful  harbor  until  another  summer-that  of 
.S54. 

The  events  which  led  to  their  final  release,  and  the  circumstances  of 
the  (lucstionable  desertion  by  Sir  Edward  Belcher  of  several  ships  in 
good  order,  will  i,u  fully  presented  i.i  the  succeeding  chapter. 


HEAD  OP  REINDERR, 


M' 


iiiii 


CHAPTER    XLVIIL 

KKLCIIKK'S  INNOVATION -HIS  INSTRUCTIONS  TO  CAPT.  KELLETT  _ 
KKTUKN  TO  ENGLAND_A  COUKT-M ART! AL_A  HRITISII  WRITEr's 
KANCY— OSBORN  AND  CATOR  —  TRACES  —  REPORT  OF  Uae's 
DISCOVERIES— A    THRILLING     STORY. 

The  abandonment   of  a  number  of  ships   in   good   condition,  well- 
provisioned,  and  with  good  promise  of  release  within  a  reasonable  period 
certainly  constituted,  nt  the  time,  a  novel  conclusion  to  a  series  of  Arctic 
ventures;  and  one  which  subsequent  repetition  has  never  justified;  so  that 
in  pursuing  this  course,  Sir  Edward  Belcher  may  at  least   have   had   the 
satisfaction  of  complete  originality.     It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  chapter 
however,  to  pronounce  final  judgment  upon  the  wisdom   of  choices,   nor 
to  attempt   to  criticise   motives,   but   simply  to   give  the   facts  as 'they 
occurred;  from  which  the  reader  will  be  free  to  form  his  own  conclusions 
While  M'Clintock  and  Kellett  had  been  pushing  their  investio-ations 
.n  the  direcdon  of  Melville   Island   and   Banks   Land,   the   remainder  of 
Belcher's  squadron  had  continued   at   or   near   Beechey  Island,  and   had 
made  it  the   center  of  operations.      Although    some    good    service    was 
rcndercHi  in  the  way  of  surveying  and  exploration,  Sir  Edward's   coinse 
appears  to   have   been    timid    and    unsailorlike    throughout.     His    ships 
Pioneer  and  Assistance,  having  become  temporarily  beset  fifty  mdes  north 
of  Beechey  Island,  surprising  arrangements  for  the   abandonment   of  the 
whole  fieet  were  at  once  made  by  Belcher. 

Totally  ignorant  of  such  an  arrangement  on  the  part  of  the  senior 
oflicer,  the  commanders  of  the  Resolute  and  Intrepid,  which  we  left  frozen 
up  in  the  winter  of  .853-4,  h'^l  so  carefully  and  judiciouslv  husbanded 
their  resources  that  they  were  prepared  for  f-.  possible  "contingency 
o<  being  compelled  to  remain  still  another  year  in  the  ice  near  Barrow's 
Strait..    This  fact  was  all  the  more  t<;  their  credit  because  the 


483 


•y  nad  added 


BELCHER'S  INSTRUCTIONS. 


483 

to  their  list  of  consumers  the  exhausted  crew  of  the  Investigator.    Capt 
Kcllett  was  therefore  sm-priscd  to  receive  from  Sir  Edward,'in  the  spring 
of    1S54,    a    confidential    letter    containing    the    following    remarkable 
passage : 

"Should  Capt.  ColHnson,  of  the  Enterprise,  fortunately  reach  you 
you  will  pursue  the  same  course,  and  not  under  any  consideration  risk 
the  detention  of  another  season.  These  are  the  views  of  the  .overn- 
ment;  and  having  so  far  explained  myself,  I  will  not  hamper  vou  with 
ttn-thcr  mstructions  than,  meet  me  at  Beechey  Island,  with  the'crews  of 
all  vessels,  before  the  26th  of  August." 

Determined  not  to  take  such  a  course  hastily,  Capt.  Kellett  sent  Capt 
M'Chntock  to  inform  Sir  Edward  Belcher  of  the  perfect  possibilitv  of 
savmg  h,s  ships;  to  advise  him  of  the  stores  of  provisions  which  ^had 
hccn  saved  up;  to  assure  him  of  the  health  of  the  men;  and  to  express 
h,s  disapproval  of  so  unnecessary  and  unwise  a  movement.  These  rep- 
resentations, however,  were  unavailing.  Sir  Edward  sent  back  by 
M'Chntock  an  .,-^.;^for  abandoning  the  Resolute  and  Assistance,  and  the 
Investigator's  brave  crew,  «  who  had  lived  through  such  trials  and  hard- 
ships  for  four  winters,  stared  to  see  all  hands  gradually  retreating  upon 
IJccchey  Island,  ready  to  return  to  England  as  speedily  as  possible  "  " 

Thus,  leaving  Capt.  ColHnson  to  steer  the  Enterprise  safely  out  as 
best  he  might,  and  abandoning  the  good  ships  Investigator,  Resolute, 
Assistance,  Intrepi.i  and  Pioneer,  Belcher  ordere.l  the  combined  crews 
.>f  those  five  vessels  to  seek  quarters  on  board  the  North  Star  provision 
ship,  andembarked  for  England  in  charg.  of  many  chagrined  and  dis- 
satishod  Englishmen.  All,  including  the  Enterprise,  reached  En-Wand 
.n  September,  1S54,  being  welcomed  home  by  a  sympathizing  but  dis- 
appointed  people. 

The  matter  of  the  abandonment  of  the  Investigator  was  of  course 
tormally  examined,  aiul  Capt.  M'Clure  was  tried  by  a  court-martial-  a 
l)iocccding  which  resulted  in  his  ir.ost  honorable  acquittal.  Not  knowing 
what  might  in  the  meantime  have  been  accomplished  bv  Sir  John  Franir. 
l.n,  the  admiralty,  agreeing  that  M'Clure  had  virtually  achieved  a 
Northwest   Passage,  were  unanimous   in   bestowing   upon   himself  and 


fi 


4:!  I 


i    '  t 


A IV  ENGLISH  VVlilTER'S  FANCT. 


crew  ,€io,(x.c,,  ,„•  lialf  of  the  stamlin-  reward.     In  addition    to   ti.is  ,iis 
tinction,  M'Clure  was  kni-lited  l.v  tlu-  Qnec-n,  and  several  of  his  ollicers 
received  merited  promotion. 

Sir  Edward  Relcher  was  also  tried  l.y  a  court-martial,  hnt,  althou.^h 
he  wasl,arely  acquitted,  the  venerahle  chairman  of  the  judicial  body  be- 
fore whom  he  was  ],rou-ht,  han.led  him  his  swonl  in  u  si,<.nincant 
silence."  Concerning  the  justice  of  the  acciuittal,  it  seems  .lifficult  to 
determine,  but  his  eonrse  in  this  particular  case  seems  to  l)e  in  contrast 
with  the  usually  o-cuerons,  com-a-eous  spirit  of  the  :?ritish  sailor.  A 
writer  contemporaneous  with  the  events  just  narrated,  tln>s  feelin-ly  de- 
scribes the  condition  of  the  al)andoned   vessels: 

"Meantime,  it  is  sad  to  think  of  those  poor  doomer]  vessels,  which  we 
have  invested  with  so  much  personality  in   r.ur  nautical   fashion,  deserted 
thus  in  that  lone  white  wilderness!     We  can  fancy    in   the    lon,^-  comin-.- 
winter,  how  weird    an.l    stran-e  they  will  appear  in  the  clear  moonlioht 
—the  only  dark  object  in  the  dazzlino;  plain    around.      How  solemn  and 
oppressive  the  silence  an<l  solitude  all   around    them!       No   more  broken 
by  the  voices,  and  full-tone<l  shouts,  and  rin-in-  lau-hter,  which  so  often 
wake  the  echoes  far  and  near;  varied  only  by  the  unearthly  sounds   that 
sweep  over  these    dreary  regions  when  a  llssure  opens  in   the   -rcat   ice- 
fields, or  the    wild,   mournful   wailin-  of  the   wind    amon-   the   slender 
shrouds  and  tall,  taperin-   masts,  that  stand   so   sharply   deline.l   in   their 
blackness  upon  the    snowy  l)ack-roun(l.      An.l  so,  perchance.  Ion-  years 
will  pass,  till  the  snow  and  ice  may  have  crept  roimd  and  over  them,  and 
they  bear  less   resemblance   to    noble  En-lish   sailors   than   to    shapeless 
masses  of  crystal;  or  more  likely  some  comin-  winter  storm    may  ren<l 
the  bars  of  their   prison,  and  drive  them  out  in  its   fury  to  toss  upon    the 
waves,   until    the  an-ry   ice   -athers  around  its  prey,  and,  crushin-  then^ 
like  nut-shclls  in   its  mi-hty  -rasp,  sends  a  sidlen  boomin-  roar  ov^r  the 
water— the  knell  of  these   intruders  on  the  ancient  Arctit  solitudes!" 

VOYAGE  OF  LIEUT.  OSBORN.  • 

In  followin-  the  fortunes  of  the   various    expeditions   sent  out    in    tlie 
year  i,S5o,  we  must  not  omit  to   speak  of  the  adventures  of  the    Pioneer 


435 


iilJii'iLfflim 


430 


OSBOPJV  AND  CATOR. 


.111(1  IiUrcpid,  under  LIcuts.  Osborn  and  Cator,  l,otli  of  whom  proved 
themselves  l)rave  and  efficient  navij^'ators.  As  will  be  seen  by  their  in- 
structions, the  object  of  their  voyage  was  essentially  the  same  as  that  of 
the  other  expeditions. which  were  prepared  and  sent  out  almost  at  (he 
same  time.  They  received  orders  from  the  admiralty  to  examine  Bar- 
row's Strait,  southwesterly  to  Cape  Walker,  westerly  toward  Melville 
Island,  and  northwesterly  up  \Vellin,t,'ton  Channel. 

Startinnr  from   En-land  early  in    May,  the  coast   of  Greenland   was 
si-htcd  on  the  26th,  and  the  Whalefish  Island,  their  first  stoppin-  place, 
soon  arrived  at.     May  .and  June  were  both  spent  in  cruisin-  up  the  west 
coast  of  (ireenland,    and   cndeavorinj,-  to  effect  a    safe   passajre    to    the 
opposite  shore  of  I?affin's  Bay.     During   the    first  days  of  July,  Osborn 
had  his  first   experience  of  the  real   perils   of  the   Arctic    world.     The 
hands  were  -all  at  dinner  when    the    startling   announcement   was   made 
that  a  large  body  of  ice   was  bearing  down  upon  the  ship,  and  threaten- 
ing to  crush  lier  in  its   surging  mass.     The  best  security  in  emergencies 
of  this  kind,  is  the  preparation  of  docks  in  the  body  of  the  ice,  cut  in  the 
portion  which  is  firm  and     olid.      The   shijis  are  then    thrust  into  these 
artificial  «  leads,"  as  it  were,  and  thus  are  protected  by  the  very  element 
to  whose  tender  mercies  they  were  but  a  short  time  before  exposed,     fn 
this  case  the  combined  crews  were  instantly  on  the  ice,   their  triangles 
were  rigged,    and  their  long   ice-saws  werfc  at   work.     The  relief  was 
much  needed,  for  the  floe  was  coming  with  terrible  force,  and  the  col- 
lisions between  pack  and  berg  were  frequent  and  prodigious. 

After  struggling  through  almost  impenetrable  ice  for  several  weeks, 
they  reached  Lancaster  Sound  on  the  zzA  of  August,  and  began  the 
search.  They  soon  reached  Beechcy  Island,  on  which  the  three  graves 
of  Franklin's  men  were  to  be  found,  together  with  other  evidences  of  his 
having  wintered  there  during  1845-6,  the  first  winter  of  his  absence. 
When  about  to  leave  Beechey  Island  Osborn  fcnind  it  difficult  under 
his  directions  to  determine  what  course  to  pursue.  Franklin  had  evidently 
chosen  one  of  three  routes  on  leaving  Beechey  Island.  He  must  cither 
have  proceeded  southwest  by  Cape  Walker,  west  by  Melville  Island,  or 
northwest  through  Wellington  Channel.     In  the  meantime,  vague  reports 


STIUCKEN  FROM  THE  NA  VT  LIST.  4..,^ 

lH'ca.„o  current  tl,at  Pen,.,  .„•  his  n.en    had   ..iscovered    sledge-tracks  ,.n 

the  west  coast  of  Beechey  Island.     He   therefore  deter.nined   to  explore 

th,s  ,sh„Kl  in  person,  hetbre  ad<,ptin.  any  other  course.      First  findinl  the 

siedfje-marks  he  divided  his  party,  and  each  followed  the  sled-^e-marks  in 

an  opposite  direction.     Amon^  other  things  he  .liscovered    ,1^   site   of  . 

circular  hut  <.r  »  shack,"  which  ha.l  apparently  been  i,nilt   and    used  hv  '. 

si..otM,.  party  Iron,  the  ]^rebus  or  Terror.      The  stones    used   instead'  of 

stakes,  wh.ch  could  not  be  driven  into  the    fro.en    ..round,    lay   scattere.l 

around,  and  son.e  well-blackened  boulders  indicated    where   the   Ineplace 

iKul    been.      iJones,   en.pty    n.eat-cans,   and    porter  bottles    were    strewn 

-•"•■n.l,  and  told  offcasts  and  ,.,.d  cheer,  but  no  written  wonl  helped  to 

solve  the  mystery  which  occupied  so  fully  the  minds  of  ,„„•  searchers 

Soon  atter  this  the  Intrepid  and  Pioneer  fell  in  with  the  other  En.^- 
hsh  vessels  which,  together  with  the  two  American  brij,s,  were  en^^a..^! 
iu  evpl.nnj,  the  san,e  regions  as  themselves.  Nothing  further  of  hUeLt 
nccurrcl  save  the  hardships  and  adventures  connnon  to  anv  crew 
expenencn^j,  the  nj^or  of  an  Arc.ic  winter.  After  spending  thJ  wintc.- 
...  .S50-,  u,  the  ice  an.l  narrowly  escapin-,  a  seond  in.prisonment,  the 
squadron  reached  Enj^land  in  Septen.ber,  ,85.,  after  a  successful  trip  of 
Ihice    weeks.  ' 

DISCOVERIES  AND   REPORT  OF   DR.    RAE. 

Early  in  the  year  1854,  before  the   return    of  M'Clure    and    IJelcher 
the  foliown.o-  notice  appeared  in  the  London    Gazette: 

"Notice  is  hereby  jjiven  that  if  intelligence  be  not  received  beA.re  the 
3.st  of  March  next  of  the  officers  and  crews  of  II.  M.  S.  Erebus  ..nd 
Terror  being  alive,  the  names  of  the  officers  will  be  removed  from  the 
Navy  List,  and  they  and  the  crews  of  those  ships  will  be  considered  as 
havn.g  died  in  Her  Majesty's  service.  The  pav  an.l  wages  of  the  officers 
and  crews  ofthose  ships  will  cease  on  the  3, St  of  March  next;  and  all 
!)ersons  legally  entitled,  a.ul  qualifying  themselves  to  claim  the  pav  and 
wages  then  due,  will  be  paid  the  same  on  applicatio.i  to  the  Accountant 
General  of  Her  Majesty's  navy. 

"By  command  of  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty." 


438 


A  THRILLING  STORT. 


,1  ■■> 


Itfiril 
iiiiiiiiii 


111  a  kttcr  full  of  anTection  an.l  hope  for  her  lo^t  consort,  Lady  Frank- 
liii  .Icpre-iatL-d  to  ihc  admiralty  the  necessity  mider   which   they    had    felt 
compelled  to  take  this  summary  step.      In  gracious  terms    ihe   a.lmiralty 
explained  to  he;-  ladyship  the  exigencies  of  the  case.      Their  sympalhi.;"s 
and  fniances  were  all  needed  for  the  prosecution  of  the  Russian  war;  and 
the  particular  date  announced   had   heen  chosen   since  it  was  the  close  of 
the  liscal  year,  an<l  it  was  necessary  to  close  the  accounts  for  that  period. 
However  cruel  it  may  seem  to  have  thus  classed  amon.i,' the  dead  those 
of   whose  .leath  no  certain    tidin-s  had  heen   -ained,  the  intelligence   re- 
ceived fron,  Dr.  Rae  a  few   months  later,  seems  to  have  conhimcl  as  ap- 
propriate,   the   decision  of  the   admiralty.      His  story  is  hrielly  this:      He 
ha<l   l)een  sent  ],y  the  Hudson's    Hay   Company   in  1853   to  complete  the 
survey  of  the  lon,L,r  isthmus  of  hmd  which  coimects  North  Somerset  with 
the  American  continent  under  the  name  of  Boothia. 

Repealing  his  plan  of  ..|K-ralions  in  iSp;,  Rae  wintered  al  the  lakes 
on  the  i.thmus  which  divi.le  Re-ent's  Inlet  from  Repulse  May,  an<l  early 
in  the  sprin-  of  .85  |  started  with  his  sled-e  party  to  accomplish  hi"s 
task.  While  tn.ikin-  his  way  to  the  northwest,  he  met  ,.n  the  20th  ,,f 
April  an  Kscpiimaux,  who,  upon  hein-  asked  if  he  had  I'ver  seen  aiiv 
ships  or  Nvhite  men,  replied  no,  hut  that  "a  party  of  while  men  had  died 
of  starvation  a  Ion-  distance  to  the  west  of  where  he  then  was,  and  l,c- 
yond  a  lar^e  river!" 

After  questioning,-  this  Esciuimaux  further,  Rae  .<,deaned  the  following 

iuformation,  whicli  we   -ive  as  it     was  presented  in  his    report:      'Mn   the 

sprin-,  four    winters  since   (1S50),  while  some  Ivs.piimaux    families   were 

killin-    seals   near  the   north    coast  of  a  lar-e    island,  named    in    Arrow- 

smith's    charts    Kin-  W^illiam's    Land,  ahout  forty  while  men  were  seen 

travelin-  in   company  southward    over  the  ice,  and   dra--in,-  a  hoal    and 

slcd,i,'es    with    ihem.      Tliey   were    passin-    alon-   the   west  shore  of  the 

ahove-named    i.land.      None    of  the  ahove  partv   could  speak  the    lOsijui- 

maux    lan-ua-c  s.,  well    as  to   he   understood;    hut   hy    si-ns  the    natives 

were    led  to  helieve   that  the    sliip  or  ships  had   heen  crushed  hy  ice,  and 

that  they  were    now  goin-  where  they  expected    to  find   deer    to  shoot. 

From  the  apioearunce    of  the    men,  all   cjf  whom,  with   the  exception  of 


439 


I 


I 


440 


CANNIBALISM. 


a"  olhccr,  woro  haulinj,  ..,.  ti.e  clra^r.,„pes  ..f  the  slcl^^c,  an.l  lookc-.i  thi,. 
t hoy  were  then  ft.pposc.i  to  he  f^ettiuj,.  short  of  provisions;  an.l  they  pur- 
chased a  seal,  ,.r  pieee  of  seal    from  the   natives.     The    officer    was  de 
scnhed  as  hein.,^  a  tall,  stout,  middle-aj^ed  man.     When  their  chiv's  jour- 
ney  terminated,  they  pitched  tents  to  rest  in. 

"At  a  later  date  the  same  season,  hut  previous  to  the  disruption  of  the 
-ce,  the    corpses  of  some  thirty  persons,  and  some    .^^raves,  were  discov- 
ered on  the  contine.it,  and  Hve  dead  bodies  on  an   islan.l  near  it,  al)oul  . 
Ion-  day's  journey  to  the    nortinvest  of  the    month  of  a    lar-e  strenn 
wh.ch  can  he  no  other  than  Hack's  (Jreat  Fish  River,  as  its  description' 
:'nd  that  of  the  low  shore  in  the  neighborhood  of  Poiut  O-le  and  Mon 
treal    Island   a.^^ree    exactly   with   that  of  Sir    (ieo.    liack.  ^   Some  of  th. 
Ixnl.os    were   in   a   tent    '.r  tents;  oth.-rs  were  under  the  boat,  which   hul 
,l.een  turne.l  over  to  form  a    shelter,  and  son.e  lay  scattered   aI,out  in  dif- 
terent  d.roctions.      Of  those  seen  on  the  island,  <me  was  supposed  to  have 
been  an  olhcer,  as  he  had  a  telescope  strapped  over  his    shoulders,  an.l  ■. 
douhle-l)arreled  ^run  lay  beneath  him. 

"  From  the  mutilated  state  of  u.any  of  the  bodies,  and  the  contents  of 
the  kettles,  it  is  .  vident  that  onr  Nvretched  countrymen  had  been   driven 
to  the  dread    alternative  of  cannibalism    as  a  means   of  sustaining  life. 
There   must  have  been  among  this  party  a  number  of  telescopes,  .nnis 
watches,  compasses,  etc.,  all  of  which  seem  to  have  been  broken  np"as  I 
saw  pieces  of  tiiese  articles  with  the  natives,  and  I  purchased  as  many  as 
possmle,  toy:ether  with  some  silver  spoons  and  forks,  an  Order  of  Me-it 
..1  the  form  of  a  star,  and  a  small  silver  plate  engraved  -Sir   John  Frank- 
lin,  K.  C.  J}.'" 

In  this  report  Dr.  Rae  sent  a  list  of  thin.gs  bofgju  from  Mie  Esciui- 
maux,  and  afterward  on  his  return  to  England  brought  the  articles  them- 
selves,  and  received  the  proffered  reward  of  ,tio,ooo.  He  had  not  proved 
the  death  of  Frank|»i,  l,ut  his  account  bore  terribly  painful  evidence  to 
the  now  generally  received  opinion  that  the  whole  combined  crew,  ly^ 
in  number,  had  miseral,Iy  perisiied.  From  Rae  we  revert  to  the  details 
of  the  adventures  of  the  American  Grinn.-ll  Expedition,  alrea<iy  referred 
to  in  a  previous  chapter. 


I 


CIlAl'TI'k     MAX. 

"■  •'"""••"■'■  -—."->-—,■ „„.„,„,  _,„,,,,,„,,„,,,„ 

V,,,,,,.:  „„v^,.v  A  ..KA,..-,c,...NAv,„.n„._.„,„,  ,„,„„„^;^ 

J'OlrrUN'ATK    KSCAl'K. 

■'"'"  ;'."::'-"V"'  "''  ""■'  "^■'■'"^  '"' "'-'  ""' »-•  ehc  ,csc„.  ,„.  ,ii,. 

cove,,,.,    S.  Jo,.  P..„,H,.,  wa,  w..,„,,  „„,„«„„„  „„„  ,„^^,„     ; 

po,„.  .h.  ,„eovory  of  „  N„,-.l.wos.   Passaic  ,,!,,  ,.ot,  fo,-  |,,„i„  ,,, 
havo..   .,...,..,    ,,,.„,   u,.i.,,   .S.„e.  .haU.  ha,.     ..    ,i  ,.,„.,        I; 
A,„.„ca    a,,  ,,,„,.,  .,K  ,„„„,,„„.,  „„„„  „^,.  ^,,  ,_,.       ^ 

--vh,cl,  ha      ha,l  s,.cha   .n.^ica,    ,o,™i„a.i„,„    a„„    he,-  ...a.  h-    t 
ea„.  .,,„pa.hy  ,..  ,he  b.reav.l  „atio„  a,.„  the  amic.o,,  „1...    ^^ 

wc  ,„„.  pnva...  bcncvolcce  co-opc-ati.,,  wiU,  eh.  p..,,h-c  ,„„,. „ 

cat  .. PC,  .,0,.  ,„  behalf  of  .he  ,.hjece  co,.„„„„  .„  ,,  „,,  '.„„  ,„„,„;'■" 
The  ch,ef  A,„cnca„  expeditions  fo,-  this  p„,.p„.e  vve,e  .h.ec  h.  ,u„n,  er 

......  h.ue,,.,o:;^::;.:r;^:::::--;.-- 

a..,l  the  th,r,l  by  Mr.  C.  F.  Hall,  „r  Cincinnati      An  !      ' 

vo.va,cs  „i„  be  ,ive„  in  thei.  .L.^,.;::^^  ""'  "'   ""'° 

Lady  Jane  Franldin  bad  personally  applici  to  the  United   State,  for 
a.;    -;;. he  enterprise  of  snatchin,  .he  lost   navigators  fro.'n  !'r, 
„.-  .        The  .natter  was  eonsid  re,l  by  Congress,  but  ovvin.  to  the  ei, 

.-..,.  above  .nentioned  ^...eron!,  n^r:  '^ r;::: 

:i  ,r::i,r;;it*c"""""'=^''°^ 

y  l.be.abty,  Co„g,ess  accepted  the  gift,  and  i,„,ne,liatelv 

441  ■^ 


4«l 


Dnsch'/rrrox  of  run  adv.wcr. 


m 

i 

i 

^ 

.    '      1 

niithori/L'il  llic  executive  Id  dctaili  iiu-ii  iiul  oHiiiTs  liom  the  ii.ivy  i  . 
nccompany  and  take  chai-j,'e  of  tlio  i-xpcditioii.  Lieut.  ICdward  ).  Dc 
IlavLMi  was  (.hosfii  as  coinmaiuU-r,  and  Dr.  lO.  K.  Kaiu>,  svlm  was  sinii- 
inoiu'd  by  tclcjrram  from  liis  field  (»f  labor  mi  the  (iulf  (.f  .Mexico,  as 
medical  olHccr. 

It  may  l)e  well  to  state  here,  tliat  Lieut.  Dellaveii  decliniiij,'  tu  mak.' 
more  than  aii  ollicial  report  of  the  voyaLfe,  an  extended  account  was 
written  and  |)ul)lished  i)y  Dr.  Kane,  hein,,'  compiled  lap^'ely  from  his 
join-iial.  VVe  shall  feel  free,  accordin.,dy,  wiien  occasion  presents  itself, 
to  (piote  from  his  copious  observations  in  his  ovvn  clear  and  <,'racefiil 
style. 

Thf  two  vessels  proffered  by  Mr.  Griniiell  for  the  u'^c  of  the  i)arty, 
were  the  bri<rs.  Advance  and  Rescue,  and  were  admirably  calculated  for 
their  intended  service.  In  an  enterprise  of  this  kind  stren-rth  rather  than 
\veij,Hit  or  size  seems  to  be  the  dcsidcriituin,  ami  the  followint^r  descrip- 
tion of  the  Advance,  j,dven  by  Dr.  Kane,  well  shows  tiie  i^ood  iud'^nuiil 
of  Mr.  Grinncll  in  the  mattei-  of  selection: 

"Commencing,'-  with  the  outside,  liie  iuiU  was  literally  double,  a  bri-- 
within  a  brij,'.  An  outer  slieathiny  of  two  and  a  half  iiuli  oak  was 
covered  with  a  second  of  the  same  material ;  and  strips  of  heavy  slat'i 
iron  extended  from  the  bows  to  the  beam  as  a  shield  aj^ainst  the  cuttiii'^- 
action  of  the  ice.  The  decks  were  waler-ti,q:ht — made  so  by  a  packing,' 
of  tarred  paper  between  them.  The  entire  interior  was  lined,  ceiled  with 
cork,  which,  independently  of  its  low  conductin<,'  powei-,  was  a  valuable 
protection  a_:j^aiust  tiie  comlcnsin^  moisture,  one  of  the  -reatest  evils  of 
the  [jolar  climate. 

"The  strcnjrtheninj,'  of  her  skeleton — Iier  wooden  framework  -was 
admirable.  Forward  from  keelson  to  deck  was  a  mass  of  solid  lii.ibe'rs, 
clamped  and  dovetailed  with  nautical  wisdom,  lor  sevei>  feet  from  the 
cutwater;  so  that  we  could  spare  a  foot  or  two  of  our  bow  without  spring- 
ing aleak.  To  prevent  the  ice  from  forcing;-  in  her  sides  >he  was  built 
with  an  extra  set  of  beams  runnin,;^  athwart  her  len>,nh  at  iiUersals  of 
four  feet,  and  i-o  arranged  as  to  ship  and  unship  at  pleasure.  From  the 
Samson  posts,  strong,  radiating  timbers,  called  shores,  diverged  in  e\ri  v 


m 


I 


fNHTJWCTlONS. 


44C 


VI' r 


iliivction;  ami  oaken  kuft-s,  !ian;;^ii-,'  aixl  olilique,  were   added    vvhcrc 
space  would  permit." 

Tlie  plan  of  the  V()yaj,'e,  as  indicated  hy  tiu'  foiinal  n\essair,.  ,,» 
instrnction  lV;)'n  the  Secretary  ol"  the  Navy  lo  Lieut.  Dellaven,  was 
lirielly  as  IoIIowh: 

The  main  oliject  of  the  expedition  was  understood  to  he  tiie  tliscov  i-i  v 
(il'Sii  jno.  I'raiddin  and  liis  companions;  sniijecfs  of  scieniilic  in(|u:rv 
were  to  he  considered  only  so  far  as  tiiey  miyhi  not  interfere  with  the 
urand  ohji'ct  of  the  search. 

The  ships  were  to  steer  for  Marrow's  Straits,  and  decision  was  to  he 
tiieii  made  as  to  whether  they  should  separate;  in  case  of  separation  a 
place  of  rendezvous  was  to  he  a^need  upon  witii  Commander  (Jrillin, 
who  was  to  have  chars^e  of  the  Rescue. 

In  case  Harrow's  Strait  could  not  he  approached  or  jjenetrated,  atleii- 
ti.in  was  to  l)e  directed  to  Smith's  Sound  or  Jones' Sound;  and  in  case  the 
ice  should  materially  ohstruct  these,  makinj,^  entrance  impossii)le  or  dan- 
herons,  tiie  expedition  was  advised  to  return  at  once  to  New  York,  (ir 
make  further  searcii  at  liie  discretion  of  the  leader. 

vVs  the  entile  Arctic  face  of  tlie  Continent  had  heen  traversed  in 
search  of  tile  missin-^r  navi},'ators,  it  was  thou^'ht  useless  tore-examine 
tliose  points. 

The  commander  was  enjoined  not  to  take  any  course  which  would 
hazard  his  own  life  or  that  of  the  crew,  and  was  advisi-d  to  spend  only 
one  winter  in  the  Arctic  re<(ions. 

On  tile  22(1  of  May,  1S50,  the  two  ships  were  towed  out  of  New 
York  harhor  and  after  taking-  leave  of  Mr.  Grinnell  and  his  s(ms,  who 
had  accompanied  the  ships  out  to  sea,  the)* tacked  away  in  j^ood  earnest, 
and  were  soon  out  of  .si<^ht  of  the  metropolis.  The  course  alonj,'  up  the 
Atlantic  till  the 'coast  of  Greenland  was  reached,  was  varied  hy  the  new 
experiences  of  iceher<,'s  and  driftwood  from  the  far  north.  An  occasional 
school  of  whales  was  met,  to  amuse  the  crew  with  their  porpoise-like 
tumhliuLC  about  the  ship.  The  len-jthening  days,  also,  as  <,M-atlual  advance 
was  made  toward  the  north,  was  a  novel  experience,  and  when  at  last  the 
:<un  ceased  alto<jethcr  to  disappear  below  the  horizon,  the   usual  order  of 


:1j 


].h)i 


'Xi  t   t     !  ■ 


.  ,  i     , ' 


Wv 

1 

a 

4)4 


A  lie  TIC    TlilfMS. 


thiii-s  seemed  quite  subvertcci.  To  these  thin-s  the  crew  quickly  became 
accustomed,  and  routine  on  board  the  ships  being  perfect,  the  ei)thusiasm 
(or  discovery  soon  caused  these  disturbing  elements  to  be  forgotten. 

The    1st  of  July  found    the    little    squadron     approaching   Melville 
Bay— that    well-known    wholesale    depot    of    ice,    both     new    and    old. 
It  was  the  fate  of  the  Advance  and  Rescue,  as  it  had  been  of  many  ships 
before  tliem,  to  become  engaged  in  a  large  ice-pack;  and  for  weeks  they 
lay  witiiout  being  able  to  advance  or  recede,  except   with  tiie  pack.      It 
may  not  be  generally  known  that  ice-navigation,  or  .he   mano'uvering  of 
a  vessel  necessary  when  involved  in    a   pack,    has    become    a    recognixed 
l»anch  of  the   nautical    art,— being,   as    it    were,  a   science  in   itself,  and 
having  its  own  terminology  to   designate  tlie    difficulties  peculiar  to  such 
;ni  event,  and  the  movements    necessary  to  gain    relief.      Dr.    Kane's    de- 
sc:iptiou  of  a  scene  in  this  particular  time  of  extremity   is  too   vivid    and 
lyiMcal  to  omit  or  abridge: 

"  Let    us   begin    by   imagining    a    vessel  or,  for  variety,  two  of  them 
speeding  along  at  eight  knots  an   hour,  and  heading  directly  for  a    long, 
low  margin  of  ice  about  two  miles  off.     '  D'ye  see   any   opening?'   cries 
the    cajitain,  hailing  an  officer  on  the  fore  toji-sail  yard.     'Something  like 
a  lead  a  little  to  leeward  of  that    iceberg  on  our  port-bow  !'      In    a   little 
while  we  near  the  ice;  our  light  sails  are  got   in,  our  commander  taking 
the  place  of  the  officer,  who  has  resumed  liis  station  on  the  deck.     *       * 
"  Now  commences  the   process  of   '  conning.'      Such    work  with  the 
helm  is  not  often  seen  in  ordinary  seas.     The  brig's  head   is   pointed    for 
the  open  gap;  the  watch  ari>    stationed    at   the  braces;  a  sort    of  silence 
])revails.      Presently  comes  down  the  stentorian  voice  of  our  commander 
'llard-a  starboard..'  and  at  the  same  moment,  the  yards  yield  to  the  ready 
hamls  on  the  braces.     The  ship  turns  her  nose  into  a  sudden  indentation, 
and  bangs  her  quarters  against  a   big  lump   of  smashing   ice.     'Steady, 

there!'     For  half  a  minute  not  a   sound,   until    a  second    yell, 'Down 

down!  hard  down  !'  and  then  we  rub,  and  scrape,  and  jam,  an<I  thrust 
aside,  and  are  thrust  aside;  but  somehow  or  other  find  ourselves  in  an 
open  canal  losing  itself  in  the  distance.      This  is  a  lead.  *  * 


L 


iioKui""  a 


head,  we  see  that  «)ur  lead 


IS  gettnig   narrower,   its  sides 


IN  A   LEAD. 


445 


K'ln 


c.ls.ns  .„„a„,  each  other;   ie  Is  ,„,„,  It.  »„,,„,,„„»,     .^,  ,„„  „,„„ 

lo,.!    'l^».vps„l'. S.e,,,l..ee!.. «„,,,-,.,,„„!..,,.,,,  h„,,,,ha,,l!' 
(Scrape,  scratch,  thumn  ^     'Fiio-hn     .„  ,  »  ,        u. 

■nnmvl   f    .K  /  "  anomalous   grunt,  and    ux-  are 

i.anmcd  fast  between  two  "-ro-it  iV,.  (\,.\a..     c       i 

^reat  icc-fields  of  unknown  extent.    The  cm 

tani  comes  dow.i,  and  we  all  go  quietly  to  supper  ' 

"Next  comes  some   processes    unconnected  with  the  sails,  our  wings. 
These  w,ll  explam,  af^er   Arctic  fashion,  the   terms  M.cave,' and    ^  wa^' 


AKCTIC   TOOLS. 


'™-'!   '':'•''-''•■  '"'"■--"•'"■l-ctmi.e,  :,,,.!  ..,«,i,,,e   „;,,,, 

"■-■   I--,   .»  .I>M,I   al,ea,l.     A    „,„,,le  „r  ha„.ls,  u,,,,.,-  .,„l.,.s,  .,f  ,,„„.,. 
-«.,.,„    ,,-„„    |,„„,„,„.   ;„„,„,„„,    „,.  ,^.,^.^,_   ^^_^    ,^^^^^    ^^^^^   si...,  „„e  „; 
'    ••r^"""''"'-"''  ^''•''"'   ■•-   '-■"''-h»..n*;  with  ,his   ,l,.v    i,,,,,p 

'"""'"   ■»■■'"'''•'-'■'"'''«-    *H  Hose  ,.,   ,h.  „,,;,,f    , he 

n-:|cl<  al,„„  .vhieh  u-e  uish  „.  ,■„,-„  „,„■  wav.      T„  „,a,„  a„  iee' ,„„-,  a 

1>.  .^  .s  c„.  „  „,.,„e,,  ..,  ,„e  sarfaee  .,f  „,e  „„e,  ei„,e,.  with  an  iee-chisc,  or 
-ih  the  anchor  „self  use.l  pick-axe  fashion,  and  into  this  Itole  the  lar,.cr 


J.  t' 


n 


Pii 


i 


410 


MELVILLE   BAT. 


conuT  of  tlic  anchor  is  hooked.  Once  fast,  you  slip  a  liawscr  arouiid  the 
sinallcr  end  and  secure  it  from  further  shp  hy  a  '  mousinj^ '  of  rope- 
yarn.  The  shiclv  of  the  hawser  is  passed  around  the  shaft  of  our  jxatent 
wineii,— an  apparatus  of  co<;rs  ;md  levers  standing,'  in  our  how,  and 
cvcrythin.rr  in  far  less  time  than  it  takes  me  to  describe  it,  is  ready  for 
'lieaviui^.' 

"  Tiien  comes  the  hard  work.  The  hawser  is  hauled  taut;  the  strain 
is  increased.  Everybody,  captain,  cook,  steward,  and  doctor,  is  takin-^r  ^ 
spell  at  the  pump-handles,  or  overhaulincr  the  warping  gear;  for  dignity 
does  not  take  care  of  its  hands  in  tiie  middle  pack,  until  at  last  if  the 
Hoes  he  not  too  ohdm-ate,  they  separate  hy  the  wedge-like  action  of  on,- 
hows,  and  we  force  our  way  into  a  little  cleft  which  is  kept  open  on  eillKr 
side  hy  the  vessel's  beam.  But  the  quiescence,  the  equilibrium  of  tb.c  ice 
which  allows  it  to  be  thus  severed  at  its  line  of  junction,  is  rare  enough. 
Oftentimes  we  heave  and  haul  and  sweat,  and  after  parting  a  ten  inch 
hawser,  go  to  bed  wet,  and  tired  and  discontented,  with  nothing  but  ex- 
l-)ericnce  to  pay  for  our  toil.      This  is  'warping.'  " 

For  twenty-one  days  they  were  in  this  narrow  strait  between  two 
continents  of  ice,  part  of  the  time  immovalile  in  relation  to  the  pack,  and 
part  of  tl-.e  time  edging  their  way  al(Mig,  a  yard  an  hour,  hy  means  of 
their  "eternal  warping."  It  was  now  August,  and  the  season  f.t  for 
search  was  passing  away;  the  prospect  of  success  was  rapidly  vanishing 
and  the  ice-locked  mariners  were  becoming  nca'ly  desperate;  when  a 
fortiuiate  combination  of  winds,  currents,  and  temperature  released  them, 
and  they  were  able  once  more  to  continue  their  course. 

J5ut  it  was  no  quiet  lake  into  which  they  made  their  escape  from  tlicir 
icy  besetmcnt.  Melville  Ray  presented  itself  to  them  in  all  its  terror 
iM-om  the  dark  headlands  looming  up  in  the  distance,  u  solid  shore  of  ice 
projected  itself  for  miles  into  the  bay.  Along  this  solid  ice  the  great 
drift  moves,  impelled  i)y  the  varying  winds  and  currents,  sometimes  close 
to  its  edge,  sometimes  at  such  a  distance  as  to  leave  a  passable  channel  of 
open  water.  Down  this  ehaimel  the  great  icebergs  came  sweeping  along; 
and  more  than  once  during  their  f'rst  night  in  the  bay,  all  hands  weie 
callecl  on  deck    to  warp  the  vessels  out  of  their  course.     Througli  ilic 


AN  ARCTIC  GARDEN. 


aiul 


447 

channel,  between  the  advdncinc.  floes  and  solid  ice,  the  vessels  made 
'i^-'-'a''onoMs  way,  sometimes  hy  towin,,^  sometimes  by  their  sails;  In.t 
l.ol.hn^  always  upon  their  northwestward  eourse.  This  transit  acn.s 
MHvlle  Hay,  a  distance  of  not  more  tiian  three  hundred  miles,  consumed 
"veent.re  weeks  of  a  voyage  whose  success  depends  upon  days,  and 
^■v-'  1-nrs.  A  sn.all  steamer  would  have  towed  them  across  in  a  counlu 
ot  days. 


AKCTIC   IM.AN-T.      fACTfAI.  SIZE.) 

As  they  sldrte<l  these  icy  shore.,  thev  not  infrequently  found  oppor- 
tumnes.o  leave  the  vessels,  and  sonu-times  came  upon  spots  amid  snow 
-..1  uv  where  the  reflected  rays  of  the  sun  formed  a  delicious  little  AU 
P'Mc  garden,  ^reen  with  mosses  and  cariccs,  and  stirrounded  with  shrubs 


448 


A  jYahrow  escape. 


,J  ll 


^1 


and  trees—what  passed  for  shrubs  .uid  trees,  in  the  meagcrness  of  Arctic 
ve-etatioti;  plants  like   those  dwarf  specimens  produced  by  Chinese  art. 
There  was  the    wild  blueberry    in  full    flower  and    fruita-e,  yet  so  small 
that  it  mi-ht  have  been  inclosed    in  a  wine  glass;    wild   honeys.^ckles,  au 
entire    plant  ..f  which  might   have  been    worn  in  one's    button-hole;  wil- 
lows   like  a  leaf  -.f  clover;  trees,  not   one  of  which  reached    to  the  level 
of  a  .nan's  knees,  while  the  majority,  clinging  along  the  groinul,  scarcely 
rose   to   the  height   of  the   shoes   of  the    navigators  who  towered   above 
them  like  the  giants  of  IJrobdignag  among  the   vegetation   of  Lilliput. 
The   processes   of  nature,   hampered   or   rather   modified   by   the   Arctic 
temperature,  produce  results  cp.aintly  difTcring  from    those   to  which  we, 
reared  in  the  chmate  of  40^-50%  are  daily  witnesses.     Kane  had   opp,,,-' 
tmnty  to  measure  tlie   depth  of  the  accumulating   mosses  (,f  many  years. 
In  many  places  he  fnmd  it  five  or  more  feet  in  height,  and  counted  sixt>  - 
eight  difTerent  layers  indicating  the  fertilizing  accumulations  of  as  maiiy 
years. 

The  auks  had  built  their  nests  upon  the  rocks  overhanging  the  min- 
iature hot-beds,  and  the  apparently  easy  ascent  invited  adventure. 

"  Urged  by  a  wish  to  study  the  habits  of  these  little  Arctic  onigrants 
a^:  their  homesteads,  I  foolishly  clambered  up  to  one  of  their  most  populous 
colonies,  without  thinking  of  my    descent.      The    angle    of  deposit    was 
already  ^•ery  great,  not  much  less  than  50",  and  as   I   moved    on,   with  a 
waikmg-pole  substituted  for  my  gun,  I  was  not  surprised  to  find  the  fra- 
ments  receding  under  my  feet,  and  rolling   with    a    resounding   crash,   to 
the  plain  below.      Stopping,  however,  to  regain  my  brenth,  1  foun<l  t'hat 
evcrythi.ig,  beneath,  around,  above  me,  was  in  motion.      The   entire  sur- 
face seemed  to  be  sliding   down.      Ridiculous   as   it   may   seem    to   dwell 
upon  a  matter  apparently  so  trivial,  my  position   became   one  of  d.-ui-rer. 
The  accelerated  velocity  of  the  masses  caused  them  to  leap  off  in  dellertal 
lines.      Several    uncomfortable    fragments   had   already  passed   by   me, 
some  even  over    my    head,   and   my    walking-pole   was   jerked   from  nn' 
Hands  and  buried  in  the   ruins.     Thus   helpless,   I   commence<l   mv    own 
half-.nvoluntary  descent,  expecting  momentarily  to  follow  my  pole,  when 
my  eye  caught  a  projecting  outcrop  of  feldspar,  against  which  the  stron^^ 


OFF   TO  LANCASTER.  ^jg 

currcu  split  into  two  minor  strca.m.     This,   with   some    hard  jun^ns    I 
succeeded  ill  reaching,"  ' 

%  the  ..iddle  of  August  it  became  evident  that  the  expedition 
would  be  able  to  pass  ,he  ice,  and  would  winter  iu  the  almost  unknown 
re^-ons  of  the  Northwest.  Their  spirits  rose  when  the  ice-pack  was 
cleared,  and  instead  of  threading  the  winding,  cha.mels  among  the  ice 
they  ba.le  good-bye  to  the  bay  of  the  "famous  Mr.  William  Baflln  "'  and' 
with  full  sails  headed  toward  Lancaster  Soun<l. 


THE  ARCTIC  OWL. 


30 


1    I 


CHAPTER    L. 

A    .„M,.A,nsnN_MKKT     W.T,,     ..NOMSH    SUUAUKON  SKAiUM     ,  ,N    .CN- 

(|.;iri-^.,;KAVKs  ..iscovkkki.  — vahyin.;  conclusions--,  kni,  ,„, 

SUMMKH-T«,;KT„KH     ONcK     MOHK    -UN.M.KASANT     INKOUMA-noN 
-AN     UNl'inXI'DIlNTi:!)     DIUI    T. 


In 


I  iii  I ' 


I'n)I)al)Iy  most  oCllu.sc-  wlio  read  (liis  Ix.ok  have    1 


H-eii    1  eared 


/oiii'  (.('the  oak,  tlie  maple,  and  waviiij^^  fields  of 
liave  passed  their  lives  i:i  .i  still 


111    the 


riaiii ;  or  some 


])i.'rli.ips, 


more   L,>-eiiial    leLrioii 


nourishes  and  t 


,    where    the   oraii- 


u-  sun  invites  to  a  V. 


indoU'iu'i' 


and 


ineiil 
(lit 


'I'  \at 


sensuous   en 


ure's   lavish   -ilts.      Such  will    (Ind  it  hard  to  reali 


joy- 


i/.c  th 


<-'  eoii- 


(lition   and   si'iisations  of  those   who    HI 


,  hki.'   themselves,  aceustoiiu 


to     ll 


variety  of  temperate  re^;ions,  ha\e  he 


wlu-re   coiuimious   ni<rii 


It    or  ])roloii^ed  day  is  t 


en  transported  suddenlv  to  the  1 
1  d; 


iiitl 


hr  rule. 


I'he  readt-r  has  heiai  aei-iistoiued  1( 
soothin.-    inlluLMiee    of  the   twilij^ht 
wli 


nit^ht    and    (la\- 


lias    lei  I    the 


nLM\i:,ri„„-    jrradnallv    into   darl 


ose  more  somber  hnc-s  invite  repose  and    sleep;    and 


speedy  return    of  day   whose   stimnlatin- 
activity.      Uul  in  the  lonj^-   watches    of  A 
picas! II -r   varietv. 
chance  advi'utiirei- 


k  11  CSS, 
he    is    used  to  the 


sunli'dit    uiLTcs    once 


more   to 


rctic    life    there   (om 


I' 


cs   no   such 


'or  six    months    the    henii^rhted    Es(iui 


motinis  the  ahsencc  of  the  li'dit-'Mv 


as  wi 


•11 


maux    oi-    the 


iMLT  orh;  hfe-'dvin' 


IS  .i,-j:ht-.,'-iviii.,r,  for  ill  his  ahsencc  hcaltli  fails  and 


in  depression   and    melancholy.     On    th 
ajjpearance,  when  once  he  cstahlishcs  1 


the  spirit   sinks 


ic   other    hand 


>V()us    as    is    ll 


is 


IIS  course  above    the    horizoi 


constant  ])resence  stimulates  t 


1,    Ills 


)    unnatural    and    ex 


hf 


)urs  of  rest  are  broken.      Meal-limes  tread 


cessne   activitv 
thi. 


Tl 


ic 


upon  I'ach   other's  heels,  a 


only  till'  most  rij^id  sclf--rovernment 


ot   the   act-ustomed    or 


can   preveni.  a  disastrous   sul 


111(1 


)\'ersioii 


der    of 


everyday   events.     Such    are 


some    of  the 


necessary  obstacles  in  the  way  of  those  xvho  would  unravel  the  mysteries 
of  Arctic  life. 


450 


MEET   WITH  EXdLrSI/  SJ^UADUON. 


451 


Wi;  left  our  little  sciiiad 


Laiu::ister  Sound.      At  three  1 


■•'Ml  spee.iin,-  tlieir  way  as  l.e.t  (hey    c.ul.l    t< 


Jisl,    Ihey    overhauled    the     l'\;li\,   (lie    I 
Ihitish    search  expedition,    tuid 


lours  after  iiiidni<'ht  on  tl 


ic  inorninj'  oC  the 


Icr  eoniiiiaud  of  tl 


John  Koss.      ''You  and  f  are  ahead  of  tl 
I'^ui^-lishman  in   (ones  tl 
chips'  ri.i^'-.ifin;;.      Hi-  h.ul  1 


"ore most    ,.       tlu     vessels    of  the 
le  l)ravi-  old  ve(eran  Sir 


ILMM  all  !"  shouted    the    hale    .,1,| 


ia(    rose   alxjve    the   noise   oC  ll 


u     winds    and    the 


years  I)elbre;   had  spent  liCe  and    f 
lni<-  he  was  a,«,Min  in  a  (Vail  hark  se 


^cvn  cast  away  in  this    san)e    eount 


ry    seventeen 


lost  ronirade.      Tin;  next  d 


oi'tnne    in    service   of  hi 
II.  liin<r  I    r  the    <n-iv. 


ly,  while  checked  hy  th 


lin-  up  thepassa-e  to  Port  Leopold,  th< 


s   country;  and 
-',    l>erhaps,  of  a 
(•    harrier    of   ice   sliut- 


lilll 


I'lincr  Alhert,  [..idy  iM-anklin' 


•y  were  overtakt  n  l)v  th 


II'  "-fallant 


ill  sli 


search  lor  hei-  niissiu"-  lord 


1]),  lilted  out  to  prosec  ute  tl 


le 


r 


aiie  says  of  this  inter 


view 


Ins  was  a  wr 


y  pleasant  nieetiii; 


llie  I'rince 


Albert,  and  Mr.  S 


apt.  l''orsytii,  w 


lo  coniniandec 


ii'>\v,  who  acted  as 


a    o 


hmi,  were  wvy  aLrreeahle  "enlle 


men. 


TIk 


'■I  "f  adjutant  under 


Mr.  S 


now  has  renienihered  kindl 


•y  spent   some    hours    witl 


V     I) 


iihl 


Mihlislied  since  ins  return  to  1 


his  journal    which    1 


1   us 


le    lias 


'Inland.      Their  lilt 


■rlcctU'  lilted  than 


le  vessel   wa 


ours  to  encounter 


^  much  less 


th 


rcsjji'ct  at 


iL'    iKTils    of  the    ice;   hut 


least 


111   one 


o  list'  a 


,  tlicir  expedition  rcsemhled  ot 
^^'*-'-^'''i''i  phiasi,  ilu'v    had 


ir  own. 


Th 


ev  had  t 


o  roii'ri, 


what   a   hast  V  out 


no    faiK'v  flxiiii 


ll  and    a    liniitc 


-iiothino    l,i,t 


Icilcd 


to  ahovc'  reveals  what    Ka 


disclosed— with    what   -allantrv   th 


'lj>Mrse   coul.l   supply."    The  jonrnal  re- 
's   modest    narrative  would 


lie 


never  have 


hroutjh  till!  \cc 


■  vinerican   stpiadron    led 


tlu 


;   and  especiallv  the  hrav 


way 


ery  o( 


liaiil   ventiii 


I's  'j-amed 


.'or  him  amoiiLr   the    \i 


ane  himself,  whose  h,il. 


IIKK 


^■ 


iiiikec 


I'itish    the  appellation    of  tl 


le 


')ii    the    i7lh    tl 


le    N-aryiU'.- 


waters  had  hroiiLrht  to'-etl 


chances    of  the    scare 


1    111    the 


coiitratled 


icr   within 


lead,    li\ 


t'    vessels    heloii"- 


in 


Cant. 


a   <i"arter   of  a  niile    i 
^-    lo    three  separate    searching 


icar    neech 


•y 


•""ly  s,  and  their  own.   T! 


expeditions: 


Milercstcdii 


e  .LCreaiest  ^^wh\  feelii 


less  pii'vailcd  amoii>r  all.      Ti 


I'-f  and  dis- 


SOOll 


prepared  a  plan  of  action  t 


u-  wdiole-souied  Cant.    P 


or  the  tl 


^vas  suni)os 


PP 


>set!.,  o 


f  t! 


pi. 
ii'ce  parties.      Some    tr 


cnny  had 
lees    as    it 


ic  missing  mariners,  had 


l)een  discovered  on   Jieechey 


.  0 


4r,2 


TIUUL  L  fNG  NE  WS, 


Isl.uHl.  Pciinv's  plan  was  to  assi<,ni  difTcrcnt  pail,  of  (ho  islan.l  to 
(liinruiit  parties;  l,e  himself  would  take  the  western  search ;  Ross  shoui.i 
run  ..ver  to  I'rinee  Re-ent's  Sound,  and  the  American  Expediti.m  was  to 
])ass  throu-h  the  first  openin-s  in  the  ice  l.y  \Vellin-ton  Channel  to  the 
north  and  east.  These  projects  were  just  receivin-  preliminary  dis- 
eussion  when  a  messcn,i,'er  was  reported  ha^teniui^r  o%-er  the  ice. 

"  The    news    he    hrouoht    was    tiirillin-.     Kiraves,    Cajjlain  Pennv! 
Graves!     Franklm's   winter  quarters!'      We   were   instantly    in    motion. 


0\    HKr:(  IIKY   ISLAND. 

Cai)t.  I)e  Haven,  Capl.  Penny,  Commander  I'hilli  ,s,  a-,  i  myself,  with  a 
JKHty  from  the  Rescue,  hurried  on  over  the  lu-.^ed  .lope  that  extends 
from  IJeechcy  to  the  shore,  and  scraml)lin-  over  the  ice,  came  after  a 
weavy  walk  lo  the  crest  ol  the  isthmus.  I  Fere  amk!  the  sterile  nniformilv 
of  snow  and  slate,  were  the  headhoards  of  three  ^.raves,  made  after  the 
<>l<i  orthodox  fashion  of  gravestones  at  home.  The  .nounds  which 
adjoined  them  were  arranged  with  some  pretensions  to  symmetry,  coped 
and  defended  with  limestone  slabs.     They  occupied  a  line  facin--  toward 


RELICS.  4J.3 

Cape  Riley,  which  was  distinctly  visible  across   a  little   cove  at   ihe  dis 

t.nce  of  so,ne  tour  ht.ndred  yards.      Upon  these  stones   were   inscrip.ions 

uh.ch  conveyed  important  information;  the   Urst,  cut   with   a   chisel    m. 
thus:  ' 

'  Sacred 
to  tlie 
memory 
of 
N.    Braiiie    R.    M. 
H.  M.  S.  Erebus, 
Died   April   3d,  1S46, 
aged  3j  years. 
Choose  ye  this  day  wiioin  ye  will  serve. 

Joshua,  chap.  24 — i  v'  " 

The  other  two  epitaphs  were  very  sin.ilar  to  the  one  just  transcribe,!. 
I  he  words   of  one_uI),parted   this   life  .;.   /,...,/  the  Terror,"    proved 
tl-'^    -n    the    spring    of    ,846,   at   least,   Franklin's  ship  had   not    been 
wreci<cd.       The    evidences  were  plentiful  that  the  expedition   had  passed 
a  safe  and  comfortable  winter.     There  was  the  anvil  block  and  the  traces 
of  fhe  armorer's  forge  and  carpenter's  shop;  the  trough  which  had  servcl 
l..r  washmga  rude  garment  fashioned  by  a  sailor's  han<l  fVom  a  blanl.-t 
a  key;     fragments  of  paper;  the   gloves   of  on  olKcer   washed    and    laid' 
out  to  dry  under  two  stones  to  prevent  them  from  blowin-.  away     There 
was    a    httle    garden-plot,   with   its  transplanted    mosses  and    anen.oncs. 
1  here   were   the   three    graves    already   described,    the    headstones    in- 
scr.bed  with  scriptural  text.     Yet   not  a   trace  existed   of  anv  men.oran- 
^lu.n  or  mark  to  throw  the  least  ray  of  light  upon  the  condition  or  desL^ns 
'"  the  party.     A   melancholy    interest  attached   to  these  relics,  fron,  Ihe 
tact  that    they    were   the   latest   mementoes    of  the    lost   navigators  j  and 
every  day  was  deepening  the  apprehension  that  thev  were    tiie    last    tkl 
"15^-s  which   would   be   ha<l   of  them    until    the   grave    gave  up   its  dead 
Strangest  of  all  was  that  Franklin,  the  practical,  experienced    navh^ator 
^.-nwn  gray  in   the  perils  of  Arctic  sailing,  should  have  left   no  record  of 
h.s  ach.even,ents  in  the  past    months,  nor   of  his  needs   or  plans  tbr   the 
future. 


'I' 


W", 


484 


EJVD  OF  SUMMER. 


K: 


MMc,  ever  san-ui.us     nd  ful!  ..f  conjcrluics,  .li,!  „,.t  soc-  .«vi,Ic-,ucs  nf 
sorrow   or  extremity   !„    the  traces  disco vc-rcd,  nor  in  tiic  fact  ll.at  r...  rcr- 
ord  was   left,  a,,.!    thou-iit  it   probahl.   .  ,,„  llu-  party   ha.l  left  tluar  .p.ar- 
tcrs  witii  llu-   intention  of  rcturuin-.     -A    -arden,"   says  he,  "implirs  ,, 
pin-pose  either  to  remain  or  return;  h...  who  makes  it  is  looi<in^r  ,..  the  f.,- 
tmv."      He  thonjrht  that  the  party,  tenipted  hy  an  oprnin.^-  in  Wellin.^r,,,,, 
Channel,  l,ad  sailed  away    witli  the  pn.mptness  that  had  aisvays  eh:n-ac-. 
tcri/ed  the  hrave  ohi    commander,  and  were  possibly   explorinji  (he  open 
sea  heyon.l,  if  livin.^,-  or  if  not,  that  their  remains  wonld  he  found  anion- 
the  ice  lie!,!,.  „f  the  frozen  north.      And    he  accounted  for  the  absence  .T 
a   rcconl,   in  the  haste    with  which  snch  a  departure   mi.uHit   naturallv   he 
made.      These    conclusions    seeme.l    very    reasonabl.'.       That    they    were 
wron-  everyho,Iy    knows,  but   the  course    of  reasonin-   by    whiJh   they 
were  arrived  at,  shows    both    the    hopefulness   an.l    ready    l.v^nc    of  ih,,; 
author. 

With  the  close  of  Au-u.st  the  brief  Arctic  sn-umer  bc-an  to  come  to 
an  end.      The  sun  traveled   far  to  the    south,  an.l  the    northern    ntidni-ht 
bc-a.,    to   ass.mie   the   sotnber   hues   of  twilight.     The  ice  was  .l^.  ow'hi.^r 
thicker  and  closer  around    the   vessels,  which    vainly   aaempted  "'to   ^^y^^ 
their  way  to  the  western  shores  of  Wellington  Channel.      The  thickness 
of  the    tables   of  iee   sometimes   reached    fourteen   feet,    and    hu-c   hinn- 
mocks  were  heaped   up  by  the  force  of  their   impact  to  a  hei-ht"of  fortv 
feet  or  more,  overtoppin-  the  decks,  and   threatening  to  topple  d<,wn  up- 
on them.      The  -real  masses  drifted  past  the  vessels,  usually  just  missin.r 
contact   with   then.      On  one  occasion,  however,   the  Rescue  was  cau.^rh"; 
bodily  up  by  a  driftht,^^  iloe  imtil  the  moorin,^-  cables  parted,  when  she  shot 
ahead  into  an  open  patch  of  water.      The   Advance  escaped   the    impact 
by  hu-^n„j.  dose  to  the   sohM    ice.      The  British  vessels  xvere   less    fortu- 
nate, bein-  swept  on  by  the  resistless  force  of  the  movin-  mass. 

Dmin-  the  early  September  days  the  cold  Ix-an  rapidlv  to  increase. 
The  thermometer  fell  by  ni.^^ht  to  2 ,  ',  and  rarely  in  the  davtime  rose 
above  the  freezin-  point.  No  fires  had  been  lijrhtcd  below.  The  historian 
of  the  expedition  retirinu;  to  his  narrow  berth  an.l  drawin-  close  the 
India-rubber  curtains,  lighted  his  lamp  and  wrote  his  journal  in  a  free.in- 


m  • 


UNWELCOME    TIDINCS. 


•IW 


temperature. 


Th 


i.H  is  not  viTv  cold,"  lu 


says,  uiuU-r  date  of  Septemhcr 
S,'M,<.  .lot.1,1  to  you>  45"  minus  men  of  Arctic  winters;  but  to  ns  from 
Ihc  /.one  of  liriodench-ons  and  peaclios  it  is  rathei    cold  for  the  Scptrmher 


montii    of  watermelons."     On  this  same  8th  of  S 


:aii  .'xpedition  had  tiic   mortification  of 


•pteml)er    the  Ameri- 


seeinj^  the  i:n''lish  \ossels  in  t 


ow 

of  heir  steamers  shootin^^  ihead  of  ihem  ri-r|u  in  tiie  h  c-th  of  tlie  wind. 
They  felt  tliat  they  were  now  the  hindmost  of  all  the  searchers.  "All 
have  the  lead  of  ns,"  is  the  <lespondin<,'  entry  in  Dr.  Kan.  journal. 
Two  days  later,  however,  the  two  American  and  all  the  Knfrlish  vessels 
found  themselves  fo<rether  once  more,  auchord  fast  to  the  .olid  ice,  with 
the  way  to  the  westward  impassably   blocked  up  before  tb   in. 

Now  iH-an  the  real   and   earnest    perils  of  the   expeilii,.,n.      On    the 

-'til  a  storm  arose,  which   \vept    tlie    Rescue    from    her    nioorln-s,   an.l 

.hove  her  out  ..fsi^rht  oflui  eonsort.        t    soon    became    evident    that   the 

,n-eat  mass    „f   ice    to    which    il,     •    were  moored,    was  sl-.wlv    drifting', 

whither  they  kne^v  not.      The  cold    increased.      The  th.         .melers   sanl' 

t.)  14  ',  til.  n  to  8  ',  then  to  _,   .  yet  no  fires  were  li,<,riUed   in   the    cabins   of 

the  Americans,  thou-h  those  in  the  British  vessels  were  under  full   blast. 

The  next  day  I  lie  Advance  fell  in  with  her  lost  consort,  partially  dis- 

al)led.      It  l,ein-  evi.ieiU  that  all  fiull,..   pro-rcss  to  the   north    and    west 

was  impracticable,  the  (-.mm;.  ,dei  decided  to  turn  his  course  homeward. 

iUil  uumy  a  Ion-  and  dreary  Arctic  ni-ht  was  destnie.l   to  elapse    before 

the  vessels  escaped  from  VVellinj^ton  C'haniiei. 

Toward  eveniu},r  on  the  14th  ..f  September,  while  th.  x  .-1  was 
rapidly  cruuchinj,-  her  way  through  lue  ice  that  was  formin  ,,,  .,1,  the 
Do.  .r  had  retired  below,  hopin^^  to  restore  some  xvarmth  to  in.  stiffened 
limbs.  It  was  a  somewhat  unpromisin-  task,  for  the  temperature  in  the 
eal)in  was  close  upon  zer.  The  dull,  grindinj,^  sound  <  the  vessel  labor- 
in-  tin-ou-h  the  ice,  grew  jerkin-  .ad  irregular;  it  stopped,  ])egan  again, 
grew  fainter  and  fainter;  at  last  all  was  still.  Down  to  'le  cabin  went 
tile  commander  with  the  words:  «Doct..r,  the  ice  has  caught  us;  we  are 
frozen  up."  And  so  it  proved.  There  was  the  American  Searching 
expedition  fast  embedded  in  the  ice  m  the  very  center  of  Wellington 
Channel.     Here  commenced  that  wroiwlcrful  drift,  which  lasted  n^ore  tiian 


inm 


■r 


S.ill    -i 


4S6 


A  Ar//\ 


-J,'lit  .n.M.ths,  Lack   an<l    furth,   thn,u,d,   tlu-   vVrctic  seas,   wherever  ,|,e 
wnuls  a.nl  currents  i.npellecl  the  c.,„ti.,ent    ul'  ice.      No    vessel    was   .ver 
l.cleaj,n.ered  s.,  hefore;  and  probably  no  otlier  one  that   h.u!    ever  flo..tc..| 
woul.1  have  escape,!  from  such  a  belea^^uerment.      Hcibrc  this  tl,e  explor- 
ers ha<l  l,een  so  thoroughly  busie.i  in  carrying,  out    the    objects    of  their 
voya,^e,  that  they  ha.l  bestowed  hardly  a  thouj^h,    upon    their    own    per 
snnal  CHUfbrt  or  safety.     With   the   thern.o.neter  at   .ero,   thev    had    no 
■ncansofproducin,.  artificial  heat   in   the  cabin.     The  .noisturJ   f,on,   so 
many  breaths  had  condensed  till  the  beanrs  were   all   a-drip,   .nd    every 
thing  bore  the  aspect  of  having  been  exposed  to  a  drenching  mist.     The 
clelay  occasioned  by  their  involuntarv  detention  was  put  to  some   t.se    by 
fttn.g  up  a  lard  lamp  in  the  cabin,  by  which  the  temperature  was  raised 
to  twelve  .legrees  above  the  freezing,  or  44"  above  .ero.      This  de-nee  of 
warmth  was  accounted  a  positive  luxury.     So,  in  uncertainty  and  gloom, 
they  dnlted  to  and  fro,  sometin.es    to  the    north,  and   sometimes    to    ,he 
south,  m  the  "waste  of  waters." 

The  animal   life  with  which    the  region  had  heretofbre  been  teemin.^ 
now  almost   whcdly  disappear^,  and    ,0  this    fact  was   added   the  appar- 
ently precarious  condition   superinduced   by  tl>e   bondage  of  ice.     Some 
of  the  smaller  and  more  hardy  animals  an.l  birds  still  remained,  but  these 
were  n,    small    numbers,  while  the  n)ost  of  the  seals,  the   polar  bear,  and 
all  that  gave  occasion  for  exercise,  and  aironle.l  nourishment  and  incident 
had  vanished.     As  the  weather  bec.nne  n.ore  severe,  the  danger  of  bein.>^ 
"nipped"  or  caught  between    two  masses  of  i. .   an<l   perhaps   crusheci 
became  more  ami  >nore  imminent.     Ten  days  after  they  were  frozc-n  in' 
occurred  the  first   of  the  fearful    nips  ^vith  which   thev  were  soon   ,0  he- 
come  familiarized.     A  field  of  ice  fburteen  inches  th.ck,  overlaid  with  an 
additional  half  foot  of  snow,  is  driven,  with  a  s.  .w   an.i   tn.iform  motion 
directly  down  upon  the  helpless  vessel,  xvhich  is  half  buried  be.ieath  thJ 
shattered  fragments.     The  force  beiiin.l  impels  the  broken  fra-nnents  up- 
ward in  great  tables  rising   in  large  mounds  al,ove  the  level  of  the  d.ck 
and  threatening  to  topple   over  and  overwhelm  tlie  vessel.     Other  frag- 
ments  take   a   downward   direction,  and    slide   i,elow   the    bri.r   whiciiis 
htted  sheer  out   of   the  water,  and  rests  unevenly  upon    shatteHng  blocks 


it 


//V 


4.'57 


()'     ICl", 


Amid  ilarkii 


t'ss  an 


;iiv  called  aloll  withciovvs  and  picks,  to  "  fijrlu  tl 
Well  was  it   that  the  ice  which   tiiun  drifted  d( 


WINTER  ^UAHTEIiS. 

«l    cold,  and  snow,  and   deadly  peril,  all    hands 

ic  ice"  that  rises  arouiid. 


th 


lown  uj)(>:>  them  was  tiie 
Mc.v  ice  just  forn.in^r.  Had  it  heeri  the  solid  mass  or  later  .vinter,  no  fah- 
nc  that  man  has  framed  of  wckxI  or  iron  coi.ld  have  withsto(„l  it.  As  it 
was,  the  ice  which  was  now  their  assailant,  hecame  afterwanl  their  pro. 
lcct..r,  an.l  warded  off  the  eollisio.,  with  other  packs  against  which 
they  sul,secp,ently  drifted.  By  the  tst  of  Octoher  the  icy  settinj^  around 
tlu'.n  had  l,ecomc  so  Hnn,  that  for  a  time  they  expenence<l  somethin-^r 
like  repose. 

Deliberate  preparations  .low  be-an  to  he  made  for  passin-  the  winter 
in  the   ice.      Sto.es  and  fuel    were  broi./Wit    up  from    the   hol.l,  au.l  with 
the   thermo,T,eter  at   20"  below   (he   freezitt,^.   point,  the  work  of  n.anu- 
taclunn,i4-  a  stove  pipe  was  undertaken.      ICnbankments  ..f  snow   an.l  ice 
were  ma<le  about  the  vessel,  in  which  was  deposited  coal  an<l  stores.    Ht.t 
alas,  for  the  stability  of  Arctic  s..,.ather!      Hardly  was  this  accomplished 
■vhcu  the  Hoe   be-an  brcakin-  up,  and  all    hands,  ollicers  an.l  men,  set  to 
work  to  replace  the  stores  upon  the  vessel.      So  insecure  was  still  the  po- 
sition  of   boih    vessels,  that  it  was  not    till  the  tyth  of  October    that  they 
were  able  to  set   up  stoves   i.i   the  cahi.i,  and    for  warmth   thev  were  still 
fnrce.1  to  rely  upon  the  lard   lamp.      So  accustomed   had   tnev  become  to 
a  temperature  but   a  few  dej^rees    above  the    free.injr  poini,  that    they 
would   have  been  quite  content  had  it  not   been  for   the  pernetual   mois- 
lure  .hippin-  from   the   roof  and  sides,  a   circumsta.ice  full  of  dan-^re,-  to 
those  havi..-  a  .c<,rl>utic  tende.icy.      This   was  at  last   miti,^.ated  in'^some 
dc-ree   by   canvas  -utters,    by   which  several   cans  full    of   water  were 
daily  collected,  which  would   otiierwise  have  fallen  upon  the  floor. 

The  experience  <,f  Kane  well  illustrates  the  power  of  the  huma.i 
system  to  adapt  itself  to  varied  circumstances.  Only  a  few  months  be- 
f.-re  he  was  i,i  the  warm  re-ions  of  the  Gulf,  luxuriating  in  its  tepid 
waters,  and  baskin-  in  its  sunshine.  Now  he  contentedly  watched  for 
limirs  by  a  seal  liole  in  the  open  air,  witii  the  thermometer  20"  de...,rees 
below  the  freezin-  point,  and  if  successful  in  shoolin-  it,  ate  of  its'raw 
flesii  with   a   relish. 


lit! I  I         ' 


458 


KILLING  A   SEAL. 


'If! 


The  Ions  Arctic  \\vj\\V,  or  rather  succession  of  nights  and  days  (lor, 
although  midnight  and  noon  were  scarcely  distinguishahle,  they  still 
managed  to  separate  them  in  their  chronology ),  was  varied  as  tar  as 
possible  by  races,  games  and  seal  hunting,  although  the  seals  had  become 
scarce  and  more  tiian  usually  shy,  Kane  speaks,  in  his  characteristic 
maimer,  of  killing  one  of  these  reticent  animals: 

"  To  shoot  seals  one  must  practice  the  Esquimaux  tactics,  of  mucli 
patience  and  complete  immobility.  It  is  no  fun,  I  assure  you,  aft-.-r  full 
experience,  to  sit  motionless  a, id  noiseless  as  a  statue,  with  a  cold  iron 
musket  in   your   hands,  and    the   thermometer  lo"  below    zero.      ]iv  ano 


^'fasT^w 


.SllOOTINl,    SK.M.S. 


by  I  was  rewarded  by  seeing  some  oNcrgrowii  (Jreenland  calves  come 
within  shot.  I  missed.  After  another  hour  of  cokl  expectation  thev 
came  again.  \'ery  strange  are  these  seals.  A  countenance  between  the 
dog  and  the  wild  African  ajx',  an  exi)ressioii  .so  like  tb.at  of  humanii\-, 
that  it  makes  gun-murderers  liesitate.  At  last,  at  long  shot,  \  hit  one. 
God  forgi\e  me  I 

"  The  ball  did  not  kill  outright.  It  was  out  of  range,  struck  too  low. 
and  entered  the  lungs.  The  poor  beast  liad  ri.sen  bivast-higli  out  (.f 
water,  like  treading-water  swimmers  among  ourselves.  He  \vas  lookiii"- 
alH)ut  with  curious  and  expectant  eyes,  when  the  ball  cincrcd  bis  lunu^s. 


COURSE   OF   THE  SHIPS. 


459 


"For  a  moment  ho  oozed  a  little  bri<,'ht  lilood  from  his  mouth,  and 
looked  toward  me  witli  a  startled  reproachfulness.  Then  he  dipped;  an 
instant  after  he  came  up  still  nearer,  looked  ajj^ain,  bled  aj,'ain,  and  went 
''"^''■"-  *  *  *  The  thin«;  was  drownini,^  in  tlie  element  ot'  his  sport- 
ive revels.      lie  did  drown  finally,  and  sank;  and  so  1   lost  liim. 

"Have  naturalists  ever  noticed  tiie  expression  of  this  animal's  jihi/.? 
Cariosity,  contentment,  pain,  reproach,  despair,  even  resij^nation,  I 
tlioui^dit  I  saw  on  this  seal's  face." 

Thus  passed  the  month  of  October,  durinjif  which  the  expedition  was 
(hiftin,!4  about  near  the  outlet  of  Wellini^ton  i^av,  in  a  jreneral  southern 
direction,  altliou':,'-]!  a  south  wind  would  occasionally  f)rce  tliem  back  to 
the  nortii.  Hut  it  soon  appeared  that  the  projj^ress  in  this  direction  was 
impeded  by  more  compact  ice,  and  Iw  a  steady  current ;  while  a  noitli 
wind  drove  steadily  before  il  the  thick  lloe  in  whicli  tiiey  were  embedded. 


:;  '^m^ 


i       a 


jW|%i?=^|fff 


CHAPTER    LI. 

ai{uavc;kmk:.ts-uv    anau„;iks- ukpukssinc;  influkncks -- r^. 

•iK.NXn  S  UKMKI.IKS—Tl.K  lIISTHIONIc:  AKT-  TIIKE ATKNKI.  UV  .\ 
HKK..-TM,.;  SUX  KK-A....KAKS  -TUK  ICH-SAW-THK  CKAM. 
MUKAlv-.I.  —   TOVVAKD        TIIK         GKEENLAXU       COAST  —  A        SII,,,;-,. 

Kicsi-ni:. 

Thcythof    \..ve.nl)LT  r.mml  the  arnm,<remcnts  for   tl.c   wintcT   n„„- 
plotc-.      ()v.rtlK..,uiro<lcck.,f  the  A.lvancc    wa.   thrown  a    housi.ij.   „,• 
thick    fdt,  rcstiu-  on   an    improvisetl    rid-c-ij^    rtuinin-  fore    ari^ralt 
In.lcT   ,hc    niaiu    hatch    was  tl,e   ax>k\    .^^alley,  '^ith    its   j^ipe  .w..„i„J 
'l>n.u^h;h.lolt  roof  above.     Aronnd    the   pipe   was   built    an  appara..^; 
I'"    nu-hin-  ice,  t.,  supply  tlieni   witii    water.        The  hulk-hea<ls    l)etween 
llu'    forecastle   an,!   Ou-  cabin    were    re.noved,  throwin,^-    both   into    ,.„o 
apartnunl,  occupie.i  i,y  both  oificers  and  men  in  common.      As  the  crews 
"'■  I'olh    vessels  were  collecte.l  in  the  A.lvance,  this   small  room   was  the 
''<'■"<•    of   thirty-one    persons.        Warmth    was    distributed    throu-h    the 
^•al.iu  by  .inee  stove,  beside-  the   cookinj^    <.alley;  and    as   the    unbroken 
»i-ht  sei  in,  fonraP-and  and  three  bear's   fat  lamps  supplied  the  place  of 
Miuli-lu.      N'eed  enouo-h  ^vas  there  tor  all  this  heatin-  apparatus,  for    he- 
'">v  the  svinler  was  f.irly  be:^nm  tlie  ten^jcratm-e   was  40  >  below  zero. 

'■  ;incy  a  day  in  tile  ice,  as  .pent  l)y  the  ice-fettered  explorers.  At 
I'^'ll-pa^t  six-  by  ,he  chronometers,  the  crew  are  called;  the  officers  a  half 
='"  '"""•  '^'"■■■■.  Their  ablutions  must  be  perfor.ned  lirst,  to  wash  olf  the 
soot  and  ,^Mim  accumulated  duriu-  the  ni-ht.  This  is  accomplished  in 
hrtll-fro.en  snow  water.  Then  the  toilet  must  be  made.  Three  pairs  of 
socks,  several  un<lershirls  an<l  outer  robes  of  fur,  the  u  hole  complemented 
J'V  n  cap  and  hood  of  .ealskin,  nu.st  be  donned;  and  all  hands  take  a 
turn  on  ,Kvk.  to  ^et  up  an  appetite  for  breakfast.  This  is  foun.l  news- 
s:n-y.  for  the  nanudess  stenches  connected  with  the  sleepin- room,  ki.che,. 

400 


DEPRESSING    [NFLUENCES.  491 

...Hi  iMHlcr  cmbincl,  suffice  to  completely  nauseate  the  "  stoutest  sh.nr.ch 
<>r  tliem   all." 

Nothin<,n>etter  showed  the  extremity  of  the  weather  than  the  con- 
<i.t.on  and  appearance  of  the  various  articles  of  provisions.  ICverythin- 
was  transformcl  into  some  -rotescjue  a.ialo<.y  of  itself.  All  ve-HaMcs 
u-ere  pehbles  of  assorted  varieties.  Fro.en  meat  was  liard  a.  h'i.ildin.. 
stone.  The  tat  of  the  hear  and  the  seal-liquid  at  respectahlv  losv  wZ 
pcM-atmc,  were  like  marble;  a  pleasing  assemblage  of  figures  n.onhled 
and  carved  from  nature  /))'  nature. 

The  extren.e  temperature  and  the    absence    of  the   s,ni  be-^n  to   ,cl' 
upon  the  health  an.l  spirits  of  the  ,nen.      In  more  temperate  regions  we 
learn  ...  recognize  the  tendency  to  rheumatic  .liseases    and    <Iepression    of 
>pirits  ..ccasioncl  by  even  a  few  days   of  cloudy    weather.      This   condi- 
lion  was  fulillled  to  perfection  in   the    case    of  .„n-    explorers.      All    faces 
:-.  -an  to  assume  a  livid  paleness,  like  plants  growing  in   darkness.      The 
nK.ugrew  moody  an.l  dreamy.      They  bcanl  strange  soun.ls  in  the  nLdit, 
:mu1  1kk{  wonderful  visions  in    their   sleep.      One    .Ireamed    of  vvandeWn-g 
'ira.iion        •      :,.c    and  returning    laden  with  watermelons;  another   had 
rm.,uISirj.>.m    Fr^wfelk.    in    a    beautiful    cove    line.I    with   orange   trees: 
a.-d  .1  thir.l,  in  «1tc  h-M-A^\\r\um  .,f  his  mental  wanderin.gs,  ha.l  iLn-.l    his 
witV    .m.\    child.,'eH    crying    f  ,•    help.       All    were    particularlv    sensitive 
..>  M.pp.,sed  slights  .>r^.«,tery  0,1  the  part  of  the  rest.      This  led  1.,  un- 
I)le:,sa.,t  f.vlings  and  painful   scenes.      The    ..ilicers  alone,  bv  stri<-t  guanl 
'.l'<"i  tiuir  tongues,  managed  to  keep  up  a  show  of  goo.l   fJeling.      Sick- 
..essappean.l  in  new  and  peculiar  forms,  an.l  t  he  genius  of  ..ur  phvsician 
an.l  author  was  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  pr.>vide  for  th.'  sanitary  nec(>ssities 
"I-  the  narly.      As  i.  usually  the  case,  th...  scurvy-alH.o^d  adhered  f,    the 
ralal.liet..f  salt  meat,  an.l  cunning   had    to    be    resorted   to,    in    onler   to 
save  them  from  themselves.       As  they    wouM    not   e^t  the    anti-s.-orbutic 
f"od   pr.,vide<l,  the  doctor  prcpare.l  a  sort  of  beer  from  hi-,  httic  st.,re    .,f 
vegetal,les.      Olive-oil     and     lime-juice,    raw     p<rtato...,    .anr-kraul    and 
Nlii.garc.mbined,  ma.le,.  .lelcctahlecompouml    which    fhc    men   .irank 
gr.vdily.      So  successful  was  tiiis  treatmcM.t  that,  as  w  .1,  Hi   sec.  no,  .^k- 
iif  tite  crew  was  lost. 


T- 


WHH 


li  I.        L'     1 


\di,,   s 


462 


THE    HISTRIONTC    ART. 


Christmas  Day  was  spent  with  as  much  merry-making  as  could  ho 
coi.trived  in  the  ahnost  t..tal  ahscnce  of  resources.  Some  hottles  of 
chan.pa,t,me  remained,  and  the  French  cook  prepared  an  ehihorate  dinner. 
Mr.  Hrnce,  one  of  the  crew,  ami  possessed  of  .Hvers  .luahHcations,  h,„i 
contrivcl  a  play,  and  the  crew  had  undertaken  to  pro.h.ce  it  upon  an 
cxteniporized  sta^je.  "  Never,"  says  Kane,  "had  I  enjoved  the  tawdrv 
•luackery  of  the  sta-^^e  hah'so  much.  The  theater  has  always  heen  to  ,ne 
a  wretchcl  simulati.,n  of  realities;  and  I  have  too  little  sympathy  with  the 
unreal  to  \\n,\  pleasure  in  it  Ion-.  Not  so  our  Arctic  tiieater.  It  was  one 
continual  frolic  from  hegiiuiinj;  to  end. 

'•  The  'Blue  Devils' :  Gr,d  hle.s  us!  hut  it  was  very,  very  funnv.  None- 
kneu-  their  pans,  an.l  the  prompter  could  not  read  .glihly  enouoh  to  d,. 
hisolKce.  Kverythin-,  whether  jocose  or  indi-nant,  or  conunon-place, 
«.r  pathetic,  was  .lelivered  in  a  hi-h  tra-edy  monotone  of  despair;  llvj 
words  at  a  time,  or  more  or  less,  according  to  the  facilities  of  the 
prompter.  Me-rim,  with  a  pair  of  sealskin  ho.^ts,  hestowed  his  o„Kl 
t.pon  ,i,.enlle  Annette,  and  Annette,  nearly  six  feet  hi.gh,  received  II  u-ith 
mastodonic  -race.  Annette  was  an  Irishman  named  Dalv;  an<l  I  mi-|n 
defy  lunnan  hein-  to  hear  her,  while  halanced  ..n  the  heel  of  her  Ivn.t, 
exclaim  in  rich  masculine  hro-ue,  'Och,  feather!'  without  roarin-." 

Other  amusements  followed  in  like  style,  hut  the  desolateness  of  their 
condition,  their  separation  from  h.mie  and  friend's,  and  the  ahsence  of  the 
means  an.l  opportunity  for  ohtainin-  help  and  sympathy,  uearlv  siitlal 
all  atte.npts  at  merriment.  New  Year's  Day  was  passed  in  much  the 
same  way,  varied  hy  a  race  for  a  purse  of  three  ilannel  shirts.  This 
elfort  exhauste.l  most  of  the  men,  sh.)win,o-  the  dehilitated  condition  inf. 
which  they  had  f.llen.  In  the  meantime  Lieut.  Dellaven  had  -n.uu 
almost  helplessly  sick,  and  l.ein-  conllned  to  his  hed,  Omimander  Grillm 
hecame  the  e\ecu:ive  ollicer  of  the  comhiiied  crews. 

I' rom  the  Sth  of  Decemher  to  the  nth  of  Jamiary,  the  lloe  in  which 
they  were  fistened  ha<l  steadily  increased  in  solidity  till  it  seemed  scarcel\ 
less  f.rm  than  the  -ranile  ran-es  which  -n-.lle  a  continent;  and  firmlv 
cmh.,-dde<l  in  it  the  vessels  enjoyed  a  season  of  comparative  respite  fnun 
dan-er.      The  Advance  all  this  time  lay  with  her  hows  sunk  in  the.  sn,,w 


APPROACH   OF  DAT. 

via 

-.Hcc,  a,ul  he  «,„,.„  elevatcl  »,„„.  ,K,.  ,„•  .i.  fcct;  »ho  aU .,„„,  ..vcr 

...»tarb„ar.l,  .„,„„,„„,„,„.  „,,.,^,^,   „,,^   _,^    ,^.,_  ^^_^^^^     ^^^_  .  ^  _ 

"7  ""■  ";'■'-•  »'''°»  '""'  '-'  '"-'<""  "P"  "-!>  "■  a«   NV.W    K,;,a,„, 

»n.l  o  he-  a^crs  bank.,,,  .heir  „„,.,,,  a,. „,   „,„„,„,,,  ,„.  „.„^.J  ^^^ 

ho  ..th  of  January  a  s,,,,,,,,,  .,|,„ek    brought  all    han.ls  „p„„   ,,_,k       A 

f,»su,c  appearcl  in  the  iccplah,  which  ,„„„  „i,|,„„,  huo  a  h,,,a,I  pa.^.^c 

.  ron,h  wh,ch  the  la,-.e  f,,,,n.e„,s  bore   ngh.  .lown  upon    thj  >.;:.; 

A.  ....e  h„„,  p,«  ,„i,lnl,H,.  .he  c,-cw  stoo,,  on  .lock  ..,,,ppc,l  and   han.e,: 

-  V,  .„  tak.  to  the  Ice.     Right  ,k„vn  upon  then,  ho.o  the   large  h,u„. 

...ock  upon  the  .e^el.  .te„,,_a  ,„as,,  s ,  as  .narhle,  thirty  fej  «,„„„ 

;>t  tlK.  base  and  r„n,g  twelve  feet  „n.  of  water;  it  ..,„p»,  .„„„   „,vaL- 

..  .q.l.ioaehes  so  near  ,l,e  vessel  that  hardly  enongh    roon,  is  left  to  a.hnit' 

"I  a  n,an  s  walkutg   between.     That  narrow    channel    crosse.I,    and    no 

1".M-..  an  cnnid  eonstrnct  a  fabric  which  wonld  resist    ,hc   icchill's   ,er 

nHo  "og   ..      That  passage  was  never  crossed.      The  huge  ntas. stopped- 

*......  the  stern;  bccantehnpaccd  there;  and  fn-  „,„n,hs  rcnainL,    i,' 

.0  .an,e  place  as  a  ghostly  n.en.en f  the  ..ato.wly-escaocd  .les.rnc.io,;. 

.vcnwh    e    thev    had    prepared    to    leave    the   ship,  the   „„estion    arose 

^^  ";'":;'■;"••■•'  "-T  .-.^   The  Rescne.  their  dis , „,;,,  „,,„  ^^^^^ 

™  vhgdde    place  of  satety,  a, ,ey  Ic ifted   far,  far,  f, the  coasi. 

'"''7;''    ""■;■    ''■■"'    '"'■ '>■    'I"'' -11    toward    lianin-s    Kav.        What 

_;;;:;,;';' '"  ""■  ^ -^ ■-  "■'"■'■  ""■  •■ ..'.•™.  ocea„s  of-ce  sho„id 

,■'■";■■"'':"'■''  '"'  -^"''''^  ■'''■  ™"^  "■■ -"■  :-"-t    iov  ■ anxietv 

:;"" -"- -•'  •■-"■  ,-1-vd  , ake  suitable  dcnons,. ,; 

'"■;''""-^'™"""""^-^-- '■•'"--      '>-l..vday,,hcro.v  tints  shot   up 

:"'7,  7"    ;?"'■''    '■- •-■-'— to   bodJau  end  to  al 

'"•'-""'■■I  '"  '-  .1-"--  -..I,-,:. e..  .,  absence  of  eightv-sis  davs  The 
-cw  u.cre  o,n  ready  to  give  three  .•  eers  ,„  t.he  great  pi,;,..,  .„  i.'  n  arked 
;":*""''"■'■ "' i""'-"" --.rise,  noon ™nse,.      „rKa 

r    "'■;"'"'■","■ ."*■  '■-'• ---I  •'-■  ^oenc  by  hinrself   N'e^er  did 

""■  ™l'-'  "H.  .-cecve  n.ore  hearty  wclco.ne  front    devout  Parsce    than 

"■^^^-^■^ '-'^y-     •"   '-^"'-h-.-s.tys  Kane,... ban, nIK, 


4m(mim^l 


l4Tr-f-r-4+4 


:''i 


404 


THE  ICE-SAW. 


with  :i  -jrcat  orlobus  m  my  throat.     Then  came  the  shout  from   tlio  ship 
— three  shouts — cheering-  the  sun." 

We    must  pass  over  the  foUowinp:  «l:»ys  during    which,  althouj^h  tlie 
sun  was  constantly  rising  higher,  tlie  temperature  was  still   insupportahly 
low.      It  was  not  till  near  the  close  of  March  that  the  broad  ice-pack  Iks 
gan  fairly  to  open,  and  a  broad  reach  of  water   spread  before  the  eyes  of 
the   voyagers,  weary  of  the  perpetual    gaze  upon  ice,  stretching   beyond 
the  reach  of  vision.     From  this  time  the  process  of  their  liberation  wont 
slowly  but  surely  on.      The  prevailing  northerly  winds   drifted   the    Hoc 
toward  more  genial  latitudes.     Frost-smoke  began  to  arise  from  the   ice. 
A  slight  moisture  became   perceptible;  the  paths   along   the   vessel's  side 
became   soft  and   pulpy.      i'he   men,    long  accustomed  to  an  Arctic  tern- 
perature,   complain  that   "it  is  too  warm   to  skate,  though  the   thermom- 
eter   indicates    a  temper  iture   of  im^    below    freezuig.      At   last,   on   the 
loth  of  A])ril  tiiat   imerring   monitor   rose   to    33"   at    noon-day.      Up  to 
fiee/ing  again!      Very    soon   the  cabin-lamps  were  put  out.      The  crews 
cut    the   ice  from  al)oiit  the  Rc-scue,  and   she  was  once    more    manned   in 
n\uliiicss   for    release.       The   felt   covering   was   taken   from  the  deck  of 
the    Advanci',    and    daylight    j)i-evailed   throughout   the  Arctic  regions. 
ICarly  in  May  the  ice-saw  was  put  in  operation  as  a    prcliminarv  at- 
tempt  at     freeing   the   vessel.       Parallel    tracks   were   cut   of  convenient 
width,  and  the  ice   sawed  away  in  blocks,  and  hauled  to  the  edge  of  the 
floe.      Thus  the  ojxm  lead   was   daily   brought    nearer.     In  a   short   time 
tile    Advance    was   surrounded    on    all   sides  l)y  these  floating  barricades. 
Shortly,  too,  the  ship  showed    signs  of  changing  iier  position,  grating  a 
little  on  the  moving  ice,  and  seeming   to  advance  a  few  inches    ujion  the 
remainder  of  the  floe.      Desperate  endeavors    were  made  to   wrench   the 
vessels  clear  from  their  icy   moorings  by  means  of  strong    tackle  and  de- 
termined pulls,   but  in    vain;  they   would  not   float  level    upon   the  water 
till  the  grand  break-up  occm-rcd.      Meantime  the  summer  w^as  hastening 
on.      Evidences  of  coming  final  disruption  were  multiplying  about  them. 
Animal  lite  increased,  birds  were  flying  in  every  direction,  and  seals  and 
whales  were  playing  on  every  hand.      The  floe  on  which  the  ship-  were 
<;ast  had  iK-comc  reduced  to  a  small  patch. 


THE    a  HAND     niUiAK-UF. 


415 


On  tlic  39th  of  May  land  was  scc-n—one  of  the  capes  of  Greenland, 
for  they  had  been  driftin-  down  l?at1in's  liay  with  the  wind  and  current 
for  several  months.  How  suddenly  and  completely  they  had  been  cut  ofT, 
not  only  from  tlie  means  of  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin,  but  also  from 
the  place  where  it  was  now  evident  that  search  should  be   made! 

The  5tli  of  Juno  witnessed  the  -rand  break-up.  Commander  CJriihn, 
the  commandin.iT  otHcer  of  the  Rescue,  iiad  walked  across  the  ice  for  a 
call  on  his  friends  in  the  Advance.  He  had  just  started  for  home  when 
a  cry  arose  that  there  was  a  crack  in  tlie  Hoc.  Sure  enou-h,  there  ap. 
pcared  a  crevice  in  the  ice  between  the  two  ships,  an.l  water  flowinjr 
between  the  ice-sheets.  Reaching,'  tlie  crack  hurriedly,  lie  had  just  time 
to  sprin.ii:  across  its  ^/idenins  surface,  and  escape  to  his  ship.  In  ten 
minutes  more  there  was  water  all  around  the  Rescue,  and  in  half  an 
hour  both  vessels  llo/ited  in  their  element.  A  lart^^o  piece  of  ice,  how- 
ever,  clim.i,^  to  the  .tern  of  the  Advance,  and  by  its  -reat  buoyancy  held 
her  posterior  up  almost  out  of  water,  while  lier  bows  suffered  a  corres- 
pondinjr  depression.  Finally,  about  noon  on  the  Sth  of  June,  one  of  the 
otHcers  was  in  the  act  of  clamberint,^  down  on  tliis  attached  mass.  Hardly 
had  his  foot  touched  it  when  it  parted  from  the  vessel.  He  scrambled 
hurriedly  up  the  side,  tearini;  his  nails  and  clothin-  in  his  haste,  just  in 
time  to  escape  the  huge  block  as  it  su"gcd  up  to  the  surface.  The  Ad- 
vance was  free  at  last,  and  Moated  level  with  open  water  all  about  her. 

Although  now  clear  from  any  direct  attachment  of  ice,  the  remain- 
ing portion  of  the  journey  to  the  coast  of  Greenland  was  a  somewhat 
uncomfortable  task.  It  was  too  warm  to  liave  fires  in  the  cabin,  and  yet 
the  gn)wing  dampness  of  the  warmer  climate,  increased  ]>y  the  pressure 
of  icebergs,  made  (h-es  extremely  desirable.  In  spite  of  the  seal  meat, 
of  which  they  now  had  some  reinforcement,  the  scurvy,  deep-seated  and 
persevering,  broke  out  again;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  tedious  pro- 
cess of  regaining  lost  health  must  be  gone  througii  with  before  any  new 
adventures  could  be  attempted.  Many  of  the  sailors  were  ill  from'shore 
excesses  \vhen  the  vessel  let\  New  York,  ;ui,I  the  circumstances  of  the 
winter  were  such  as  had  been  most  fivorable  W.  the  reopening  of  old 
wounds,  an.!    liie  revivification  of  slumbering    virus.      Iceber-s    in    -reat 


Wi 


Ii!  ' 


"  II 


460 


OJV   LAND. 


miinhcTs,  worn  and   carved    liv  \hc  wat 


ct's   aftioii    iiilo    many  'jrn'tcs 


shapes,  iT(!\V(k'(l    around   tlu-in,  and    imiK-dc-d  tlu-ir   proj^M- 


iqik' 


ess;  and    nisi>r. 


niflcant  as  tlu-  rcniainin!--  distanc-e  \v 


IS,  il    i-aused  a  painlnl  cdort,   in   ll 


exhausted  and  del)ilitaled  condition  oC 


Ihi 


])arty 


T.ieut.  Dellaven,  who   had   now  n-covered  sullicientlv  to  take  chap 


of   the   expedition    once    nion-,  iiad  decided    1 


o     1 


ecnperate   at    Whaiel 


ish 


Islands,  ofT  the    coast  ol"  ( 


rreenland,  t'oi"   a   lew  davs,  and    hasten  hacis  !< 


Melville    Bay,    Barrow's    Strait    and    Lancaster    Sound,    and 
search  which  tiieir   unt 


renew    tl 


ie 


unelv  l)esetnn-nt    had  curtailed 


r^ver\-  man  con- 


curred    heartily  in  the  plan.      It  is  true,  they  wer 


e  worn   and  weary 


luit 


they  had  had   th 


e   seasonni"-  which    a    \yinte 


r    m    the  ice  alone  can    "iye. 


and  considered  ihemselyes  as  veterans, 
tinned   service.      As  thev  drew  near   t 


scnted  itself  which  tiiey  had  w 


well  lilted  hy  I'xperience  for  con- 
ic coast  the  same  appeai-ancc  ])rc- 


iln 


essed  a  year  a,i,n);  only  they  thi-nisehi 


had    lost  the  freshness   and   huoyancy  with  \yhich    they  had   app 


roachcd 


th 


e  same  coast  in  the  precediiiL;-  summer.     The  d 


on  the  i6t!i  of  June.      I)i-.  K 


me 


sh 


ore. 


estincd  port  was  reached 
with  riyi>  others,  was  dispatched  to  the 


^scpumaux  cro\vdc'i 


1  th 


e  hank,  do^^s  harkc 


(I,  and  chddrcn  sclk 


(1. 


So,  after  a  short  pull,  ended  that    marveh 


'Us    nine    months  of  hcsetmcnt. 


drift,  toil  and  di 


sease, 


}m^\ 


nhlblf':"' 


CHAPTrCR    LII. 


A     IM.KASANT    PAKTY 


t:iri/n\'Ari;i)    iastics  —  Hanoi; 


ItOtrs    KKATS 


iiii';   NATioNAi.   nw 


i!Oir\i)   |.()i<    IIII.;    xoiciii    A(;Ar.\        icscaimc 


IKOM      MICLXII.MC     liAY MOM  ICW  A  l{  1)-- 


UKsiri/rs  ()|.-    rill.;    \-()VA(;ic 


hv  ivniMindcM-  of  t  lie  .story  of  tin- fxpcditioii  ini'^H 


up.     After  iillowin^-  Uieinselves  five  d; 


It  111-  easily  suinmed 


on  their  way  to    the  north.      Th 


lys  lor  recniitinL;,  thev  wei 


(■  airani 


incident  and    in  c-xi 


IS  second  journey  was   peciiliarlv  rid 


1   in 


)erieiKe  with    the  nativ 


the  past  year  had    not    allowed  lliem  in 


es,  with    whom  the  fortunes  of 


ucli   eoinmunieation.      All  of  t!ie 


principal  places  on  that  coast  were  touched  at 
of  pleasiii'^-  happen in,<,rs.  As  the  lleet  landed 
(piiinaux  town  well  to    the  nort 


,  each  one  f'urnishin;^  its  list 
near  PriU-en,  a  Danish  ICs- 


;"reet    them,  drai^^.^ini,''    th 


1,  a  merry  party  of  ICs(|uiniau\  came  out 


I'lr 


avaks  after  the 


m  o\er  seven  miles  of  the 


pack,  and  then  spmnin--  out   to  them  over  the    narr 


()W  chamu'l  of  water. 


These    were  soon    followed    hy  a  yawl    load  of  the  oe„trv  of  the    dI 
The  reader  will  best  enjoy  the  account  of  tl 


)iace. 


lis  occasion  in   Dr.  Kane 


s  own 


words: 


She    (tl 


le    vaw 


I) 


Drou'. 


:ht 


a    pleasant    t'omjiain- 


V 


lias. 


the 


schoolmaster   and    jiarish   priest,  Louisa, 


his    sister,  llu 


reii 


tie    A 


nialia. 


^ouisa  s   cousin     and    some 


others    of    humhler    noti 


waters  had    but  partially  rej^'eiierated  th 
at  least,  did  not  conform 


ese  sava'j'es. 


T 


1  lie    baptismal 
leii    deportment. 


to  our  nicest  canons.     For  the  lirst 


few  minutes. 


to  he  sure,  the 


adi 


es  kept  their  faces  close  covered  with  their  hand 
withdrawing-  them  to  blow  their  noses,  which  they  did  in  the  most 


ly 


s,  on 


pnm- 


iti\c  ai 


id  picturesqur  manner.      IJut  their   modesty  th 


that  it  needed  no  further  illustration.     Th 
to  us   conildeiitially   that   they   had    cultivate 
smoked,   Louisa,  that    she    tolerated    t 


us   assured,  thev  felt 


ey  volunteered  a  daiict-,  avowed 
lastes  — Amalia,  that  she 


le    more    enlueiim 


both  that  their  exer 


iuiuids,  and 


CISC  111  the  open  air  made  a  sli;^rl,t  refection  alto-etl 


ler 


acceptable.     1  lospitality  is  the  virtue  of  these  wild 


re^^nons;  our  hard  tack 


aiu 


cranberries,  and  rum,  were  in  retjuisitioii  at  once. 


467 


'  I 


It 

I!  > 


!  1  i 


408 


THE    NATIONAL    DAT. 


■<■  It  is  not  for  the  host  to  tell  tales  of  his  after-dinner  company;  l.iu 
tlu-  tnitli  of  liistory  may  he  satisfied  without  an  intimation  that  our 
^Micsts  paid  ni^rjjranl  honors  to  the  jolly  ^rod  of  a  milder  clime.  The  ver- 
iest prince  of  l)ottle  memories  would  not  have  (puirrcled  with  their 
heel-taps.'' 

Some  of  the  feats  performed  hy  the  natives  in  their  kayaks  were  truly 
remarUahle,  The  ])rocess  of  turnin^^  a  somersault  in  the  water,  hoal  and 
all,  seems  an  imi)ossihle  one,  hut  its  jn-aeticahility  amoni,''  the  I>.(iuimau\ 
is  attested  hy  many  witnesses.  An  active  male  will  seize  a  lar.L^e  stone 
m  lioth  hands,  and  leaninjr  hackward,  will  disappear,  t<.  return  almost 
instantly,  still  holdinL^  the  stone.  But  this  species  of  acpiatie  perform- 
ance is  hardly  more  remarkable  than  the  process  of  catchinii,'  a  seal,  and 
is  certainly  not  as  dan-^rtsrous.  The  former  feat  "s  exhibited  liy  the  half- 
day  for  a  chew  of  tobacco  or  a  j,dass  of  jrro^r.  The  latter  is  dared  be- 
cause huuL^a-r  and  the  domestic  necessity  <leman(l  it. 

Here  at  PrrA'en  the  parties  celebrated  the  national   anniversary  in  the 
best  manner  tb.t    their  limited  means  permitted,      liy  wav  of  salute,  and 
in  lieu  of  <,runpowder,  the   seamen  rolled  a  bu.^'c   boulder  down   the  clifl's, 
"spliced  the  main  brace  by  means  of  egj^-no},',  made  from  the  e.^i^rs  ,,f  the 
eider-duck,    and    wound  up   with    a    ball    in    which   sonn     of   the    E  <|ui- 
maux  belles  li,L,'in-e(l  conspicuously,      Pnttin.t,^    to  sea  on  the   ^th,  thev  suc- 
ceeded in  working-    their  way  nortiiward,  and    on  the   i  :;th    thev  encoun- 
tered their   old    accpiaintance,  the    Prince    Albert,  from    which    they  had 
I'cen  separated  in  the  l)esetment  of  the  month  befbre.    This  vessel,  tlion^li 
under  a  new    command,  was  back  more  once  upon    the    same   mission  as 
tiiemselves.      The    two    expeditions    kept  together  tbr  three  weeks.      Hv 
watch^iL,'-  every  openin.i,^  in  the  ice  tiiey  manaj-ed  to  make  a  few  miles  of 
northiuL,^  every  day,  which  brouLclit  them  early  in  Aui^nist  to  the  dreaded 
Melville    P.ay,  over    which   the   "Devil's   Thumb"  kept   solitary  ,i,aiard. 
Here  they  found   the   ice  more  impracticai)le  than  the  vear  before.     The 
icebero^s   came  down,  threatening-   them   with   instant   destruction.     The 
leads  were  all  closed,  and  solid  ice  lilocketl  up  the  jjassa^^e  across  the  bay. 
The   British    abandoned    the    idea   of  succeedinir   in   that   direction,   and 
j)rocee(led  to  the  soutli,  there  to  continue  their  unsuccessful  search. 


I 


^ 


^o-^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


/ 


O 


{/ 


^y  M^e 


V 


#^. 


/ 


5^       /^/. 


1.0 


I.I 


■^IIIM    12.5 


■«    1M    111112.0 


11-25  i  1.4 


-       A." 


1.6 


Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


470 


COUESB    OF    THE   DRIFT. 


.Ik-  30.1,  „f  s.„.e,.,,.,..     The  Roscuo  ,.,n-ivo,l  s,.,felv  ,„vcn  ,,ay,  ,.„,,.  „„ 
Srctost  Kr«it,„lc  provalUn.,-  araon-,  all    f,„.  ,|K-ir  v,r      I  1-  ' 

»"  ."■•.„.  „a,„o.  ,„■.„„„.„,, .,,.;,,  ,;„.,  ;„:;;-,. -^-  ""'■-™-  r,,„„ 

ft  n„>v  reraai,,,  ,„  speak  brieHy  of  ecrtain  lhl„.„  ,hat  V.ve  K 
™«i.u.„,.  „,„,  eo^pleee,  „..  a„e„p,  ,..  ,„.„  ,„„  ' ^  ,    t;,:;:;- 

wc  will  now  attempt  to  do.  '  '"'''''■' 

The    slightest  attention  to    the    oY.ncrr.,,.u.,      r  xt      ,      . 

;n\:;r::::;.:- r r =■« -=  >;-;:r^^^ 

t.on  of  the  northern  coast  of  Morth   Am...--  ^^'^'^'''^^'^  f'^^"   "avij^^a- 

Kn.eH„.La..ea.e.S„„,,.,aeeo„,;:;::-,Z::::;;:-~ 
pursued  a  course  al.no..  JireCly  west  .,„•„„.„   Uan,!   S,  !  '       "°" 

Beeche,  I.a.,.,,  uea.-  „.„ic„  plaee  ,„e  ,nee.l   ,  „  l    !       [.r  '"  ^ 

rro.  here   a  .  g.ag  e„u,-,e  „a,  p,„.»,,e,l  alon,,  ,he  islands  „„  ,„e  ,„„d, 

dntt  he,gan  whose  pnncipal  events  have  heen  reeor.led    in    ,1. 
pa.^e.s.   The  con.se  of  the  drift  dnrin,  the  nu.nth        S    1       ,         '  ' 

wholly    northward    and  th.  '^^•p' on  her  was  almost 

y       "uiwaiu,  and  the  upper  extrem  tv  of  the  (^h..n„   i  i 

".  •;■    ™.i,„,  the    ehauuel.      F„|,„„i„,  „,,  ,„„,^^,  .„.  „^^,   ,,„-,^,„^; 

P""™   ^^h--'-  l> -""•    aeeumulated    ahou,    ,he„,     ,hev     I  ■ 

eastward   i„,„  Maffi,,.,  ,5,,    ,,„  ,  ,,,  '    ""'"'    ""-^    ''""«'  »1<>»I.V 

■"i.ii  s  uaj,  and  thence  southeast  until    -s  w,-  lv,,„. 

>"    "-  .-antintc,    in    the  drift    ,„   the    northward,   certain     natn.al 


i 


AN    UNFORTUNATE  CONTROVERSr,  471 

'iivisions  had  l.ecn  discovered,  and  received  names  from  the  American 
j>arty.  These  discoveries,  while  they  were  of  no  great  practical  value, 
wcrestill  supposed,  at  that  time,  to  he  of  importance  in  confirmmg  a 
theory  which  was  chaining  ground  durin-  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  namely,  that  about  the  Polo  were  land  and  water  of  comparative- 
ly  mild  temperature— perhaps  inhabited,  and  certainly  capable  of  sus- 
taining animal  life 

These  discoveries  were  announced  in  Lieut.  De  Haven's  formal 
report  to  the  vSccrctary  of  the  Navy,  in  substance  as  follows: 

"  Between  Cornwallis  Island  (already  long  since  discovered)  and  a 
large  mass  of  elevated  land  to  the  north,  was  seen  a  large  open  channel 
leading  to  the  westward.  To  this  was  given  the  name  of  '  Maury's 
Channel,'  in  honor  of  the  then  chief  of  the  Hydrographical  Bureau, 
and  the  National  Observatory.  The  large  body  of  hign  land  seen  to 
the  north  between  N.  W.  and  N.  N.  E.,  was  termed  'Grinnell  Land,» 
in  honor  of  the  head  and  heart  of  the  man  in  whose  philanthropic 
mind  originated  the  i.lea  of  this  expedition,  and  to  whose  munificence  it 
owes  its  existence." 

A  remarkable  peak  on  the  eastern  visible  extremity  of  the  unknown 
land  was  termed  Mt.  Franklin,  with  obvious  fitness,  \severa!  other  un- 
important  discoveries  were  made;  among  them  a  small  island  which  was 
named  after  Mr.  Murdaugh,  the  acting  master  of  the  Advance,  and  an 
inlet,  discovered  by  Mr.  Griffin,  the  commander  of  the  Rescue,  was 
aptly  named  from  its  discoverer. 

It  is  proper  to  remark  in  this  connection  that  the  matter  of  pre- 
cedence in  the  discovery  of  tlie  so-called  Grinnell  Land  above  men- 
tioned, became  a  subject  of  unfortunate  controversy  between  English 
and  American  geographers  and  explorers.  English  geographers,  i.rcer- 
tain  maps  published  in  the  latter  part  of  1S51,  plotte.l  this  tract  of  land 
and  named  it  Prince  Albert  Lan<l,  announcing  it  as  the  discovery  of 
Cap^  Ommaney,  confirmed  more  recently  by  the  explorations  of  Capt. 
Penny.  This  map  was  supplemented  by  a  foot-note  mentioning  the  fact 
of  the  American  claim,  and  stating  that  a  certain  other  tract  of  land 
bearing  some  6o'^  „r  70"  to    the  westward  must  have  been   the  Grinnell 


473 


THE   AMERICAN  CLAIM  VINDICATED, 


i.     'fie:       J,  :  "o"""^'  '"     '"  ^""'''  '--  -'-"'  -'  ^"•■"  'he  ioLow. 
»„;       ;■„,', T""^'  "^'"  '"'"""  "■   '-- been  „  ,n,„.lrc..l  „,,,. 

.     A    .he  Amonca,,  .q„.,„„  w„,  „„,,.  f„„,  „;,,,  f,„„,  ,  ,„ 
s  .cade,.  „..  ».„„„.,    .He  new   eoa.,  a.,.,  a»  it  wa,  hare,,  vi.,ih,         ^ 
1.  .ppea„n«  „p„„  .he  vessels  ,e..ea.i,„  „„;,  .  ,,w  ,„i,es    ,.  .he  ,„.,         ' 
o  <,„.,  .„,  Cap..  «,n,„a„e,.,  si«,  ,..,,  ,„,  „.„„,,  ,„.,,^  J      ; 
^  ve,  as  was  professed,  seen  a,,.,    „a,„e,l    .his    new  ver«e  <,f  a  p,„si 
A  e.,e  ec,„.,„e„..     A«,„,  as  .he  America,,  squadro,,  wa^  well     „p,    '^ 

E^..«h  asp.ra„.s  for  preeedenee   a„d  pres.i„e  wo„,d   Have  a..rih:.ed 

W      lo  I,e  sure,  the   Amerieans  were  earriod  .hi.her  witho.tt    ,„v 
hoee  „.  .he,r  „w,.,  and  i.  was  ,.„der  eirc.,„s.a„ees  he,o„d  .heire  „    „ 

^ha.  .hey  preceded  .he  Bri.ish  party  in  .he  ™a..er  in  eon.roversv;  b„.  „ 
D  .  Kane  laeon.cally  observes,  -They  */ precede  .hen,,"  and  .h,  s,  wi'. 
o...  do,  ,.   es.abnshed  .he  eiain,  of  discoverers,  and  .he  ri,h.  „,  do 

-'•     '..  '^"n.,ns  forward  .his  disenssion,  the  wri.er  has  endeavored"     . 

!'  ■." ■■»""■;"  >-'*e  ...  inflncncc  bin,  i„   presenting   „„.   f„„,,  „,„ 

h  .s  n.  eonscons  of  bavin,  vioia.ed  any  r,.,e  of  international  eti,  e..e. 
A  A  er,ean  .geographers,  and  wc  are  glad  .o  no.e,  son,.,  also  of  E„.. 
l.«h  an.l,„rsh,p,  eon.inne  .ogive  .he  lan.l  in  ,p,.s.i„n  .he  A,nerican  del 
.gna..on,  .hns  vindiea.ing,  a.ler  three  .leea.les,  the  An.erica,.  elai.n 


CHAPTER    Lin. 


DBV,.  S    .r„„M„_VA,„OUS    D,SCOVEn,.S_..A„,v  S„„.W„.CK.U 
—A    WATCHFUL    BEAR. 

The  .screw  schoono,-,  Isabel,  wa.,,  It  »ee..,  „,,„i„anj.  ftte.l  .„.t  by 
.  D„,u„.   lieatson  fo.-  a  en,i,e  .„  .he  Arctic  regions  i„  .,,.,,„  „f  s^^ 
Jo.,„  I.  .a„kl,n  by  way  „f  liehrin-A  Strai..     This  e.p„,i,i„„,  however 
"W,n,  .„  „navo,dab,edirtieu„ies,  was  abandoned,  and  .he  shi,  ,  wi.h  i ve 
years  prov.s.on,  for  .welve  ™en,  and  a  s,.a„,  high   p,    .are  engine  of 
s,..ecn  horse  power,   which  had    been    fi..ed  .„  drive   an  Archi;edia„ 
so  .„.,  bes,  es  havn,.  been  doubled,  s.rcng.hened,  and  covered  as  f,r  ,, 
..     K.  boa  s  w,.h  ,„,vani,ed  iron,  wa-  .hrown  back  „p„„  .he  hands  „' 
Lady  Franldn,,  .he  originai  owner.     ,.  was  .l,e„  ...fered  .„  .head-nir  „.  ' 
.,.r  Arce  scrv.ce;  bn.  .heir  lordships  „„.  earin,  .o  inau.nra.c  any  ,nore 
Autic  expeditions,  declined  the  offer. 

A  pr,^osi.ion  was  ,he„  ,na.le  by' Lady  Franldin  .o  Commander  E 
A  ..„lc„e.,  .o  .  e  cffec.  .ba.  he  should  .„.e  .be  vessel,  provide  a  crew 
^.nd  such  „.her  de.ails  of  equip.ncn.  as  .ho  vessel  should    reonire    Z 

'    '■  '"'""  :»'-■  *^-  '--^»i- V  ■>..  hoard,  and,  joinin,  T  s  '.i ^ 

™-epresen.  n,    .be  ArCic  regions,  deposi.  wi.h    .hen,    bil  provi  ils" 
-I  return  .he  san,e  season  .o  England.    Cap..  I„g,efleld  had  1  ..le  relish' 

.      c,„g  e,„ploye,l  .nerely  as  a  .rauspor.  cap.ain,  h„.  seeing  bow  w 
h  ted  .be  vessel  was   for  Arc.ic  cruising,  be  aceep.ed  Lady  FrauM  „ 
"'>.;™i  .. «-o.-.o  give  hi,n. he  ship  in  con,pensa,io„ '  for  bis  I..^  ^ 

V.  n,gd-,a.  be  could  be  ,dlowc<l  .o  condnc.  a  search  in   any  .nana: 
.n     ,.     „ov,ded,also,.ba.  he  could  oh.ain  leave  of  absence  ,Vo„,  .he 
L.,,d  ..W,„,ra,,  and  be  allowed  .„  have  his  vessel  n..ed  np  in  a  govern- 

473 


474 


IN    THE   DOCK-TARD. 


As  he  had  already  expressed  his  taste  and  willin-ness  for  Arctic 
explorations  hy  volunteering  on  several  previous  occasions  to  joi,,  , 
search  for  Sir  John  Franklin,  and  as  he  further  helieved  that  Frankli,, 
could  he  found,  or  that  he  could  he  followed  over  the  route  which  he 
had  chosen,  he  regarded  this  opportunity  as  too  tempting  to  he  lost;  and 
as  the  admiralty  granted  him  in  full  the  permission  he  desired,  he'  lost 
no  time  in  acquainting  Lady  Fraiddin  with  his  decision. 

With  the  divers  appliances  on  hand  at  the  navy  yanl  it  was  a  com- 
paratively short  task  to  fix  up  the  little  schooner,'and  with  the  engine 
thoroughly  examined,  provisions  well  stored,  sails  dtdy  repaire.l,  ^an.i 
ship  considerahly  strengthened,  together  with  the  addition  of  sledges, 
tents,  traveling  and  cooking  apparatus,  and  innumerahle  articles  which 
many  friends  found  the  means  of  supplying,  Inglefield  was  ready  to  nio\e 
out  of  the  hasin  on  the  4th  of  July,  1852. 

After    taking    leave   of   his    friends,   the   Lord  Admiral    and     Lady 
Franklin,  Inglefield  caused  his  vessel  to  he  towed  out  of  the  harh<,r,and 
was  soon  speeding  up  along  the  coasts  of  England   and    Scotland.     His 
plan  of  search  was  hriefiy  as  follows:      His    first  ohject  was  to  arrive  at 
Whale,  Smith  and  Jones'  Sounds  hy  either  the  eastern  or  western  slmres, 
ascending  as  he  might  find  that  the  state  of  th-  ice  would   ena])le  hiui  t.i 
do,  and  having  thoroughly  examined  these  sounds,  hays,  inlets,  or  what- 
ever they  turned  out  to  he  (for  there   was  then    no  accurate    kno-..,le.l- 
of  them),  he  would,  if  not  forced   to  winter  so   far   north,  proceed  (io- .. 
the  western  coast  of  Bafiin's    J]ay,  exploring   its  shores  as  far  south  as 
Lahrador. 

In  order  that  he  might  intelligently  comnumicate  witli  the  natives, 
he  hoped,  at  llolsteinherg,  or  some  other  Danish  town,  to  procure  an 
interpreter,  and  with  this  in  view  he  had  taken  with  him  a  letter  to  the 
Danish  authorities  of  Greenlaml,  requesting  for  him  their  assistance, 
should  he  he  in  \\ciii\  of  it. 

If  the  lateness  of  the  season  or  any  other  cause  should  ohligc  him  to 
winter  at  Lancaster  Sound  or  north  of  it,  he  hoped  hy  means  of  his 
sledges  to  he  ahle  to  communicate  with  the  royal  sc|uadron,  as  well  as 
to  make  a  careful  search  of  all  the  deep  Inlets  of  P,alfin's   IJay;   an.l  thus. 


lar  south  as 


THE  CREW.  ^^j. 

o..,,  if  ,,,,.™ece.sf„,  in  ,he  «rca.  objoc.  „f  hi,  vov„,o,  he  hoped  .„  .,t,e 
..-e,  .he  vexed  c,„e™„„„fu,e  entrance  in.,,   .he   Gre,,.  Vohtr  „„, 

"■,.,„h  .he  s„.eahe.,  S,.i.,,.  s, ,  „hich  before  hi»  voyage  had  nev 

been  approached  nearer  .han  vvi.hin  .even.y  miles 

After  stopping  f„r  .heh-  las.  Ie..er,s  a.   Pe.erhead,  on    .he  coas.  of 

.coland,  ,hey  ,.ean,cd  away,  and  were  so „..  „f  ,,.^,  ,„  ,„„. 

I    eerewand   o.Hcer,   who  composed    .his  ..n..le  band   of  spiri.ed 
».    c,n,.ers,"„,,  .he  newspapers  sp„.e  of  then,    a.   .he   .i.e.  n.niered 
sc-entee„,andc„„s,stedof.wo  ice-mas.e,-,  and    a   n,a.e,  a  surgeon     an 
......ncer  a  stoker,  who  was  also  a  b,aeksmi.h,  .wo  carpen.ers,"a  c;ok, 

™.l  e,,h.  able  seamen.     Of  .hese  every  one  of  .he  officers  was  a  man  o 
e.|x.,ence  and  abdi.y.     Dr.  Sn.herlan.l,  the  snr^oon,  was  particularly  a 
va  aable  m..,  havn,,  been   e„,.a,ed  i„   the   previous  Arctic  c.pcdi.  „n 
."  ic     Mr.  Penny,  and   hcin,  versed   in    the  sciences   a  knowledge  of 
ul.,ch  >vould  be  calle,!  into  pl.ay  in  the  ArCie  regions. 

The  accommodations  of  .ho  Isabel  were  vcry"scan.y.     "My   cabin" 

-v^  t;ap,.  I„,defiel.l,  .-was  not  ntorc  than  six  fee.  square,  having  .',  sk!.. 

.-uattctopofakindoftrnnk,  which  passed   throngh   a  s.oreroo,,. 

' '  ""  ,""■  """*"'■■  '"  "^''-  'l'-'--  -l-k-     My    *-.X,  or  sleeping  berth 

>vas  on  the  starboard  side,  fonr  feet  above  the  ,leck,   and  conid  only   bj 
approachcl  through  an  aperture  in  a  kin.l  of  wooden  screen;  and  cer.ain 
cnve.ncn.  book-shelves  an.l  lockers  were   fi.tcd  in   all  .he  an^^lcs  and 
corners,  ,vhicl,  none  bu.  those  accustomcl  to  a  seafaring  life  cotd.l   have 
s„  n,gennn,sly  appropriated.     A  t.able  two  feet  by  .wo  a,al   a   half    was 
hxcd  against  the  bulkhead  which  separated  the  .doctor's  cabin'  front  .he 
ca,,.an,  s.s,a,eroom;'. he  fo,,„ersome.hi„g  smaller  .ban   .he    latter    the 
bunl.  the  sante  size,  bnt  arranged  as  the  sleeping  berths   of  .he  doctor 
™l  Mr.  Manson,  one  of  the    ice-m.asters.     The    engineer's    cabin,    an.l 
.N  .    Aherncthy  s  (the  other  ice-master), occpicl  positions  on  either  side 
of  .he  engnte.room  hatch,  so  that  when  .steam    was    up,  tltev    enjoyetl   a 
Itmperalure  of  ioo°  Fahrenheit." 

The  boiler  an.l  engine  were  as  conveniently  placet  as  possible  It 
«»  nnpossible,  however,  on  so  small  a  ship  so  to  arrange  the  binn'aclc, 
'1>»>  Ihe  comp.ass  shoul.l  no,  be  disturbed  by  the  presence  of  so  much 


470 


J'/^KI£JiN^ES. 


ffi  !  '  ']  '! 


t(\m'> 


•  E 


meal.     I,„U..,i,  ,hc  w.i.c,-  Is  ,|i,„o,e,l  h,  „„ril„„.    ,hc  <li»c,c„.„Kic. 

<■.-  ly  .„  ...  „c.cc».„.,  i„„..e,.n,cy  ,„■  .„.  ,on„...  i„»„,„„,„,„  '  .^      ' 
d.    „,,„..„  ,,„„,,,,  ..o„,„  ,„  ,„„  ^„„ ,  ,„.  ..,,__  ,,^  ^  "»    ■ 

l..ca.  n.tn,c.,„,.  u-as  vo,-,  „,„,     ,,,. .,  .,„„.,  »„,,„,  ,,  ,„  '  ,  ^ 

«c-a,„.,,  .„„„,,„  „,h  l,K.  i,.„n  „.a.l,i.,„  .vcv  ,„..„,,„   ,„^,    ; 

..C.S  wh,ch  .„„.,.„.■,.  c..„ai„  „..  .,i»„epa„ci.,  „f  Cap,.  .„.,,.«.,' 

Araoc,,,,,,  with  ».v-o,,,l    English  sails,  a„,l  a  scvco  a„,l  ,a,.l,„;„.,, 
enco,,.,.,.      ,r  Cap.I,..we„,  „..,.  „,,.  „,„„„,  ^.,.^,„  ,„,        '^       « 
occ,„.„„,  .,„„,„  „..  v,,va,e  to  .ho  „,,.  ,.„ppi,„  „,„„  „„  „,.  J:^ 
-..      <„,    .„e  j.h  ,.f  A„,„s.,  as  .„.  vessel  „as  Keepi,,,  i,.  ,„„„,, 

'"'""* :'"""■•  "'■"-   '--incss  .„-„K.sc.a,  s„„K.   natives...,:  I 

scvc    e,„n„„  ,„r  i„  .hoi,.  ,i,„.  ka.alcs.    ,.  „as  s, , „s.,„„i  .     . 

vessel  was  on-  Fisl<e,.n,es,  „  Danish  se..lcme„.,  ,  „,|  Cap.    I„„le 

soon  ahle  .o  ven.V  his  posi.i..,.  f, ,  his  ins.n,,'...,,,,.      ,1;  '  .f.    I',    r 

E  qu,„„.,„.  a,„l  Chei,.  canoes  on  I .„,  o„e  .„.  „„„„,  ,,^.,„.  ,^„  .  ^J  "^ 

.Kl,.h  nl.n,  „  p,.„,,,„.  ,„  .,„„  ,,,  ,,^^  „.^„,^_  ., 

'V'^"': '    -'- -I--.,  :n,„  p,.oeec ,an,Mn,he 

ha..|.o,..      .So  ve,v  sn,al,    „.as   ,he   ,„,    .,,  i,.;,,,,,.,,,,^^   ^ 

f'"-^'"'"' ---'-"M-in. U.„,o,ishe,,  he,.  ,n.,.,e,..     This  „ 

f..m,ne  „.as  ,.epai,.e„  i„  a  sl,„,..  ,i,„, „,„.   ,^,„,       ,„^,  ^  _      ^ 

^    '>-^;i^  0„ve,.„o,.,  M,..  La..e„.     „e,.e  .he  ..eates.    hospi.ah.v    ua 

l>""n    h,n,    and  a„ho.„h  nei.he,.  .he  ,,„ve,. his  see  e.a,.v  eo,„„ 

spca..  a,,v,  „„  oxeep.   Danish,  so„,e  i,„-„,.n.,.io„   .as  ,a.he,.e.,  o,- .,, 

.oso,,,,e,,,.ese,.e,io,,s.      ..\,„o,„  o.he,.  .hi„,s  ,hev  To ha,.: 

.  c    ,easo„    sled,o„.,  was   no.  p,.:,e.iee,l    i„  .his  l,a,,  h„.    „,e  „.ave,  : 

Ic    u.e,.e  pe,.,o,.,.e,l    wholl,    in  .he    wa,e,  ,,    n.eans  o,- ,„e    l.ava,., 

;  ""':"f     '"    —-1'™'.^-     Thefi,.ew ,,eo„sis.in,  „,■..,;„„„.» 

■""    ""■"   '"  ''■^'■-'-■'  -"I    «"">■    ^.'  ".«,    was   .a.l,e,.e 


<li.scrcj);nu-ius  i,, 
'•  ''V  Dr.  K:uK., 
"uinc'iits.      Iiiu-l^,. 

1   the    VL-HSCI,     the 

-'vv,  its  shiitt  and 
rc-rfiil    ;i<rcMits   to 
*   ^<-'<-'n    that    Dr. 
chapter),  how. 
iiiul  hasftl  upon 
■  I'l-lefidd. 
'""'  lastincr  crale 
^  "i"  importance 
1  the  Greenhnul 
in  toward  sonic 
itives  were   ob- 
^'i"sto()(i  that  the 
Jno-lefield  was 
\-iii-  taken  the 
I'lj^'ly  more   in- 
;i>i   aiu'horai^e, 
licld  yielded  lo 
ii'l  in  the  little 
•"'ver,  that    the 
L'r.     This  nn's- 
-  ■'^'lip  up  pre- 
led  to  wait  on 
ispitality   was 
Jcretary  eonld 
thcred   of  the 
bund  that  Ibr 
he  tra\el  and 
"  the    kayaks, 
r  '>("  willows, 
'''-''I     in    these 


47? 


478 


GREENLAND  PIETT. 


i  !l  i!i\ 


oom.aks.     Tlu.   principnl  export  sccmcl  ,„  ,,c  co,lfi,h,  „f  which  ,.  .|,i„ 
ioa,   h,„l  „..„  .„„  ,„,,,  ,„  ,>,„„,„.,  „,„,.  ^,  ^^,^^  _,^^^_^  ^^^_^^.^^^^^  '.P- 

Cunm,,  ,„  „hsc.rvc  ,!,„   mc.h„,l  „r  „.„rsl,ip  h,   ,h,s  o,„.of.,|,e.«..,v 
piace,  .n,.|cnol,l  oheycl  ,ho   «,™n,„„,,  „f  a   ,,„|„   „,„    „  „,^,  „^,.         ;> 

oo,l,a,„   ,„„k  hi,  place  in  .he  vilia.-e  church  ,„  vva.ch  .he  „.„„hi;,.   ." 
they  flocked  in.  ' 

"Softly,  but  rapidly,  the  little  meetin,^.hou,se  filled,  and  then  the  do.,,- 
closed,   and   an   Esqnin.aux   with   the    n.ost  fo.-bid<iin^  exteno,- of  .„,  j 
had  seen,  slowly  .-ose,  and  with  n..ch  sole,.nity  ,ave  out  a  hyn.n,  .u,  i„ 
a  few  ..on.ents  the  melodious  hannony  of  „.any  well-tuned  voiees  hrok 
forth      I   was  delighted    with  the  strain,  for  though  not  a  word  was  i„. 
clh.  .le  to  ..e    I  could  nevertheless   feel  that  each  person  was  littin,  his 
hear   to  h,s  Maker,  and  I  unconsciously  joined  in  the  harm  >n  v  with  J,rds 
wh.ch,  havmg  been  learnt  in  childhoo.l,  now  rushed  into  n.v  mind    ukI 
hade    ,ne^.in.le  them  with  the  hallelujahs  of  these  poor  scmi-sav:.. 
*     *     A  sermon  followed,  and  there  burst  from  the  prc.ch 
ershps  a  flow  of  elocution  that  I    have  seldom   heard  equaled;   with„„t 
^cst,cu  afon  he  warmed  to  his  subfect  till  the  lar^e  drops  of  perspiration 
ic     on  the  sacred  volume,  and  hi.  tone  and  emphasis  proved  that  he  was 
gifted  w,th  eloquence  of  no  ordinary  nature."     After  exchan-n-n^.  court 
es,es  with  the  authorities,  by  giving  and   receiving  several  cHn.^rs,  „. 
party  bade  a  final  adieu  to  the  little   harbor  of  Fiskern.s   and   steanu.l 
away  to  the  north.     Capt.  Inglefield  intended  to  touch  at  Holsteinhor.  i,, 
order  to  take  on,  if  possible,  one  Adam  Heck,  a  Dane,  who  had  beo 'me 
responsible    for    a    report  of  Franklin's   murder.      Inglefield  desired  ,o 
make  hnn  prove  his  statements  by   actually  visiting  the  scene  of  the  al- 
leged   tragedy.     A   gale,    however,  drove   the   vessel    bv   IIolsteinI,or. 
w.th  such  force  that  the  town  could   not  be  made,  and  so  U.e  project  re- 
ferred to  above  had  to  be  abandoned. 

It  was  now  resolved  to  push  for  Godhaven  on  Disco  Island  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  dogs  and  an  interpreter.  On  reaching  this  port  it 
was  found  that  Sir  Edward  Belcher,  who  had  preceded  Inglefield,  had 
taken  all  the  <logs  there  were  to  spare.  The  governor,  however,  ...ve 
Capt.  Inglefield   a  letter  to   the  authorities  at   Upernavik,  directing'that 


DEVIL'S    TIIUAfB.  ,^ 

479 

'■■^  "•,,„„  ,„o„i,l„e  .upplicl  .h„e.     Fin,li„,  hero  .he  mnil  ,,,,„,  „r  s;, 

A,,.,.,  .he,  were  „„.  ,,„„  ,„  ,„.„„„,„,  ,„„  ,,^,^  ^^,  .^„  J^ 

■^"•^'T'"" ■'■'  -"'erne,,,,".,,,   I„,,enel.,,.„„,„„  he,,,,, 

.,.c,f  „..„.,   .,r  „„e  ,„  ,he,,e  Greo„l:,n,l  village,  i,  so  ex,,e.l,  .he  e,„.  .e 

' ;,"  ■■'■■:";■'•  '-\r ""-  "-'>'-"  '"•  "'^■■•■- "--  -'i  '--■«  »„,   L 

.,...",  ,„   ..„  e    „  ,.1  ;  .„„  „,.  .h,,.e  w„„„e„  h„..e,  for  .he  se..,ers  a,,., 
I..^.m,..   huts  for  .he   E,.,„i,„aux,  are  .he   general  features  of  .hese 

A  s.in-  so„,herly  hreeze  .oo„  hrou.h.  ,he„,  h,  si,h.  „f  .he  ea.ranee 
...NMuleBay.  1.  was  now  .^..-one  ,lay,  ,i„ee  .he,  left  Pe.erhea.1, 
:....  .lv,v  ha,,  reache.1  .h.s  poi„.  on,,  „  few  .,„,,  ,„.„,  ,„,„  .„^  ^  ^ 

-  '  l»  ,.-v.....s  vear,  wi„,  apparc.l,  a  ,,e..er  season,  „„e„cu,nhere<,  wi.h 
:..... sort,  a,„,   w,.l,o„.  o,,e,.s.     The   Devi,'s  Th.n.h  a,,.,  Crh.s„„  Clilf 
u.ro  s„ccess,vel.v  passe,,,  a  sharp  ,„„ko„.  hein^  Uep.  in  .he  ,.ea„.i™e  for 
v,s.,,es  ,.,  wrecl<s  a,„,  .raee»  of  hnn,a„  ,,Te.     A  we„,,e  of  a  ship's  ,„as. 
a  .a-,,,  a  cor,<,  a,„,  so,.,,  s.aves  were   pieke,,  „p,  a„,|   a,  .he  .in,e  seen,e, 
"""I..V.      „o.,ce    w,.      refe,.ence  .„  the  ,„,ssin,.  .„„„„,.„„;  h,,.,  ,.s  was 
'"■  "--.l  l.>""<l,  tho  ,h.,as.ers  of  ,he  whalers  in  Melville    liav  accounted 
I"!  ihe  presence  anil  conili.ion  of  .hese  ar.ieles. 

After  ,lisc.„veri„g  an.,  nan,i,,^-  Nort,„n„l,eria„cl  Island  an.l  M„,.ehis„n 
Cha,„K  ,„,„1  ace,„a,elyflxinK  Makl,,,.  Isla„,ls,  .liscovere.,  bnt  wronHv 
l"-";l  '■>■  "^"li"  ">a„y  ,ears  ,,efo,.e,  stea.n  an,,  sai,  we,e  p„t  on,  a,,,,  U^o 
v,,,el  spe,,  awa,  .o  .he  northwanl,  an,l  S.ni.h's  S.rai,  ,„„,  Son,,,,  u,.,e 
.-.I.,,,.  Here  ,nan,  points  of  interest  were  ,!iseovere,l  an,l  „a,ne,l 
I  lu.  western  coas.  showed  a.  so„,e  .lis.,n,ce  hack  a  hi,h  ran,-e  of  ,n„„n- 
la.ns,  which  were  callcl  after  Ills  R„,al  Highness  .he  Prince  „f  Wales- 
,m,,  those  .er,„i„a.ins  •',  the  ,„„s.  n-n-tiu-n,  point  visible,  reccive.1  thei,' 
i-amc  l,-,)n,  titc  English  Qneeii,  Victoria  Ilea.l. 

IV-  hay  intervening  between  that  an.l  Cape  Albert,  was  natne.,  after 
»•  I  ro.ces,  Marie,  then  DnCtes,,  of  IIa„,i„on.     Other  eapcs  on  the  west 
>l-.^  ue,e  callcl  after  the  Ear,  of  Cu,nper,,own,  Col.  Sabine,  an.l  Mis, 
<^  nidolt,  a  uiccc  of  Sir  John  Franklin. 


■  I'lM 


Xi, 


m 


lilt  i' 


480 


VAR/OCrs   DlSCOVEPrES. 


On  the  eastern  land,  the  furthest  northern  point  ohserved  was  c-.lld 
after  his  Danish  Majesty,  Kin,^  Frederick  VII.,  heing  the  most  northn„ 
pon,t  of  his  dominions.     Tt:e  >.ater  ne  .rest  this   point    was  ealle.l    .(kr 
Lady  Franklin,   Franklin    Hay,  and  other  eapes,  hays,  gulfs,  and  mown 
tarns  of  less  nnportance  were  designated  after  distinguislicl  En-lish  ,li. 
n.tar,es.     As  has  been  seen,  Inglefield's   loeations,   espceially  Ws    rep," 
sentation  of  the  trend  of  Smith's  Strait,  were   faulty,  hut  the  traein-^  of 
the  eonfiguration  was  mainly   eorrect,  an.l    with   the    new    la(itu,le".„„| 
longitude  afterwanl  given,  the  points  noted  hy  him  di.l  not  receive  new 
names. 

A  violent  gale  rising  soon  after  Victoria  Head  was  discovere.l 
prevented  any  further  progress  to  the  north,  and  a  ret.n-n  to  Jones  So,„,.i 
was  now  contemplated.  The  highest  latitude  reached  l.y  Uk-  Iv.IhII., 
was,  according  to  Inglefield's  reckoning,  78"  30',  being  farther  nor.h 
than  any  vessel  had  yet  attained  in  this  Sound.  As  Kane  ifterv  ,nl 
found  that  Inglefield  had  made  the  coasts  of  the  strait  tren.l  too  nuah"  to 
the  north,  it  is  probable  that  the  latitude  reached  at  this  time  was  less 
than  reported  by  him. 

The  ship  was  ,.ow  directed  along  the  north  coast  of  Jones  So.md  •„„! 
Ingbs  I'eak  and  Cape  Maxwell  were  successively  noticed,  and  named 
«n,m  English  personages.  After  attaining  a  western  longitude  of  Sf 
.0',  the  ship  scudded  before  a  gale  over  ^  -  the  south  shore, and  the  party 

once  more  proceeded  eastward,  surveying  and  charting  the  coast  as  (Lev 

went. 

After  reaching  the  e.,stern  extremity  of  Jones  Sound  an<l  neariv  s„f. 
fermg  shipwreck  on  Cape  I'arker,  it  was  necessary  to  decide  what 
should  be  their  next  step;  an.l  after  deliberation,  i,  was  determined  ,0 
nsk  the  chance  of  being  caught  by  freezing  up,  and  of  spending  the  win- 
ter >n  the  ice,  for  the  benefit  that  might  be  conferre<l  on  the  govenur.ent 
service,  by  carrying  the  surplus  stores  of  provisions  and  coal  to  the 
squadron  of  Sir  Edward  Helcher,  whose  provision-ship,  the  North  Star 
was  known  to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Bee-  hev  Island.  In  this  ea^e  Sir 
Edward  might  be  benefited  by  Inglefield's  discoveries,  and  on  the  otiier 
hand,  the  latter  coidd  carry  back  to  England,  which   could   probably  be 


IS    (Iisc-(niTc(|, 
)  Jones  Soiiiitl 

tlic-     Is;i1h-1|;i 

farther  north 
lie  afteruani 
'  too  much  to 
ime   was   luss 


A    WATCHFUL   UBAli. 


ached  l)efore  winter,  the  latest  inte 
liiiuh-on,  and  of  tlieir  cha 


i^'ence  of  the   movcnie 


tliS     () 


nees  of  success. 


481 

f  the 


Upon  reachinjr  Ik-echey  Island,  it 
Capl.  Kelleit  had  sailed  from  that  nl 
three  weeks  previons!}-,  the  f( 
tn  Melville  Island;  nothing,'  since 


was  f.unid  that   Sir  Edward   and 


place   with   their  steani-tenders  al 


)OUt 


'liner  up  Wellin-ton  Channel  and  the  'atte. 


It  was 


supposed  that  Sir  lulward  had  ;,' 


I'.irry  Strait.      The  of] 


had  been  heard  of  either  of  ihein;  and 
one  away  into  open  water  beyond 


icers  of  the  North   St 


rceut    an 


y    considerable    amount    of  the    st 


ir   could    not    be   induced   t( 


ores    olFerci 


ahhoujrh  the  fact  that  he  was  jibout  t 


InjLflelield, 


for  bin)  to  part  wit!-,  tlic  i.)ost  he  had 


>  return  to  En-rland    made   it  pos- 


laro 


Here  they  showed    lnj,r|eliel(l 
d  I 


the   tliree    j^M-aves    of    I' 


uliicli  liad  l)een  discovered  i)y  I'eiinv  and  Dell 


111(1  told  him  of  the  I 


ranklin's    men. 


i\-en  ;-vo  years   previous, 


ic  of  tile  ,i,n-aves,  sittiuLT  "l)"ii  it  ev 


>ear  winch  was  said  to  keep  a  conti 


erv  niifht. 


'V\ 


le  mail  ba<,^s  bein-  all   prepared,  and    the    kind 


nuous  vijfil    over 


farewells   said,  tl 


a   prepared   to   bei^rj,,   l^.r   j 


omc'.'.ard    journev. 


tended  to  la.i.l    at    Holsteinber-,  but   Wbalelish    Island^ 


uiivenieiit  j)oint,  a   landin,','-  was  e.Tected    h 


It  was  at  first  hi- 
proviiiL,^  a  more 


the    homeward    journev. 


Aft 


ere,  and    the   ship  refitted    f 


or 


er   a    rest    of  several    davs,  dnr 


tiiiu' a  reception   and    ball,  -iven    by  the    Danish    C 

llie  party  set  out  for  home,  where   they  landed   in    Noveml 

iiKiiiths  from  the  time  of  startin<(. 

pon  arrivin-  i„  ICn-land  Capt.  In-lcficld    published 
aibeiitures,   and    received    the 


m<r    which 


rown.  Were  enjoved, 


)er,    just  four 


I 


an  accotmt  of 


Ahhou-l,throu-h  causes  over  which  he  ba<l  n 
n.aiiN  of  them,  inaccurate,  his  vova 
cause  of  -^-eo^M-aphical  science,  and  d 


ipprobation    of    iiany    pi.blic    i 


nen. 


o  control,  his  results  were. 


,re  was   still  a  valuabi 


e  service  to   the 


eserves  due  mention  in  our  list. 


1   ! 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

lUOGKAPIIY  OF  KANE— EARLY  QUALITIES —FORMAL  EDUCATION— iv 
WRETCHED  HEALTH — DECIDES  UPON  A  LIFE  OF  CELIBACY— ins 
LOVE-LIFE — CRITICISMS. 

It  Is  the  misfortune  of  son.e  men  to  outlive  their  reputations,  at  least 
so  far  as  their  noble,  worthy  features  are  concerned.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  has  often  been  observ-d  that  real  worthiness  of  character,  and  even 
<,'enius,  have  not  received  full  recognition  nor  due  homage  until  the  car 
of  the  possessor  "  has  grown  too  dull  to  hear."  Fortunate  is  the  man 
who,  like  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  listens  in  life  to  the  praise  of  his 
own  heroic  and  virtuous  deeds,  and  dies  with  affectionate  and  honorahle 
tributes  still  oflbred  him  on  every  hand.  Admiration  for  .,o  distinguished 
i,n  American,  and  a  knowledge  of  his  popularity  and  thorough 
appreciation  in  every  part  of  America,  must  be  the  excuse  (though  none 
were  needed)  for  giving  his  biography  so  large  a  place  in  this  series  of 
narratives. 

Elisua  Kent  Kane  was  born  on  the  3d  of  February,  1820,  on  W'al- 
luit  St.,  Philadelphia.  In  respect  to  nationality  he  was  descended  fnmi 
fom-  distinct  ancestral  stocks.  He  numbered  as  his  progenitors  ihe 
(irays,  of  English,  the  Van  Rensseljers,  of  Lmv  Dutch,  the  Leipers,  ,){ 
Scotcii,  and  the  Katies,  of  Irish  extraction.  His  immediate  ancestors 
were  John  K.  Kane  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomaj^Leiper, 
ail  parties  being  prominent  and  well-known  in  the  politics  and  public 
events  of  the  days  in  which  th.-    lived. 

As  a  child,  as  a  youth,  and  as  a  man,  Kane  exhibited  striking  (|ual- 
itics.  His  musculai-  and  nervous  characteristics  were  such  as  to  (it  him 
for  all  manner  of  athletic  exercises,  and  in  these  he  especially  delighted 
to  engage.  His  freedom  and  independence  of  spirit,  with  his  intense 
aversion   to   arbitrary   authority,  gave    him,  in   the  estimation  of  prini- 

48!i 


'fW'' 


't  'HI 


"K.    E.   K.   KANE. 


488 


484 


EARLT  'qualities. 


.l.v-c  people,  the  eh:,n.eter  of  a  "  1,^,,  h,,, ,"  though   he    mdly  h.ul    none 

of  the  ciualities   by  virtue   of  whieh    he  shoukl   have   merite.l   this   title 

There   was   nothin.i,^  of  the   hypocrite    in   his    nature,  and   he   scorne.l  to 

resort  to  those  little  lyin-  suhtertu-cs  whieh  " -oodish"  boys   arc  apt  to 

employ  in  order  to  shield  themselves   from   the    results  of  bad   behavior. 

His  frank  and   open   character  surprised   the    -ood   people  of  his  nei-l." 

I'orhood  and    acciuai.Uance,  who  did   not  interpret  him   as  they  grew^o 

'1<>  afterward;  and  who,  n..t  understanding  him  at  all,  chose  to  as"-ribe  t„ 

lii>n    those  ciualities   which   many  boys   possess.      Many   incidents  of  l,is 

early  life  well  illustrate  his  manly  disinterestedness  and  -enerosity.      V^s. 

pecially  <Iid  he  establish   himself  as  the  guardian  and  '^l^rotector  "of  hi.' 

younger   brothers.     ()„e  day,  when    about  nine  years  of  age,  bein-  ,t 

school  with   his    little   brother    >nuch    younger,  the   latter   was   abou^t  io 

sufler  a  whipping   for  some   slight  olfense,  when    lOIisha   sprang  up,  ex- 

clai.liing:    "Whip   me,  don't   whip    l.im,  he's   so  little!"     The'teacher, 

thinking  that  this  was  another  exhibition  of  the   boy's   rebellious   spirit,' 

sai.l,  "I'll   whip  you   too,  sir."      The   struggle    which   followed   showe.l 

youngKane'snotionsof  justice,  although  he- left  the    room   with   marks 
that  recpiired  explanation. 

He  was  of  that  wiry,  nervous  physique  which   enables  people  I.,  ,|„ 
a.id  en.lure  in    a    manner   which  surprises    not  only   every  one   else,  but 
oftentimes  themselves,  also.      Commonplace  feats  he  was  'never  satislld 
to  attempt.      He  m.ist  undertake  that  which  was  dilHcult,  daring,  and  in 
his  earlier   life,  many  times  what   was  reckless  and  useless.       it  was  j„m 
this  g..-ahead,  energetic  spirit  which  enabled    him  in   after  years  t„  walk 
over  <lillicidty,  and  accomplish  his  undertakings,  fre(iuently  in    thc^  midst 
of  untold  peril,  and  in  a   co.ulition   of  physical    weakness  amomiling  al- 
most to  prostration.     Like  many  other  men  who  have  risen  toemin.Mue, 
he  did  not,  in  his  earliest  youth,  show  a  taste   for  learning,  aiul  certainlv 
not  a  fondness  for  lessons  set  by  teachers,  but   having  chosen  to  follow  a 
given    com-se  of  action,  convinced  of  its   reasonableness  or   necessity,  no 
dislikes,  or  ditlirulties,  or   importunities  sulHced   to   shake   him   from   his 
purpose. 

His  father,  afterward  Judge  Kane,  was  a   shrewd   lawyer,  literatcur, 


i 


BEGINS    ACTIVE    LIFE.  ,0- 

a.ul  connoisseur   in    scicn.o,  and   sccin^,  with    his  keen  pcnetn.tion,  that 
hc,-e  were  occnlt  possibilities,  wisely  let  hin.  choose  hi's   course   for  him- 
selu.  regard  to    his   f;,rnK.l   education.      He    had   inten.led    his   s„n    for 
^aIe    College,  and   took    hin,   to   New   Haven    for   entrance,  hut   it   was 
he,^  soon  discovered  that  he   was  already  smitten  with  the  heart  <lisease 
wh.ch  hun,,.  about  him  all  his  life.      The  Universitv  of  Vi^nnia    in  pre 
sentin.,   the   plan  of  elective   studies,  ^ave    n.ore    n-cedon.  to  a    '    uti.  of 
poor  health,  and  here,  for  a  time,  he  prosecuted  his  studies.      There  was 
nothm,^  peculiar  about  younj,  Kane's  colle.,.e  course  except  that  he  nvm- 
.feste<l  a  c,,.eat  deli,,.ht  in  the  concrete   realisation  of  what    he   ..,t  in   the 
abstract  Irom  books.     Geoloj^y,  chemistry,  botanv,  must  all  receive  body 
and  naeanin;,  to  him  by  actual   examinations  on  the   rocks,  in  the  woods 
-•  i"  t'-  lalx,ratory.      Thus,  though  he  did  not  take  a  decree,  his  knowl- 
-l,e  ot   all    the  subjects   which    he   investi.^.ated    was    marvelously    com 
plete  and  thorough.     His  j,reat  command  of  lan^ua^e,  his  happ;  choice 
.>!   words,  and    his  wonderful    knowlecl^^e  of  the   terminolo-.y  of"  the  sci 
cnces,  are  well  seen  in  the  descriptions  which  he  has  written  of  his  voy- 
ai^i's  to  liie  Polar   regions. 

Although  in  wretclK-d  health,  an.l  without  prospect  of  anv  cban<^e 
'•'■■  -IH'  better,  it  l>ecame  necessary  tbr  Kane  to  choose  ^  profession ;  such 
a  lcu)perament,  and  such  actiVity  of  mind,  could  not  be  satisfied  without 
M.,ne  .lellnite  aim.  His  studies  in  chemistry,  and  his  thorough  insight 
into  the   methods  of  scientific  investi<rati 


on,  made  his  subse([uent  choice 
of  the  study  of  medicine  a  wise  one,  and  at  the  a,e  of  twentv-two  he 
i.ra,luated  m  that  profession  at  the  iiea.l  of  his  class,  and  with"  a  thesi, 
wh.ch  ^ave  him  ^reat  celebrity  and  n.ade  bin,  mu,ucsti<,ned  authority 
on   the  subject  treated. 

He  entered  a  hospital  as  senior  officer  soon  after  .^n-aduation,  but  it 
was  seen  that  his  health  demanded  a  chanj,.e.  He  therefore  be- 
came a  can.hdate  for  the  position  of  assista.U  surgeon  of  the  United 
States  navy.  Havin-  received  this  appointment,  bis  life  thereafter  was 
to  a  oreat  extent,  a  life  of  travel.  With  the  <iuestions  how  this  suited' 
l""b  and  to  what  results  some  other  .nanner  of  life  wouhl  have  led  we 
have  nothing,  to  do.      We  can  only  record  here  that,  placed  a.  \v  was   he 


486 


LOVE-LIFE. 


%m 


■ti:|l 


f4 


made  the  best  of  every  circumstance,  and  became  the  polished   scientist 
and  brilliant  writer  that  his    published    works  show   him    to    have   been 
Mex.co,  every  part  of  Europe,  many  parts  of  Asia  and  Africa,  n.ost  ot" 
the  important  islands  of  both  oceans,  and,  as    we  have  seen,  the  extren. 
ity  of  America,  became   the  scenes  of  his  observation,  and  their  interest 
nvr  features  received   successively  the   attention  of  his  brilliant  and  well 
balanced   mind.      "Some  persons,"   says  Pres.    Fairchild,   in    his    Mor-.l 
Philosophy,  "Without  physical  health,  or  foundation  for  it,  //..  becu^e 
they  deem  it  to  be  their  duty."      We  are  aware   of  not  havinc,  quoted 
hus    words   exactly,  but   this  idea   of  the  predominance  of  the  soxd  over 
the  body,  of  the   will   over  corporal   weakness,  was  embodied  truly  in 
Kane.     He  rose  from  a  sick  bed  to  his  adventures  many  times  when  ris. 
mg  seemed  indeed  a  resurrection. 

It  is  impossible  to  go  into  the  details  of  his  eventful  life  up  to  the 
time  ot  those  events  with  which  this  volume  has  particularly  to  <lo  It 
remains,  therefore,  to  mention  briefly  some  matters  connected  with  his 
private  life,  before  continuing  the  narrative  from  which  this  biography 
IS  an  incidental,  though  necessary  digression. 

Kane's   great  physical   weakness   had  determined   him  in  early  m.n 
hood  to  lead  a  life  of  celibacy.      It  is  said  that   as   he  was  one  day"  ...oi„.. 
the  rounds  of  the  poor-house  hospital  in  his  junior  service  as  phvsici-u,  to 
that  n.st.tution,   he   came   across  a  diminutive,  scjuali.!    pauper, \vho  had 
married  rather   a    come!      .voman   in  the  house.      The   senior   physician 
who  was  with   him  at   the  time,  asked  bin.  what    he  prestmied.  must  he 
the  feelings  of  that  woman  when  slie  looked  upon  this  disgusting  speci- 
men, an<l  reflected   that  lie  was    her  lord  an.l   master.     To  "which    Kan. 
very  seriously    replied:      "It  is  to  save  some    la<ly   just  such  thoughts  as 
those,  that    1  have  determined  never  to  marry."      In  spite   of  this"<Ietcr- 
mination,    however,  anc.  in  spite  of  his  physical    infirmities,   he  ])rove(l 
susceptible  in  after  years    to  the   charms   of  the   fair  sex.      In    the  h.ttcr 
part  of  KS52  Kane  became  acciuainted  with  the  celebrated  Margaret  Fox, 
whose   name  has    long  been   familiar    in    connection   with   the    "spiritu;il 
manifestations"  which  were  such  a  source  of  wonder  and  scientific  com- 
ment at  the  time.      Although  she  was  but  a  very  young  girl  at  the  time 


CR/r/C/SMS.  ^g^ 

Ik-  first  n.et  her,  he  fell  in  love  with  her  at  first  .sight,  and  resolved  to 
;;•'■;  ->'■  -.rry  her.  The  remainder  of  his  Hie  was  crowded  tull  of  af- 
ccfon  and  brotherly  tenderness.  Probably  a  more  devoted  couple  never 
!.ccan,e  engaged  than  these  two,  though  circumstances  were  against  the 
•...alloyed  and  unbroken  enjoyment  of  each  other's  society 

The  necessity  compelling  the  Doctor's  continue<l  absence  as  well   as 
the  precarious  condition  of  his  health,  prevented  their  marriage  for  many 
vcars;  but  this  separation  resulted   in   a   rich    legacy    of  correspondence 
wh.ch  nuheates  more  clearly  than  any  other  circumstance  could  do  the 
sincere,  pure,  noble  character  of  the  affection  of  each  toward   the  oJher 
They  were  at  last  n.arried  a  short  time  before   his  death,  but   the  affair 
Nvas  so  quietly  conducted,  that   many  for  a  ti.ne  doubted   its   reality   and 
thus  placed  the  unhappy  widow  in  a  most   undesirable  light  before'  the 
world.     It  was  partly  for  the  purpose  of  vindicating  her  own  puritN  and 
that  ot  her  sainted  dead  that  she  afterward  allowed   his  correspondence 
to  he  published.     His  letters  reveal  a  depth   and   warmth   and   steadfast- 
ness of  affection,  which  is  rarely  if  ever  excelled.     No  aspect  of  a   nuan's 
htc  so  thoroughly  reveals  his  character  as  the  relation   which  he  holds  to 
the  object    of  his  affections,  and  for  the  same  reason,  in  no  way  does  the 
p.ibhc  come  so  close  to  a  man's  inner  life  as  in  the  correspondence  crow- 
H>g  out  of  such  relation.     Thus  if  there  had  ever  been   anv  doubt  of  the 
sincerity  and  purity  of  Dr.  Kane,  or  her  whom  he  honored  with  the  best 
love  of  his.  life,  it  surely  was  dispelled  upon  presenting  to  the  public  eye 
the  correspondence  of  his  private  life. 

!•  cw  distinguished  persons  escape  entn-ely  the  attacks  of  calumniators, 
an,l  we  fmd  that  our  hero  was  no  exception.  In  his  voyage  to  the  Arctic 
.v.^ions,  certain  diffculties  in  government  of  the  crew  arose,  the  particu- 
lars of  which  will  appear  in  their  proper  place.  We  refer  to  them  here 
tor  the  purpose  of  showing  in  what  way  the  cliarges  of  injustice  brought 
a-ainst  him,  as  the  commanding  offcer,  h.d  been  refuted.  His  com-se 
on  one  <.f  the  occasions  referred  to  was  -  trongly  condemned  after  his 
.cuun  by  certain  persons,  who,  not  knowing  the  circumstances,  and 
l-cng  natural  and  chronic  croakers,  felt  called  upon  to  express  a  gra- 
tuitous ojjinion  upon  the  subject.     A  letter  from  Wm.  Morto„.  „„,,  of'the 


488 


VINDICA  TION. 


c;«^vv,  and  a  j.c„ctrati„.,  sajjacious  nK.n,  fully  vindicates  fh        .• 
•   I-o^-.".-  in  each  or  the  clitHcultics  which   .J       W  "  '""  ^'^^ 

;-<-<edt.nn.chati.candunde...r:ir:     :^^^^^^ 
fiimincsiKr.rests- and  ;f'M.  ,.  'Lumstanccs   as   an    Arctic 

'.^.^tsts,  an.l  If  measures  which  seemed  extn-m,. 

'".  '-^  seems  tliat  the  Doctor  shoul  1  .-       •  "'■'    '■''"'■^^■'' 

■H'ss  an.l  hraverv   instead  nf  ■  ^"^^ercsm^.   pronipt- 

celchritv.  "  '■'^''-^>'    J^^'V'^'i    iiini 


&;> 


If  i 


CHAPTER    LV. 

IIIKOKY    OK    KAVB-  -nrr.      , 

MENT     AND     INSTUUCTIOXS  -  ,„s     piav  AM,u^^. 

''-'         ms     J'LAX — iv     MEL VII  I  F     n\^- 
SMITH'S      SOU.Vn-OKEAT      LKKII^  k  VTKKMV      :  a -, 
AnVANCK    AT    AXCIIOK.  '"  '""""^  "  ^""^ 

«  K  „,crdv  ,    .      ■  '  '•■^■^"-■-"•f  ->  open  Poh.r  Soa.   This  „pi„i„„ 

c.McnM%c,u.ss„f  l„s  previ,,,,.  researches  bei,,..  well 

-  ca,,  G.^,ra„h,ca,  Soeie.,,  :,„„„„..ei„,  ,,  ,.,„,  ,„,„  ,„^       .„,_  J 

,.       He  .eferrc,  ,„  h,,  u,,„„  .„  .,,^  „„^,  „,,^^  ,^.^^ 

>-.t  th    p<„e  „    ,„ax„„,„„  cUl  is  „.H  identieal  wi.l,  ,,e  North  I'-ole      11 
»h..u-c,,  tha.  .here  arc  .v„  p„,es  „,  e«re,ne  eo,.,,  „„e  f.,r  each   he," 
s,>hcre,-„,,c  ,.,  Asia  an.,  .he  o.her  i„  America;  a.,„  .ha.  each  is  ^Z 
.c      para,..,        He  fur.her  ..hservc.,  .ha.  .he  ,.ea,.  .Cpera.ur 
A,,,u,c...P„,e,ssevera„e„.ees  h.^cr  .ha„  .ha.  of  .he  isia.ic  I^o.eJ 

I-tonde.,  .h„„.h.  a,ul  <,bserva,i„„  l,a.l  Ic,  hi,,  to  behove  .ha.  ahoat 
.1.  M  ,.,e  was  a..  „„„„/„,,  ,«  i.  wee,  „r  .i,,,  of  „„a,  „f  c„,„pa,,.tive 
.1      u,r.pera.„,.e,  ,s„r,-„„,u,i..g  a.,  open  polar  sea,  which  presu,,  ah,v  c 
">     K,  „o,,her„  .e,.™i,„,s  o,'  the  ea.h.  a.is.     This  opiLn,  share  ,  a,  „ 
..  Her  e,„,„c,..  „re,„  was  fou,K,e.,  t,p„„  sevcal  si,„i„ea.,.  ;ae.s,  an,™. 

:!:::,;■:''. vo,:  r-t  '"■":  t  "  -"-'"''-  -"■• "°  -"- 

.K-„at,„„  ha,l  bee,  see,,  ab,.,u,a„.  ...rest  s„„ke,"  alwa,s  inCicaUve  of 

40v 


Iff  jliffflH 

m  I  ^ 


400 


INSTliUCriONS. 


a  mil(U;r  climate,  and   hicrhly  sii^rj^estivc  of  open  water.       Resid 
liad  l)L'cn  remarked   both   hy  Lieut.    Dell 
the  North  Pole 
This,  a<r 


es  this,  it 


iven  and    many  others  that 


as 


was  approached,  the  eviderces  of  animal   life 


increased. 


Cert 


:dn,  su<r<rested  vcfretable  life  as  the  ultimate  means  of  subsiste 


ncf, 


lin   facts   reu'ardi 


the 


:urrents  and  winds  as  observed  by  Liciit. 
Dellaven,  were  pertinent  to  the  subject  in  hand.  He  announced  furtlier  ,k 
his  opinion  that  Franklin  had  sou-ht  and  found  tiiis  supposed  open  polar 
sea,  an.l  tliat,  if  found  dead  or  alive,  it  would  probably  be  upon  the  limits 
of  this  hitherto  undiscovered  water. 

Whether  tlie  views  of  Kane  upon  these  subjects  were  coincided  with 
or  not,  he  was  seen  by  all  who  heard  and  knew  him  to  be  a  person  emi- 
nently fitted  to  conduct  an  expedition  to  the  Arctic  regions,  whether  f„r 
the  purpose  of  finding  Sir  John  Franklin  or  for  purposes  of  scientific  in- 
vestigation. He  possessed  skill,  bravery,  experience,  and  great  scientilic 
knowledge,  all  of  whicii  were  qualities  essential  in  the  trying  scenes  im- 
plied in  an  Arctic  voyage. 

Accordinglv,  in    December,    1853,  Dr.    Kane   received   the  following 
formal  message  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy: 

"  Nov.  27,  185.'. 
Sn<  :— Liui.v  Franklin  h.ivin.,'  iirsfed  you  to  undertake  a  search  for  her  liushaiul  and 
his  companions,  and  a  vessel,  the  Advance,  havin-  been  placed  at  vour  disposition  l,v 
Mr.  Grinnell,  you  are  hereby  assi^med  to  special  duty,  for  the  purpose  of  conducting 
an  overland  journey  from  the  upper  waters  of  BaiTin's  Bay  to  tlie  shores  of  the  I'oLu- 
seas. 

"  Relying  ui)on  your  zeal  and  discretion,  the  Department  sends  you  forth  upon  an 
undertakinjr  which  will  be  atte.ided  with  .rreat  peril  and  exposure.  Trustin-  tiiat  vou 
will  be  sustained  by  the  laudable  object  in  view,  and  v/ishin<,' you  success  and  u  safe 
return  to  your  friends,  I  am  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

"Jon.N-  W  Khn-nkdv 

He  was  also  formally  directed  to  give  his  "attention  to  scientilic  in- 
quiry;" and  "to  transmit  to  the  Department  when  opportunities  allonled, 
reports  of  his  progress,  and  the  results  of  the  search."  To  tiie  enter- 
prise in  hand  contributions  were  also  received  from  Mr.  Geort^a-  Pea- 
body,  noted  for  his  genero.sity  to  the  London  poor.  Various  scientific 
institutions  aided  in  furnishing  the  expedition  with  suitable  instnunci.Ls 


PLAN    OUTLINED. 


491 


:mi(I  other  articles  useful  for  the  expedition.  Ten  officers  and  men  were 
detailed  hy  the  United  States  Government  to  accompany  the  party,  and 
these,  with  seven  others  specially  chosen  for  the  occasion,  completed  the 
siiip's  crew.  They  were  not  under  the  laws  which  <rovern  the  United 
States  Navy,  hut  they  had  excellent  rules  am!  rej,ndations,  which  were 
ri.i,ndly  adhered  to  throujrhout  all  the  exi<rencies  of  the  journey.  These 
were,  mainly,  to  he  in  complete  suhordination  to  the  officer  in  command 
or  his  representative;  to  use  spirituous  liquors  only  when  dispenseil  hy 
the  special  order  of  the  commandinj^'  officer;  and  to  ahstain  hahitually 
from  profane  lan<^ua<;e. 

Kane's  plan  had  heen  outlined  in  his  address  hefore  the  American 
(}eo<(raphical  Society;  and  was  based  upon  the  theory  that  thj;  northern 
part  of  Greenland  probably  formed  jiart  of  the  a?nm///s  which  has  been 
sjjoken  of  as  theoretically  surroundinjjf  the  Pole.  His  "general  plan,  then, 
was  to  pass  up  Baffin's  iJay  to  the  hi.<rhest  attainable  point,  and  then 
l)ressiii:4-  on  toward  the  Pole  as  fir  as  boats  or  sled;^'es  could  carry  them, 
examine  the  coast  line  for  vesti<jes  of  the  missinj,'  partv.  It  was  with 
reference  to  this  plan  that  their  simple  equipment  was  chosen.  It  con- 
sisted of  a  cpiantity  of  rou_t,di  boards  to  serve  for  housing  over  the  vessel 
(iurini^r  the  winter,  a  few  small  tents,  and   several    carefully  built  sledges. 

Leaving  New  York  on  the  30th  of  May,  1853,  the  ship,  in  eighteen 
(lays,  had  reached  Newfoundland,  where  they  received  a  team  of  lar"-e 
(logs  from  the  governor  of  the  province;  and  ])r()ceeding,  without  inci- 
dent reached  the  harbor  of  Fiskcrnics,  on  tiie  coast  of  (Jreenland,  Jidy 
I.'.  Here,  understanding  tiiat  both  the  party  and  tlie  dogs  woidd  re- 
<|uiro  fresh  meat,  and  knowing  that  a  skilled  hand  for  tliis  service  woxM 
he  necessary,  an  Esquimaux  boy  of  nineteen,  named  Hans  Christian, 
was  secured  for  trilling  wages,  and  a  premium  of  bread  and  meat  for  his 
mother.  This  boy  became  very  useful  to  the  [)arty,  both  as  caterer  to 
the  (logs,  and  as  it  came  to  jxiss,  to  the  party  also.  Thus  the  expedition 
proceeded  up  the  coast,  stopping,  as  a  matter  of  course,  at  the  various 
ports,  Pr()ven,  Lievely,  and  Upernavik,  to  procure  dogs  and  clothing, 
and  establish  a  friendly  feeling  among  the  natives  and  resident  Danes. 
Going  on   among   the  dangerous  fogs   and    shoals,    Melville    Bav   was 


f  n 


w  ■ 


Mil 


1 


II' 


j»/,i 


402 


A    GALE, 


reached,  :mc!  preparations  were  inaile  to  strike  out  to  the  northward  .nid 
Smith's  Sound. 

After  entcrin,ir  Smith's  Sound  Kane  deposited  several  caches  and 
erecied  several  cairns  for  the  douiile  purpose  of  supplyin^r  tiii-ni  with 
food  if  ohli,t,'ed  to  traverse  that  way  a5,'ain,  and  of  ^niidin-  any  who 
mif^ht  foUow  on  their  traciv.  Throuj^'hout  all  tiie  ionrney  up  this  pas- 
sa-,re  the  lirijj  was  in  the  most  imminent  peril.  On  oi;.-  occasion  the  vesstl 
was  moored  to  an  iceherf^  for  the  nit^iit,  and  was  supposed  to  he-  in  a  po- 
sition of  safety,  when  suddenly  the  water  ahout  tiiem  heiraii  to  Ir.  cov- 
ered witli  pieces  of  ice  as  lar<re  as  a  walnut,  and  lar-er.  Tiu're  was 
hareiy  time  to  ]Mit  oil"  from  the  her-  before  it  fell  to  atoms  willi  a  iiash 
lashin.i,'  th,e  ocean  into  foam  for  many  yards  ahout.  Thus  capricious  did 
they  fmd  tiie  ice  of  Smith's  Sound. 

Workint^r  their   way  up  with  ditHculty,  they  ha.l   reached,  o,,  Au-u.t 
19,  the  extreme  latitude  of  7S'.      Here  an   event    occurre.l    which   modi- 
fied elFectually  their  whole    future  journey.      Indications  of  a  -ale  ap- 
proachin-   induced  the  commander  to  moor  tlie  ship  as  secureiv  as  pcs^- 
blc,  and  await  the  result.     Three  stron-   i;,,blcs  were   employc-d    in    tlils 
service,  and  it  was  hoped   that   hy  thus  apparently  fastenin-    ,ian-iT  or 
disaster,  at  least,  mi-ht  lie  averted.     The  -ale  arose,  until  the  second  day 
the  strainin-  of  the  cables  was  intense.     The  six-mcii  hawser,  the  wIiuIl'- 
line,   and    the    ten-inch    manila   successively   parted,   with    reports    like 
musketry,  leavin-  the  vessel  and  her  imperiled  crew  to  the  mercy  of  the 
wind  and   the    iloatin-   ice.      For    reasons    -iven    before,  and    siilKcieiitly 
obvious,  we  (piote  tiie  scene  in  Dr.  Kane's  own  -raphic  lan-na-e: 

"  Ahead  of  us,  fn-ther  to  the  nortii,  we  could  see  the  strait  still  -n.w- 
in-  narrower,  and  tlie  heavy  ice-tables  -rindin-  up  and  cl()--ino-  ;,  i,^,. 
twecn  the  shore-cliirs  on  one  side  and  the  led-e  on  the  other.  There 
V.'::-  ])ut  one  thin-  left  for  us:  To  keep  in  some  sort  the  command  of  the 
helm,  by  -oin-  freely  where  we  must  otherwise  lie  driven.  We  allowed 
her  to  scud  under  a  reefed  fore  topsail;  all  hands  waitin-  tlie  enemy,  as 
we  closed,  in  silence. 

"  At  seven  in  the  mornin-  we  were  close  onto  the  pilin-  masses. 
We  dropped    the   heaviest  anchor  with    the   desperate   hope  of  wliidin- 


SAVED    nr   AN  ICEUEliG 


403 


tlu-  hri-r;  h.it  there  wns  no  withstamlinj,'  the  ice  t.)rr',-!it  which  rolinvved 
us.  \Vc  had  only  time  to  fasten  a  spar  as  a  h.ioy  to  the  chain,  and  let 
her  shp.      So  went  our  hest   hower. 

"  Down  we  went  upon  the  -ale  a-ain,  helplessly  scrapin-  alon-  ;,  loe 
of  ice  seldom  less  tiian  thirty  feet  thick;  one  lloe  measured,  l>y  a^ine  as 
we  tried  to  fasten  to  it,  more  than  forty.  1  had  seen  such  v  ,m\y  „nce 
hcfore,  and  never  in  such  rapid  motion.  One-  upturned  mass  rose  above 
()Mr,i,nuiwaIc,  smashin-  in  our  bulwarks,  and  depositinj,'  half  a  ton  in  a 
hnnp  upon  our  decks.  Onr  little  hri..^  l,,„v  herself,  throu,<,'h  all  this  wild 
adventure,  as  if  she  had  a  charmed  life. 

"  Hut  a  new  enemy  came  in  sijrju.  Directly  in  o.u-  way,  just  beyond 
tlic  line  of  lloe-ice  a.tjainst  which  we  were  alternately  slidinj,'  and 
thtunpin-,  was  a  -,•„„,,  ,,f  hu-e  ber-s.  We  hud  no  power  to  avoid  them; 
the  only  (|uestion  was  whether  we  were  to  be  .lashed  in  pieces  a-ainst 
them,  or  whether  they  mi;^rht  not  offer  us  some  protection  from  the  storm, 
r.ut  as  we  neared  them  w.-  perceived  that  they  were  at  some  distance 
iVom  the  Hoe's  ed'^^e,  aii.l  separated  from  it  l)y  ;m  interval  of  (loe  water. 
Our  hopes  rose,  and  the  -ale  drove  us  toward  the  passa<,'e  and  into  it; 
an.l  we  were  ready  to  exult,  when,  from  some  unexplaine^  cause,  proba- 
bly from  an  eddy  ,-f  the  wind  a-ainst  tiie  lofty  ice  walls,  we  lost  our 
headway.  Almost  at  the  same  moment  we  saw  that  the  ber.j^s  were  not 
at  rest;  that,  with  a  monientiun  of  their  own,  tiiey  were  bearin.^r  ,l()vvn 
upon  tlie  otiier  ice,  and  that  we  were  fated  to  ]>e  crushed  between  the 
two. 

"Just  tlien  a  broad  sccmcepiece,  or  low,  v»^ater-washed  ber<,r,  came 
driviu-  up  from  the  southward.  The  thoui,rht  (lashed  upon  me  of  one  of 
our  escapes  in  Melville  I?ay;  and  as  the  sconce  moved  rapidly  alon-rside 
of  us,  Mc(rary  mana'^red  to  plant  an  anchor  on  its  slope,  a'd  hold  onto 
it  by  a  wiiale  line.  It  was  an  anxious  moment.  Our  noble  tow-horse, 
whiter  than  the  pale  horse  that  seemed  to  be  pursuin,<,r  us,  hauled  us 
hravely  on,  the  spray  dashin^i,-  over  his  wiiulward  Hanks,  and  his  fore- 
head tearing,  up  the  lesser  ice  as  if  in  scorn.  The  beri,vs  encroached  upon 
us  as  we  advanced;  our  channel  narrowed  to  a  width  of  perhaps  forty 
feet;  we  braced  the  yards  to  clear  the  impenduiji  '^'t-  wall.       *       *      ♦ 


litiHi 


lilp^ 


In      ! 


'If 


II' j' 


Pf  "lllllrli. 


404 


HEROIC    CONDUCT, 


Wc  passed  c-lcar,  l)iit  it  \v:is  a  ilosc  shave— so  close  tliat  om-  port  w.-itor 
boat  \\-.ul«I  have  been  crushed  had  we  not  taken  it  from  the  davlls  ;,,„| 
found  ourselves  under  k\w  Ice  ..f  ;i  htM-,'  in  a  coinparativciv  npiMi  l,.;„|. 
Never  did  iuart-tricd  men  aikno\vled;,'e  with  more  «;nuitnde  their  nur- 
ciful  deliverance  from  a  wri'liiu'd  deatli.'" 

Thus  the  narrative  conlinues;  a  lon.L,'  and  thrillin,<j;  account  of  narn.w 
escapes  from  hcin^-  crushed  in  the  mountains  nf  ice.      Kane  t,'oes  on  : 

"  Durin-tlic  wiinlc  of  tin-  scenes  1  h.ive  l.ecn  descril)injr,  I  cuid  not 
iiclp  hcinjjr  sti-.ick  hy  the  composed  and  maidy  demeanor  of  mv  comrades. 
The  turmoil  of  ice  luidcr  a  heavy  sea  often  conveys  the  impression  of  dan- 


smith's  SOI  nd. 

,s,n'r  when  the  reality  is  al>sent;  but  in  this  fearful  passa^s^u-,  the  i^artin- .,f 
our  hawsers,  the  los^  uf  our  anciiors,  the  al)rupt  crushing-  of  our  stovcn 
bulwarks,  and  the  actual  deposit  of  ice  u|)on  our  decks,  would  have  trieu 
the  nerves  ol'thc  nn.si  expcrieiucd  ici'  man." 

It  must  not  be  supjjosed  that  during,-  all  this  terrific  scene  no  ednrts 
were  put  forth  by  the  men  to  anchor  the  bri- and  avert  the  hazard  of  the 
perilous  ice-strait.  F.epeatt-d  ellbrts  wen-  made  to  ,i,n-apple  the  pas  iii.^r 
ice-blocks,  and  in  such  .  !r  it-^  four  of  the  crew  became  separated  from  the 
bri<r  and  had  t<;  be  rcf-uc-:  'm  a  h  .at  after  the  -ale  subsided.  Mr.  Mon- 
sall,  one  of  the  icc-n-.s,,  ,>,  avoided  iiein.-,^  crushed  i)y  a  perilous  leap  to  a 
floating  fraj,nnent,  and  like  intrepidity  was  exhibited  on  all  hands. 


\ 


TliACKlNi;. 


405 


Tlu'  jxnlliiiit  little  l)n}r,  h 


lowfvcr,  was  tint  yot  out  ofd.-iivai 


iDciisc  aiTuimilatioii 


Tl 


K-  nil- 


'.sol  .(val..M.t  ha,hon,f<,n  t..  ,Ik.  n,.,lh  l.v  llu' rM„,r 
^'alc,  hcj^au,  to  the.  horn.,-  of  the  crew,  to  f.,nv  her  sc,uare  over  ,hc  her, 
in  whose  lee  she  ha.l  lande.l.  As  she  rose  slowly  o,.  i.s  ru,,e.I  sum.:; 
..ni,elle.l  hy  the  tre.nen.lous  .no.nentu.n  oftlKMuovin.^  iW  hehhul  the 
suspense  as  ,o  the  result  heeau.e  oppressive.  Sonu-tinu-s  a  shock  more 
-i<l^'..  au.l  severe  tlK.u  the  rest  woul.l  turn  her  ou  her  si.le,  au,l  Ihreat.n 
'"  I.rcap.tate  erew  au.l  all  iuto  ,1,.  seethiu;,.  chaos  of  ice  and  u-ater  \s 
shc-.lescemled  its  windward  slope  and  .p.ietly  took  her  place  anuMe-  th.. 
l".'Ken  ruhhish,  the  excitement  of.h.  ,,,w  was  n.arke.l  hv  silence  ,^uh.-r 
than  iNclanialions;  they  were  too  tlia.dvful  lo  speak. 

I-  was  uo,  ,ill  ,hc  ,„,  of  Au^nrs.  that  this  terrihie  storm  ahated  sulli- 
ncu.ly  to  en,l  the  period  of  ina.tion  consequent  upon  the  adventures  ius, 
descnhed.  As  soon  as  possihle,  however,  all  han.ls  took  hold  of  the  l-nv 
I""-  au.l  "  harnessed  like  mules  on  a  canal,"  proceeded  hy  "  trackin^^  "  to 
•  Ira^^  the  vessel  toward  a  place  of  supposed  safety.  After  proceedin-  iu 
Ih.s  way  tor  some  miles,  a  pohtt  was  reached  where  at  least  temponuy 
secn-ity  could  be  relie.l  on,  and  the  comman.ler  an.l  olKcers  were  enahled 
In  look  about  then)  and  plan  for  the  future. 

-riKT  ha.l  now  attained  a  latitude  of  nearly  7c/,  hein,^  further  north 
■lian  any  01  their  predecessors  except  Parry,  in  his  tramp  on  foot  on  the 
island  of  Spit/.be,-en.      This  element  of  success  at  least,  was  theirs. 

''^1^'-  '>"'''  -..nmander  was  hanlly  satisHe.l  to  pass  ti,e  winter  without 
In-t  atlannn,,^  a  more  northern  point,  hut  yo.mj,.  Ice  was  formin.^  snow- 
s,o,n>s  were  hecomin,^MVe.,ucnt ;  the  j,n-owinj,^  severity  of  the  weather 
a'l<l-i  ...  what  they  had  ahva.ly  passc-d  throuj^h,  was  be:,innin..  to  tell  in 
t.  ..epressmj.  eflbct  upon  ollicers  and  crew  A  <^enerous  re^^ard  lor  the 
l-l.n,,rs  an<l  opinions  of  his  officers  led  Kane  to  consult  with  thent  upon 
thc.,ucst,on  of  their  future  action.  All,  with  one  exception,  were  of 
'>l~  that  all  attempts  to  secure  a  n.ore  northern  position  were  unwise 
an.l  useless.  D,,  Kane,  however,  ur<,ed  upon  thent  the  necessitv  of 
niaknt.ur  a  pomt  from  which  it  would  be  convenient  at  least  to  .iispatch 
^Kd,n,.  parties,  and  proposed  to  procec.l  by  warpin;^,  u.Uil  such  a  place 
"   '"   ^"■'■'^■'■''   ^"-     'f^'^  l'^i^='"   =':-r'vol,  an.l  entered  heartily  into  the 


I'niilil 


496 


THE  FORLORN  HOPE. 


work  of  conveying  the  vessel  to  a  desirable  harbor.     After  makin-  a 
few  miles  by  availing  tliemselvcs  of  wind  ancf  tide  and   lever,  a  bay  was 
reached.     Here  Dr.  Kane  determined  to  leave  the  vessel  until  he  should 
explore  the  northern  region  in  a  boat  and  determine  the  practicability  of 
further  advance  with  their  well-tried  brig.     Fitting  out  a  boat  with  the 
suggestive  name   of  the    Forlorn    Hope,    the  commander,  with  seven 
tn:stv  and  able  men,  started  on  the  39th  on  their  tour  of  investigation. 


ARCTIC  AqUATICS. 


CHAPTER   LVI. 

KANK  LKADS  A  BOAT  AND  SLKDOE  EXPEDITION  -  A  GREENLAND 
RIVER-TIIE  EIGIITIETII  PARALLEL-«TIIE  SAME  ICE  SURROUNDS 
HER  STILl"_i.rePARATIONS  for  WINTER_A  cache  PARTY- 
ACCIDENTS  AT  THE  nKlG- DIFFICULTIES  OF  ARCTIC  OBSERVA- 
TION—HANS, THE  HUNTER—  RETURN  OF  A  WARM  FRIEND— 
A  PRELIMINARY  SURVEY —  AN  UxNEXPECTED  RETU'lN  —  KANE 
SAVES    THE    PARTY. 

I'assin-  on  throu-h  the  narrow  strait  openin-  in   front  of  them,  the 
liltlc  party  was  able  by  breakin-  the  young   ice   whicii   kept   constantly 
forming,  to  make  about  seven  miles  on  the  first  day.     Cold  and  wet  from 
the  necessities  of  this  doubtful   navigation,  night  was  eagerly  welcomed. 
'l\venty-four  hoiu's'  absence  from  the  ship  brought   thcin  to  the  end    of 
tluir   boating.     The  ice-pack   had  closed  with  the  belt,  and  was  thus  on 
one  side   and   in  front   of  them,   while   on   the    other   side   was   the  ice- 
-irt  shore.      Advance    with    the  boat   was  impossible.       The   carefully 
packed  sledge  was  therefore  taken  out  and  set  up,  and   the  boat   snugly 
slnu'c.l  away  in  a  convenient    gorge.     The  sledge  was  now  laden  vvith 
a  fcxv  necessaries,  and   the   march  again  proceede<l.     Interesting   notes 
were  taken  </•  the  topography  and   glacial  appearance  of  the  rugged   re- 
-inn  over  which  tlieir  patli   lay,  and  many  an   amusing  and  excil'ng  inci- 
dent served  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  the    [..urney.     Its   difficulty    may 
hv  conceived   from  tlie  fact  that  five  days'  absence  (.nly  found  them  forty 
tnllcs  from   the   l)rig.      Tlie   tortuous   course    which  it   was   necessary    to 
pursue    with  the  sle.lge   was  a  great    .lraw]>ack  to  tlie   commander  in   his 
liastc' to  mal^e    latitude,  an.l  he    determined  to    leave  the  sledge    and  pro- 
ceed   on    foot.      The    undesirable    feature   of  this    method   was,  that    not 
enough  food  coul.l  be  carried.     The  average  weight  of  the  men's  bunlen 
was  thirty. live  pounds,  inchiding  a  quantity  of  pemmican  ami  one  U\iMo 

41)7 


in 


iW""^" 


ii< 


h  'liiJ; 


4!)S 


A    GREENLAND   RIVER. 


robe  aiiiccc,  and  even  tliis  was  found  to  weigh  tlicm  down.  It  was 
found,  however,  that  greater  progress  could  lie  made  in  this  way  than 
with  the  whole  outfit,  and  one  day  they  succeeded  in  making  twenty-four 
miles. 

A  river  was  at  last   reached  which  emjjticd  into  a  large  bay,  and  w; 
presumed  by  Kane  to  1k>  the  largest  river  of  North  Greenland. 

"Here,"  says  Kane,  "protected  from  the  frost  by  the  infiltration  .,f 
the  melted  snows,  aijd  fostered  by  the  reverberations  of  solar  heat  fioin 
the  rocks,  we  met  a   flower-growth,  which,  though   .Irearily  Arctic  in  its 


IS 


OI.AC  IKK  MKKN   UV    KANK. 


type,  was  rich  in  variety  and  coloring.  Amid  festuca  and  otiier  (uttcl 
grasses  twinkled  the  purple  lychnis  and  ihc  wliite  star  of  the  chick- 
weed,  and  not  without  its  pleasing  a^Mui;, lions,  1  rccogni/ed  a  single 
hespcris,  the  Arctic  representative  of  the  wall-llowers  of  home." 

After  reaching  a  rocky  headland  which  overlooked  a  wide  expanse 
extending  far  beyond  the  Soth  parallel,  this  was  made  the  (iwal  point  ^^^. 
reconnoissance,  and  the  party  proceeded  back  to  the  brig.  Kane  an- 
nounced to  the  waiting  nu-n  that  he  had  discovered  no  spot  better  suited 
for  winter  -luartci-s  ihun  the  bay  iu  Nvhich  the   brig  w;is  now  michored, 


AN  ARCTIC   OBSERVATORT. 

and  gave  instructio.is  to  tow  her  between  two  small  islands.  Here,  then, 
she  was  anchored  amidst  the  ice;  destined  to  he  her  resting  place  for  a 
long  time  indeed,  for  "the  same  ice  surrounds  her   still." 

The   little   party  in    Rensselaer    Ilarhor,  as  their   retreat   was    called, 
now  foun<l  winter  rapidly  approaching.     The  old  ice  was  soon  so  firmly 
cemente.l  in    the   hay  l)y  that    which    was   newly  formed,  that   it   would 
hear  sledging  jxirties  which   coasted   out   around  tlie   brig  from    time  to 
time.     Much  was  to  he  done,  and  d.)ne  at  once;  for  the  stm  could  not  ])e 
(lepe.ided  on  much  longer.     The  mountain  range  to  the  south  would  ob- 
scure him   tNVo   weeks   before   his    regular  time  for  disappearance.      The 
hold  was  to  be   unloaded  of  its  supplies,  wliich   were  to  be  placed   in  the 
storehouse   upon    liutler's   Island.     This   was  done   by  means  of   loaded 
hoats,  through  a  channel  which   must  be  recut  every  morning.     A  com- 
fortable  kennel    must  be  erected  for  the   canine  rabble,  which,  however, 
would  not  occupy  it.     Wild   as  they  were,  they  preferred  to  sleep  on  the 
snow  in  calling  distance  of  the  men.      A  deck-housing  had  to  be  planned 
and  built,  care  being  taken  to  make  as  warm  as  possible  their  winter  resi- 
(lence.      An  observatory  was  constructed  of  stone,  which  the  men  hauled 
across  the  ice  on  sledges.     There  remaine.l,  moreover,  to  plan  and  estab- 
lish  j)rovision  depots  for  (he  convenience  and  safety  of   exploring  parties 
as  they  should   now  and  then    be  sent  into   the  interior.      The  food  to  be 
deposited   in  these  places  was  chieHy  pemmican.  and  as  little  or  no  game 
had   been   seen  in   Smith's    Soun.l,  it  was   necessary  to   freshen  their  salt 
provisions,  which,  in    their   isolated   condition  and    tendency  to   scorbutic 
.lisease,  it  would  not  do  to  use.      Acconlingly,  a  fresii  water  lake  having 
heen  ibun/l    in   the   interior  of  one  of  the  islands,  poles  of    the  meat  sus- 
pended   by  strings  were   brought   successively  to    receive    the   freshening 
baptism.      Tlie    instruments,  also,   must    be    placed    and    adjusted.      The 
magnetic  observatory  was  duly  ecpiipped  with  its   magnetometer  and  <lip 
iiiMruments.      The  transit  and  telescope  were  adjusted  in  the  observatory 
proper.      The  tide  gauge  was    upon  the   brig  itself,  and   the  meteorolog- 
ical observatory  was  placed  in  the  open  field,  duly  protected.     So  sensi- 
tive were  some  of  the  thennometers,  that  when  they  indicated  40    or  50  ' 
bdow  zero,  the  mere  approach  of  rui  observer  would  cause  «  dwnge. 


If 


500 


JiAVAGES   OF  BEAIiS. 


[t 


I  ;     '  ■' 


M 


() 


nc-  of  tlu'iii    could    l,c  road  to   the  tenth  of  a  d 


tioiis  foi-   the  winter 


ctrrec.      So  th( 


s    ()hs(  rvations  went 


on,  as 


ouit  sank  lower  and  1 


th 


pi-epar, 


^    sun  in  his    dail 


V  cir- 


ower, 


In  th 


e  m 


cantiinc,  a  tlcpot  party  had  1 


<livd    pounds  of   peinmiean    to   d 


)c'en    sent  out,  with  several  1 


lUll- 


Jjarted  ,)n    the   C(nli  of  St 


eposit   in    three    places.      Tl 


pt 


lis   party  dc- 


L'nil)er,  and 


(la\'s. 


Oui 


ni''-  their 


d)sence 


several 


dents  occun-ed  to  tl 


hd   not    return  for   twent 
curious  and    nearlv  dan"-ei 


v-ei-,rht 


the    hold    had    1 


little  party  remaining'-  at  the  1 


>ri' 


I' 


cvn    scriouslv  trouhled    wit 


oils  nici- 
or  sonii'   tinie 


1    rats 


tlieni  out    with  a   ddectahl 


leather  had  fn'lcd,  and 


L-    conii^oiuid  of  hrinist.)!! 


it  was    determined    t( 


■ -n    attempt  to  huni 
L',  arsenic   and    liurnt 


hoiui. 


acid 


A 


i>piiy\iate   them  wit 


1   car 


^as.      A   .piantity   of  charcoal    was    hurne.l    helow,  and    ,| 


iialches  securely  closed.     The  cool 


to  attend  to  (;uisiii 
nioi-e  dead  t 


Iv  with  unfortunate  temei-itv 


sio: 


t'  duties,  and  was  hauled  forth  I 


c  iiclow 


rom  the 


adl 


lan   alui 


Ahoiit  th 


}■  (-•lenient 


something-   1 


le  same  time.  Dr.  Ivai 


tricated 


>clow  was   on  lire,  went  down,  and 


K',  suspectino-  that 


liom  death    h\-  sull 


he,  too,  was  fore 


ocation. 


and  was  only 


he    hrt:    prov 


>''iy  ex- 
<-'(!  to    he  on  the  deck. 


<l"cnclied  with  the  -reatest  difiicultv.      S 


his  circumstance 


do;;-  was  ohscrved  to  1 
dispatched  hv  a  rille.  ' 
hefore  thought  of. 

On  the  I  Nth  of  Octoher  the  expl 
report    .f  their  proceedintrs.      The 


everal  days  aft 


ia\'e  symptoms  of    hydroi 


Hiohia,  and  was 


(luic 


•'ULr''-ested  a  1 


cr  a 


lori-ilile  ilansrer  nut 


pl<)nn;jf  party  returned  and 


ave   a    hil 


V  had  with  "i 


n-cat  dilllculty,  executed  tl 


cat  i)ains,  aiuj  oft 


Tl 


leir  chiel'care 


ic  commission  upon  which  they  had 


was    to 


en  with 


heeii  sent. 


leave  th 


c    provisions    in   suital 


secuie  them  from  the  inv 


)le   ])hu 


liMtiii'''  and  sa-'ac 


isions  of  the   polar   lu- 


es,   and   to 


II",    w 


hicl 


1    IS    very 


does  not  consume.      I 


ions,  and  Ljencrallv  destro\ 


pene- 


1  s])ite  of  theii-  car 


'ys  what  stores  of  this  kind  hi 


returnini,^  aloii--  their   tr 
])letely  demolished.      T 


■c  in   this    re^-ard, 
ick    that   one   of  their   caches  w, 


th 


cy    foil  I 


IS    almost 


hcv  had  heen  wet  t 


111   on 


coin- 


rrcatest  nei 


I'  t  he  skin,  an 


1(1   c 


pen!  from  crackin 


xposed   to  the 


Th 


,i;lacieis,  and  from  t 


ic  extreme  cold. 


e  sun  at  la- 


disappcarc 


li,  and  the  in 


came  on. 


S 


'>nie  of  the  prohlems   and 


eiise  cold  of  an  Arct 


ic  winter 


lillicult 


ill  this  frijriil  solit 


11(1 


ies   presenting   thcmselvo 


iilc,  are  tlnis  shadowed  hy  Kaijc;  "Fircsid 


c  astronuiiu'fs 


502 


INTENSE  COLD. 


can  harcily  realise  the  diffict.ltics  In  the  way  of  observations  at  sucli  l„w 
temperatures.  The  mere  hurnin-  of  the  Iiand  from  frost  is  obviated  l,v 
covering,  the  metal  with  chamois-skin,  but  the  breath  and  even  the 
warmth  of  the  face  and  body,  cover  the  sextant  arc  and  j,Wasses  with  t 
fine  hoar  frost.  Though  I  had  much  clear  weather,  I  barely  succeeded 
by  mngnifiers  in  reading  the  verniers.  It  is,  n-.oreover,  aii  unusual  fVat 
to  measure  a  base-line  in  the  snow  at  fifty  degrees  below  freezin-. 

"  The  great  difficulty  is  to  keep  up   a   cheery    tone   among   the   men 
Poor  Hans  has  been  sorely  hon.esick.     Three  days   ago   he   bundled   up 
h.s  clothes  and  took  his  rifle  to  hid    us   all    good-bye.     It   turns   out   th.t 
besides  h,s  mother  there  is  another  one  of  the   softer  sex    at    Fiskernrs 
that  the  boy's  heart  is  dreanring  of.     lie  looked  as  wretched  as  any  lover 
ofam.lder  clime.     I  hope  I  have   treated    his    nostalgia  successfullv    bv 
givmg  him  first  a  dose  of  salts,  and   secondly,  promotion.      He   now'h.^s 
all  the  dignity  of  henchman.     He  harnesses   my  dogs,   builds   my  traps 
and  walks  with  me  on  ,ny   ice-tramps;  and,   except  hunting,  is   excused' 
fro.n  all  other  duty.     He  is  really  attached  to  me,  and  as  happy  as   a  fat 
man  ought  to  be." 

The  reader  would  not  care  for  the  details  of  this  somewhat  monotonous 
night  and  winter.      The  most  striking  feature  was   the   unexampled   col.i 
which  was  experienced    ab^n.t   the    ist  of  February.     The    spirit    tl^rr- 
mometers  indicated  a  temperature  of  67°  below  zero,  or  99°    below   the 
freezing  point.     "  Spirit  of  naphtha  froze  at_54^  and  oil   of  sassafras  at 
—49°.     Theoil  ofwintergreen  was   in   a   flocculent   state  at-56"    and 
solid   at-63°    and_65"."     Every    expedient    was    trie.l    that    a.uid  he 
thought  of  to  relieve  tiie   dreary   dcsolateness   of   the    scene.      Checkers, 
chess,  cards,  an,l  other  games  were  introduced,  and  served  for  a   time  to' 
enable  the  crew    to    fb.get    their    unpleasant    surroun.lings.     An    Arctic 
newspaper  was  projected   and   successfully    manage.l,   some   of  the   best 
articles  being  from    the    Ibrecastle.      The  vignette   of  this   novel    io,n-nal 
was  a  picture  of  a  ship  fast  in  the  ice,  and  its  motto:  "//.  ienc^nS  srrvar, 
Jidem.'''' 

But   the   longest   night   has  an  end.       The   sun   gave   promise  of  his 
coming  by  crimson  bands  shooting  up  from  the  horizon,  and   growing  in 


RETURN  OF  SLEDGERS. 


no;) 


bnshtncss  a>u;  ,ua-„itucle  with  each  successive  day.       Febrt.arv  bnH.-.ht 
then,  momentary  glimpses  of  his  glory,  and  March  gave  them  day  itself 
-a  long  needed  tonic.    «'  It  was,"  says  Kane,  "  like  bathing  in  perftmied 
water."      The  ambitious  lea.ler  began  to  prepare  for  an  extended  trip  on 
slclges  to  the  north  and  east.       Of  his  fine  stock   of   Newfoundland  and 
l':squmiaux  dogs,  only  six  remained;  the  es'cessive  cold  and  the  absence  of 
light  had  brought  on  melancholia  and  inaction,  which,  without  the  mental 
sinnulants  with    which   men     are   wont   to   overcome   their   complaints 
ciuickly  overcame  them.       IJut  a  new  sledge  was  built,  suited  more  fully 
to  the  capabilities  of  that   portion  of  the    faitb!-ul   pack  which    remained 
The   coming   of  the   sun  was   not   attended   at   f.rst  with    an  increase  of 
temperature.       Throughout   March  and  later  the  thermometer  indicated 
-40%  making  travel  abroad  dangerous  to  the  inexperienced   in   Arctic 
weath^M-.       But  Dr.  Kane  felt   that  he  had  not  yet  accomplished  his  pur- 
pose, and   he  was  anxious  with  that  anxiety  which  ever  cliaracterizes  the 
true  scientist,  to  extend  his  obser^atio.is.     A  party  for  preliminarv  search 
was,  with  some  difficulty,  organized  and  sent  out.       This  party  was  to  be 
supp'^  mented  after  a  time   by   the   exploring   party  itself,  which  was   to 
uicl"'      Dr.  Kane,  an<l  was  intended   to   make  imijortant  additions  to  the 
alre.uiy  rich  results  of  the  expedition. 

The  preliminary  party  had  been  absent  eleven  days,  and  preparations 
were  nearly  complete  to  follow  it,  when  an  event  occurred  which  gave 
:in  unexpected  color  to  their  projected   expedition. 

«  We  were  at  work  cheerfully  sewing  away  at  tlic  skins  of  some  moc 
casins  by  the  blaze  of  our  lamp,  when,  toward  midnight,  we  heard  the 
noise  ofsteps  above,  and  the  next  instant  Sontag,  Ohlscn  and  Petersen 
came  down.into  the  cabin.  Their  manner  startled  me  even  more  than 
their  unexpecte.1  appearance  on  board.  They  were  swollen,  haggard,  and 
scarcely  able  to  speak. 

"  Their  story  was  a  fearful  one.  They  had  left  their  companions  in 
the  ice,  risking  their  own  lives  to  bring  us  the  news.  Brooks,  Baker, 
\\-ilson,  and  Pierce,  were  all  lying  frozen  and  disabled;  where,  they 
couhl  .lot  tell.  Somewhere  in  among  the  hummocks,  to  the  !,orlh  and 
cast.      It  was  drifting  heavily  around  them  wiicn  they  parted.    Irisii  Tom 


rm 


/RESCUE  OF   TJIE  l'AliT2\ 


\\ 


l\ 


.  „.un»e  them.       It  „„,  ,,,,„    ,„  ,|„^,^,.  ,,^    ||_^^__  |.^ 
...ly  ..,vo,o„  .  ,a.„t  „..„„.,  ,„,„„^  „„^.  ^.„^,.„ 

^       ^*  ^^  '''''''^''-"  was  made  rcudv,  Ohlscn  nl„.    i 
upon  ,t  ..„,.„  .,,,p„e.,  I„  ru,, ,  ..,„  ;,„„„,,,  ,     J^  ^      '"     ;;' 

K.,c  c„„t,„„.s:      .  R,.,,„i„,  ,„„,„,   .,,  „^  ^,___,  . 

some  ™,,ed  ,c..p„„,,  r  ea,„..  „.  .  ,„,.,  ,,.,,  „„„,  ,„,.^„   ,  „, '; 

havo  attracted  the  e,cs  of  „ea,v  ,„e eifcm^tanccs  like  ,„.,:„„" 

wa,  a  l,.ht  conjecture,  1,u.  i,  was  e„o,..l,  to  t,.,n  the  .scale,  ,■„,■  thete'u. 
nothing  else  to  b.aIanco  it.  "'Lie  „.,s 

.«arU.       We  raised  .,„r  tent;  placcl  our  pemraica,,  in  each,,   exc     • 
smal,  allowance  Tor  each  n,.an  to  earr,  on    L  person,  a  ,,1'.'  " 
"ow  j„.  ahle  to  keep  hi.,  feet,  wa„  lihcra.ed  tron,  his    ha-  "'        ,.         ™' 
...possihle  .as,  with  the  thermometer  at  .S,r  he,„„.    «,.:„,  i.    ,;.„„:; 
b,.l<  e.ert,on  to  keep  fron,  peri.shin,.     The  n,en  were  nrde';,,  t,.  s 
out  ,o  as  to  multiply  the  chance,  of  discover,,  hut    U-p.  ,:c.v„,.,u'     ; 
....  ..p  .-.,  „  ,n  fear  even  .,r„.  „n,ch   ,„,i.ude.     .Several  were   sel,e;  I 

severe  tremhln.nt,, I.r.  Kane  Tainted  twice   h ,  the  eirec. 

-posnre.      I.  man,,  after: hro.en  n.areh  of  twentv-one  h -s  a  , 

wa,d„covered  which  prove e  that   of  their    „„f. ,„„,„„   „„„,,„„' 

Ihc    „.elcon,c   which  greeted  the  rcenin,   party    nearly  ,„,rcanu.  the 
Stoutest  heart  of  them  all.  ' 

The  tent,  the  ,ick,  and  all  th.at  conl.l  he  carrid,  wa,  loade.l  „„  ,„  ,he 
sled,,e,  and  preparation,  ntad.-  to  depart  tin-  the  hri,,.  The  load,  when 
complete,  weighed  eleven  hundred  ,,„,„„1,. 

that'^'";!"!'" ''■■!'"'"■"'"'  "■""""''-■  ""■''-'  ""-■ '-»'  f'-f"i  -.T-in- 

that  can  be  dccnbcl.    The  ",lcepy  comtint"  of  free.in,,  which  l,a,l  hith! 
erto  been  treated  as  a  tuere  sentintent  l.y  most  of  the  n,e„,  was  now  re  ,1. 


<  were  soiclv 
'hey  h;i(I  cvj. 
I  l";iti,<,nic  .111(1 
ion  ill  which 

f  a!)ility  was 
•hlscii  placed 
made.  The 
Jioiirs  they 
'ili;ir  toliini, 
l)eriii;r  over 
»i,'ht  inijrl,t 
iir  own.  ft 
'I-  tliere  was 

l"ch  of  l':>n[. 
t',  excc|iL  a 
or   Ohiscii, 
Halt    was 
it    i"e(|iiirc(I 
1  '<>  NJ)rca(i 
OUsly  clos- 
L'ized  with 
ect  of  the 
>iii's  a  tent 
(••■omradcs. 
'Ciunc   the 

on  to  the 
'•KJ,  wlieii 


OEAr//  OF   Tllli  Suri'EKEHS.  „a-, 

"■' "'"'"'  '-•^'""-•^'-     Tl";  ""-"".^-t  n,c.„  .„,„.  ,„   K,„u.  ,„Mn.  po.nis. 

s,„„  ,„  sleep.  .They  were  not  e.,1,1  now;  only  tired  an,!  sleepy."  K  „,e 
.•,e,l  t  e  result  of  tl,ree-n,ln„,e  naps  hy  tnrns,  an.l  thon.lu  the  exp^lien. 
.|,-on  the  whole  usefnl.     The  Doctor  and  a  sfn.jlc  n,..,„  wen,  „„  ahead  ,o 

.1.C  tent  an,l  caCu,  left  the  day  l,efore,  in  order  to  prepare  sonte  ho,  , 

lor  tlie  re.st. 

"  I  cannot  tell,"  says  Kane,  ^how  Ion,  it  took  us  .o  make  the  nine 
ni.lcs,  for  we  were  in  a  strange  sort  of  stupor,  an.l  had  little  apprei,en- 
Monof  time.  It  was  prohably  about  four  hours.  We  kept  ourselves 
awake  hy  ,mposin<r  on  each  other  a  continue,!  articulation  of  words 
Ihcy  must  have  been  incoherent  enough!  T  recall  these  hours  as  amon-.' 
the  most  wretched  I  have  ever  gone  through." 

The  brig  was  at  last  reached,  most  of  tl.e  men  being  in  a  half-deliri 
ous  state,  and  having  a  confused  recollection  of  what  had  taken  place 
In  spite  of  the  prompt  and  elHcacious  treatment  by  Dr.  Hayes,  the  limbs 
of  several  of  the  party  had  to  be  amputated,  and  two  sufferers  die,!  It 
was  four  days  before  Dr.  Kane  was  able  once  more  to  record  pa.in. 
events,  and  perform  the  other  functions  of  his  office. 


DOG-StiOE. 


suffering 
had  hith- 
low  leal- 


h 


CHAPTER    LVir. 

VIS,  ,  lUOM  KSQUrMAUX—XATIVK  DISIION  KST  V  — A  J(,„Kx,.:v  ,0  l,|rM. 
i:()M)T  (il.ALIKK  — tKNNYSON's  MONUMKNT  —  K ANK's  STIiKN,;,,, 
KAILS— MOKAI.  f'OWKlt  OK  K  A  V  K -M  A  Y  Ks'  KXI'KOITIO.N  — MOli  T„,v 
DISCOVKKS    A.\    ALI.KUKI)    I'OLAK     SKA. 

Within  a  week  after  the  return  ..f  the  unfortunnte  party  descrihe.l  in 
our  last  chapter,  tlie  brig  was  favored  by   a   visit  from    Escpiiniaux- -the 
first  yet  met  in  this  extreme  latitude.      Ahnost  before  the  ship's  company 
were  aware  of  it,  they  were   surrounded  hy  a   swarthy  crowd   conxcy,.,! 
thither  on  peculiar    lookin-  sled-cs  drawn  l)y  handsome  dogs.     Pickct- 
in.i,'  their  teams  by   means  of  their  lances,  they  were  ready  to  treat  Nvi,h 
(lie  commander.     Dr.    Kane  sin-led  out  a  burly  lookin-   fellow  a  liead 
laller  than  himself,  and  made  motions  for  him  to  come  forward.    At  fusi 
only  this  one  was  allowed  to  come  on  board,  but  at  last  lie  was  p,,riniiu,l 
to  si-nal    the   rest.      These    were    hospitably    received,   and   a   feast   was 
spread  before  them.      As  food,    however,  they   preferred   -orgin-   them- 
selves on  walrus- meat  1-ather  than  eatin- the   ;-ood,  wheaten  bread  ami 
loaf  sucrar  which  were  set  before  them  in  abundance.     Many   thin-s  „„ 
board    the  ship   greatly  astonished  and  amused  them— amon<;-  them  the 
coal,  whicli  presented   to   them   a  strange   consistency.     They   were  al- 
lowed  to  sleep  in  the   hold,  and  seemed   much  pleased  with  their  night's 
entertainment.     In  the  morning  a  treaty  was  made  between  the  two  par- 
ties, which  provided  that  the  Esquimaux  should   furnish  them  with  hhih- 
ber,   and   rent   them   their  dogs   and    sledges   for   j.roposed    expeditions. 
Kane  iiad  heard  too  much  of  the  versatility  of  the   Esquimaux  niin<l  t,. 
lie  surprised  when  he  found  that  the  treaty  was  xwt  kept.     Not  only  did 
the  party  never  return,  but  several  articles  of  value  about  the  ship  and  store- 
house were  found   to  be   missing.     Their  disappearance   could   only  he 
traced  to  the  greed  and  dishonesty  of  the  savages.      From  this  time,  how- 

506 


HUMBOLDT  GLACIER. 


607 

ever,  they  were  visited  by  various  parlies  c,f  the  Esquimaux,  with  vvh,.,n 
ti.ey  cs.ahhshed  a.nieable  relations,  and  vvlu.n,  i,,  tlu- sMderinjrs  an.l  priv.- 
iK.ns  ..t  Liter  ,h.ys  they  came  t..  re,iranl  as  fVie.uls  a.ul  CeUows. 

April    was    n.nv  about    to   close,  a„d    the    litiK.    .iuR.   allowed    l.y  the 
Arctu- summer  for  sate   traveling,    must    he  used  to    ,iu-    iu-s,    a.lvaM.a-.e 
Aceordinj,dy,  a  journey  to  the   .^M.-at   ^daeier  oC  Ilundml.lt  (o  .!,.   north- 
east was  planne.l  hy  Kane,  and    the   odieers    and    er.w    were   soon    l.usv 
w.lh    the    little   .letaiis   of  .h^ir    indivi.lnal    preparations.      K.ne   hin.sdf 
was  oeetip.ed  n,  heeominj,.  expert    in  tin-   us.   of  the   do,..whlp,  ,!,.   only 
means  <,t  guidanee  in  eanine   locomotion.      lie    had  now  a  smart  team  of 
seven  dojrs,  ft,ur  houj^ht  of  the  visdin;,    ICsquimai.     an.l    the    remainin.^ 
three  of  his  old  stoek.      These    he   was   husy  training,    every  dav  as  lon^ 
as  his  strenorth  would  permit.      ]  L-  remarks  that  one  nn.st  he  able  to  on^ 
ploy  both  stren,nh    and    exeeedin,.   dexterity,  or  else   ^dve  up  the  idea  of 
<lnvmj,  .loj^s.      It    is  necessary  to  be  able  to   hit    anv  do^  in    the    team  in 
any  plaee-ear,  nose,  or  hoot;      The  edieaey  of  a  suceesstul   hit  is  attested 
at    .>nee   by  a   dismal    howl    an.I    aceelerate.l   speed.      ^  The    Soeietv  f;,r 
i'reventin,,^    Cruelty  to  Animals,"  says  Kane,   u  ,,„,,,,    ,,,,.^,   ^^^.^    ,;^^,   .^ 
custody  d   they  had  been  nearenou^d.;  but,  thanks   to   a   merciless  wln^p 
Ircely  admnds.ered,  I  have  been  dashin;^  alon^    twelve    ndles    in    the  last 
I""..-,  and  am  back  a^^ain;  harness,  sledj^^e,  and  bones,  all   unbroken.'" 

The  party  chose  April  .7  as  the  occasion  of  slartin-.  Two  sled  ^cs 
equipped  with  all  that  a  varied  experience  in  the  fri-^dd  .one  su-^.^esLl' 
constituted  their  convevance.  Kane  hoped,  by  the  help  of  the  un,visio„' 
caches  .leposited  alon^^  the  route  dnrin,^^  the  previous  autumn,  io  be  able 
to  reach  a  hi-her  point  on  the  Greenland  cast  than  had  yet  been  at- 
tained. Indeed,  he  surmised  that  he  nn,^dn  ^^a.n  a  point  stdfidentlv  norih- 
ward  to  enable  him  to  discover  whether  Greenland  was  connected  with 
North  America,  an,l  thus  was,  n.  .^a-o^rai^hical  parlance,  a  ^reat  ,-.enin- 
sula,  or  whether  it  was  st,tliciently  isolated  to  ,^dve  it  the  character,  and 
justify  the  name  of  island. 

Various  points  alon-  the  coast  were  successively  reached  an.l  named, 
and  -reat  care  taken  to  project  the  eonfi-uration  upon  carefully  wrou<rht 
.naps.     A  wo.iderfid   column  of  green   stone,  standinjr   solitarv  in  a  nic 


III 


m 


*.  I 


.1 1 


nos 


hA/VIi's  STJUimiT//  FA/LS 


t.ircs(|,R'  nuuU,  w.is  i;,||c-.l  "Tennyson's  MuMMnn-nt."  ,\i  k.„.^r,i,  ,, 
sij,'lu  was  ..aini.l  of  tlu'  (Jival  (Jhuicr.  I  lev  was  to  ho  scon  tiJana. 
lok'ne  of  the  rivt-r  systems  „r  Anieiiea  an,l  Asia.  The  sn(nv,>  of  (;,ve„. 
land's  almost  perpetual  winter  .leseen.l  int,.  this  immense  hasin  with  all 
tlie  leism-ely  .h-nity  of  Xat.ne,an.l  seekin-  every  li.,nl  an.l  recess  i,,  their 
majestic  course,  (ill  them  whii  minor  streams,  whieii,  in.ppin-  ..iil  i„i„ 
the  sea,  furnish  the  ieeher-rs,  tile  terror  of  northern  navi.t,Mi,,rs.  The 
1-iilU  uf  this  hu-e  stream  Hows  --n,  pr.nrin-  out  its  -  frozen  torrent,"  at 
hist  into  unexplored  Arctic  waters. 

It  was  a  somve  of  the  j^^reatest  annoyance  to  the  party,  now  far  fnnn 
the  hri-  to  IMUI  that  tin-  stores  rn  rar/ir,  had  all  heen  .lestroyed  hy  llu' 
polar  hear;  thron-ii  no  fault,  however,  of  the  oilicers  to  whom  hadlurn 
intrus  cd  the  service  of  depositing  them  the  fdl  before.  Suhstantia! 
cairns  had  heen  erected  over  the  provisions,  consisting  of  stones  reciiiir- 
in-thestren-th  ..ftliree  men  to  put  them  in  place.  The  hears,  with 
their  immense  stren-th  had  pushed  the  stones  aside,  and  shivered  llio 
barrels  containinLC  the  pemmican  and  alcohol  into  atoms.  Thus  failinjr 
to  replenisii  their  odiuusted  stores,  their  pro-ress  was  consi(lerai):y 
emharrassed. 

The  .lelicate  health  of  Dr.  Kane  has  been  referred  to,  in  previous 
paj,res.  Overcome  with  tlie  -reat  rcfiuirements  of  the  occasion,  he  >aulc 
just  as  he  was  takin-,^  o!)servations  upon  the  ice  river  described  al)()ve. 
Only  the  tender  nursin-,'  of  live  of  his  best  men  availed  to  save  his  life 
till  the  l)ri-  could  he  readied.  The  narrative  of  Dr.  Hayes,  wh<.  artnl 
as  recorder  durin-  Kane's  sudden  and  severe  illness,  says  that  he  was 
brou^rht  on  board  between  his  men,  apparently  in  a  dyiii- i-ondition  Hi, 
symptoms  were  dropsical  ellusion,  ni-ht-svveats  and  delirium,  and  Dr. 
Hayes' (lia,L,niosis  supposed  him  to  be  suirerinLf  from  scurvy  and  tvplmid 
fever  combined.  For  several  ilays  he  Ibictuated  lietween  life  and  death; 
but  finally  rallied  enou-h  to  plan  once  more  the  schedule  of  coniiu- 
ojjcrations. 

Here,  a<,rain,  is  observed  the  principle  referred  to  in  the  bioj^raphv  of 
Dr.  Kane— the  influence  exercised  over  disease  by  a  dc... mined  state  of 
the  mind.      Two  of  Kane's  men,  physically  abler   an.l    stron-cr  than  ho, 


and  with  symptoms  no  worse  than  his  at  first,   had   succiunhed   to  death 
in  spite  of  the  l)fst  care  and   inc.lical  treatment   that  coul.i    possihly  he 
•/n-cix  them.     Hut  the  jrcnius  of  Kane   seemed   to  c..,nprehc-nd    the   fact 
that  tiie  safety   of  the   party  was  conditioned    upon    his   own    ahility   to 
.lirect.     He  was,  in  fact,  withont  l,ein-  ostentatious,  a  philaniUropist   in 
a  very  real  and  practical  sense.     So,  with  a  stren-th  that  seeme.!   ...   he 
;.nd  '.vas  superhuman,  he  clun-  to  life  ami  rose  t..  l,e   a-ain   the  ,novin- 
spirit  of  iiis  party.     It  may  he  remarked  in  passin-,  that   in  his    n.edica"l 
practice    Dr.  Kane  had  stron-  faith  in  the  uses  of  ,noral   power,  in   func- 
'i-.al  .liseases.      His  own  case  had   led    him    to    he    soni.wliat    skeptical 
with  rc-ard  to  the  olHces  of  medicine;  and    he    was   loth    to   confess    Lhe 
direct  action  of  any  remedy,  thou-h,  if  the  credulousness  (,r  superstition 
of  any  patient  re,,uired   it,   he   iiad   ahnndant    expe.lients   t.o   disjruise    his 
pal  opinion.      For   example,    he   jud^^ed    at    one    time    that    \L   scurvy 
patients    needed    simply   a   diet   of  ve-etahles.     They,  however,  shrank 
tVoin  the  olive-oil  and  raw  potatoes  olFered  them.     Whereupon    he  made 
a  i,ause<nis-i.,okin-  compound  from  the      .ne    materials   and   dijruified    it 
Willi  the  name  of  medidne,  which  was  swallowed  with  the  dcsiral  effect. 
Their  faith  saved  them. 

Althou-h  hy  no  means  satisfied  with    iiis  tour   to   the   northeast  (for 
he  had  hoped  to  reach  the  north  coast  of  Gree.iland),  Dr.  Kane  felt  that 
hi.  operations  must  now  he  conducted  in  another  direction.     Capt.  In-le- 
ficld,  an  account  of  whose  voya-e  appears    in   another   ciiapter,   had   cal- 
culated inaccurately  tlic  trend  of  the  coast  on  hoth  si.les  of  Smith's  Strait. 
This  was  shown  hy  Kane's  theodolite,   which   indicated    a  disa^n-eement 
with  In-leliel<l's  results  of  60"   an-ular  measurement.     It   was\hou-ht 
necessary    to    cfoss    Smith's    Strait    to    the    western    side,    locate    more 
accn-alely  the  Cape  Sahine  of  Capt.    In-lefield,   and    co.npare   the  con- 
fi-uraiion  of  the  coast  to  tlie  .lo.-th  as  laid  down  hy  him  with   their  own 
reckoning  at  tiiat  point.     Dr.    Mayes  was  chosen    for   this  service.     He 
was  comparatively  fresh,  liavin-  as  yet  undertaken  no  journey,  and  Wil- 
ham(;odfrey,oneof  thestunliest    travelers,  was   ciiosen   to  accompany 
him.     It  was  decided  to  travel   almost   exclusively    with   the  aid   ..f  the 
do-s^awisedecision,  for  Dr..  Hayes  afterward   reported   cncounterinjr 


^1 


11  i 


510 


KENNED  r  CHANNEL. 


l  JCMItWWi:;! 


places   which  could  not  have  been  traversed  at  all  without  their  valuable 
assistance. 

The  little  party  set  out  on  the  30th  of  May,  and  proceeded  directly 
across  the  strait  (the  ice  bcin-  solid)  to  Cape  Sabine.  Examination  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  a  channel  still  to  the  north  of  Smith's  Strait  conveyed 
its  waters  to  some  point  beyond,  and  that  the  broadening  of  tliis  passa<ro 
was  not,  as  had  been  supposed,  the  llnal  receptacle  of  the  waters  from 
the  south.  This  cliannel,  when  more  fully  explored,  was  named  Kvn- 
lU'dy  Channel. 

The  journey  abounded 
in    incident   and    tlirillinjj;' 
experiences,      (jod  frey, 
the    driver,     became     ex- 
hausted, and   was  obliiijed 
to   lay   up.      The    harness 
<)|     the    d  o  L,^  s    1)  e  c  a  m  e 
broken  or   hopelesslv  en- 
tani'led,    and     Dr.    Hayes 
was  compelled    to   iindcr- 
lake    part    ol     bis    jouriiev    ;': 
on  loot.      Upon  his  return 
lie    found    that    the    d();j:s, 
iniled    as   thev    were,,   had 
eaten    all   of   the    harness 
witi  'i  their    reach.      He  himself  was  stricker.  with  snow   blindness,  .nid 
unable  l^  proceed.       When  at    last  they  were  once  more  able  to  travel,  a 
slice  from    (rodfrey's   pantaloons   re]xiired   the  broken    harness,  and  < hey 
returned  to  the  ship  worn  out  and  sick.     They  had  traveled  two  hundred 
and  seventy  miles,  and  had  made  many  valuable  discoveries. 

One  of  the  most  imi)()rlant  journeys  of  this  season  was  undertaken  by 
Mr.  Morton,  often  mentioned  in  Kani-'s  narrative  as  a  most  faithful  and 
trusty  man  and  able  voya^'^er.  His  companion  on  this  occasion  was 
Hans,  the  Esquimaux,  whose  services  jjroved  indispensable.  Thev  lel't 
the  bri-  on  the  4th  of  June  and  proceeded  ut  oijce  to  McGary's  UUiid, 


WM.    MOH  ri)N. 


where,  it  will  1 


)C 


MORTON'S  ALLEGED   OPEN  SEA. 
renumibcrcd. 


ni 


vv 


as  constructed  the  principal  cache  of  the 

om  Mr.  Bonsall,  Mr.  McGary, 

joinetl  by  Hans,  pro- 


previous  year.      Here  Morton  separated  fr 
iuid  others  who  had  accompanied  him  thus  far,  and 

c.c<led  northward  on  the  15th.  After  he  had  traveled  a'considJra... 
.listance  over  a  soli<l  area,  the  ice  indicating  hy  the  cracks  a  thickness  of 
s.nenty-two  feet,  he  was  startled  by  its  <,n-owing  weakness.  It  became 
decidedly  rotten,  and  the  snow  on  its  surt-.ce  wet  and  pulpy.  Then  the 
reality  of  the  pole  of  maximum  cold,  and  of  a  warmer  climate  beyond, 
lun-st  upon  him.  It  now  for  the  lirst  time  occurre.l  to  him  that  a  "ion- 
dark  band  seen  to  the  north,  beyond  a  penetratin.i,^  cape,  was  watei^. 
Climbin,^^  an  eminence  which  gave  him  a  full  view  of  the  stn-roundin<r 
situati.,n,  he  was  rejoiced  at  the  sight  of  what  appeared  to  him  a.i  opo'^ 
extended  ocean. 

-  It  must  have  been  an  imposing  sight,  as  he  stoocl  at  this  termination 
of  ills  journey,  looking  out  upon  the  great  waste  of  waters.  Not  a  speck 
of  ice,  to  use  his  own  words,  coul.l  be  seen.  There,  from  a  height  of  po 
feel,  commanding  a  horizon  of  almost  forty  miles,  his  ears  Jere  -dad- 
<lenedwlth  the  novel  music  of  .lashing  waters,  and  a  surf  l,reaking  in 
:nnong  the  rocks  at  his  feet,  stayed  his  further  progress.  The  hi.rh 
ridges  to  the  northeast  dwindle.l  away  to  low  l>lue  knobs,  which 
I'Knded  finally  with  the  air.  Morton  called  the  cape  which  bafMe.l  his 
lalH.rs  after  his  commander,  lu.t  [  have  given  it  the  more  end.n-ing  na.ne 
.r  Cape    Consti-  .lion.      I    <lo   not    believe   there    was  a    man   an,on<^    us 


who  ( 


i'i    not    long  for   the  means  of  embarking   upon    these   bri-ht   and 


ln\rlv  water: 


bus  liax  iiig  reache.l  an  elevati 


nllained 


ion  of  So"  ,30"— a  latitude  never  bet 


ly  navigators  of  (Jreenland 


seas- 


-Morti 


)n   returned    hoi 


t< 


be  received  with  warmth  and  gratitud 


ore 


neward 


0 

(1  tl 


e  by  his  comrade^ 


lue  more  the  time  for  northern  expeditions  w, 


is  orawniir  ti 


»   a  close. 


le  continued  lirmne: 


th 


e  ice  about    the    br: 


was  an    occasion   of 


serious    mis''i\-in<>-s. 


imothei-  winter  of  daikncss, 
|>l"  natural  (U'arth?       The  I 


Coul.l    it    be    that    they    weiv   .lestined 
an.l  bnnger,  aii.I  famine  in  that  cheer! 


to 


spend 


lought  was  horrible,  and  \  et 


t.ji-  111. 


.1 


ij)  Nvliicii  nine  montlis  before  had  h 


ess  region 


no  exit  a|)peare.! 


luntl   here  an  icy  prison, 


ki 


I 


U3k    . 


11) 


612 


A  DIFFICULT  PROBLEM. 


All  Mioiind  as  tar  as  the  eye  could  reach,  was  a  fro/cii  waste.   It  waslria- 
that  the  latest  time  for  the  ice  to  hreak  ha<I    not  yet   appeared;    hut  thcT 
had  to  reme.nher  how  far  north  they  were,  and  how  unfavorahlefi  season 
for  meltin-  ice  the  present,  one  was  provin,--  itself  to  he.      Hesides,  the  ice 
had  collected  in  -reat  hummocks  ahout  the  spot  where  they  had  warped 
(heir  way  in,  niakin-  it  apparently  impossihle  to  retreat.       The  specula- 
tions an.l  incjuiries  of  the  rest  indicated  that  they  also  were  he-innin-  to 
have  anxious  thou-hts  ahout  how  and  where  they  should  spend  tliecon,- 
iuj;-  year.      It  i.e-an    to   seem   as  if  winter  would  he  upon  them  a-ain  he- 
fore  the  sm-i  could  thaw  a  path    for  their  e-ress.       It  was  with    ^  lieavy 
heart  that    the  coura-eous   commander  set  ahout  solvin-  tiie  prohjen,  of 
Iheir  liheration. 


oi.u  (.KIM  ^^^Nli;'s  kavdiuti'.) 


CHaXPTER    t.viit. 


ATTF.MPTKO     JOURNKY     TO    liKKCIIKY     ISI.  AN  D— I'l!  KI.IM  IN  AI«  Y    iOVSClU 
—GOOD    KORTUNK  —  COKinXTS    IN(;LKMKLd's    KKKORS  — A    STORM 

ON    TlIK     HAY AN     KFFOHT    KOK     FREEDOM A    HECOHD    DKl'OSnED 

—DEPARTURE    OF     HAYES    AND     I'AKTY—  A    DANGEROUS     EXPERI- 
MENT—ESQUIMAUX      FUIENnSIIII-  -^  A      PltlMITIVE      CONTRACT 

IIAYES'     I'AHTY     |{ETUI{NS \     DKSCHIPTION    OF    TIllilR     WANDER- 


1N(;S  —  KAEITTUNAII 
liOEUAE    PLOT ITS     DEFEAT 


KANe's     \V()NI)i;i{l'liI,      liUOYANC-S- — -A     DIA- 


Lou",^   experience   had     made     Dr.    Kane's   wisdom    very    extensive, 
ainc)untin.i,r,  indeed,  almost   lo    instinct.       The    present   serious    cxifrcncy 
received  his  l)est  tliou,i,riit,     1Mie  experiences  of  that  awful  ni<^ht-v/inter  of 
1S53-4  led  him  to  sin-ink  from  exposin--  himself  and  his  crew  to  another. 
If  none  too  well  provided  then  with  food  and  necessaries,  they  were  now 
almost  destitute.       How  could    iiis   dispirited,  diseased    little  hand  endure 
a-ain  the  strain  whicli  a  ft  w  months'  ai)sence  of  the  sun    imposed.'       On 
the  other  hand  they  were  now  in  no  condition    to    attempt    an    escape   or 
ohan-e  of  residenci'  f.)r  tlu;  winter.        Half  the  men  were  on  the  sick  list, 
and  it  was  not  certain  where  relief  conhl  ]h-  lound.    l^esidcs,  how  could  he 
ahandon  the  Advance  when  any  possihility  of  savinj^nier  remained.'   It  was 
true  that  tliis  summer  had  hrou;^-ht  the  open  water  oidy  four  miles  nearer 
than  It  had  heen  in  the  sprin^^ ;  l,i,t  the  fortunes  of  another  summer  mi'^^^ht 
prove  more  propitious.      If  lu-  couM  reach  Heechey  Island  he  mioht  fuid 
some  means  of  replenishin--  his  stores,  or  possihly  fall  in  with  some  vessel 
to  whose  comi)any  he  could  communicate  the  whereahouts  of  his  unfor- 
tunate party,  and  thus  lirin^'  them  succor.    After  cxaminin<;  all  the  arL;u- 
iienls  for  and  a,i,^ainst,  hv  concluded    that   to   leave  the  shij)  was  impossi- 
llis   last    remaining;- expedient    was  to  communicate  with    Hcechev 
Maud  if  possihle,  and,  hy  reachin<,r    the    British   search   s.piadron,   obtain 
relief  in  that  manner. 


M 


i?  ^ 


3li 


51!J 


514 


ATTEMPTED   yOURNEl'   TO  BEECHET  ISLAND. 


Preliminary  to  so  hazardous  and  doubtful  an  undertaking,  a  mcetin- 
of  the  officers  was  called,  and  the  possibilities  and  impossibilities  of  the 
plan  were  carefully  considered,  and  the  ice  charts  for  the  proposed  r„i,te 
were  shown.  Concurrence  and  co-operation  were  not  urged  upon  ihc 
officers;  they  were  left  to  a  voluntary  choice  as  to  their  action  in  the 
matter.  All,  however,  seemed  satisfied  and  relieved  when  tlie  i,n,ject 
was  divulged  to  them.  Every  man  ..n  lu.ard  volunteered,  hut  only 
five  active  men  were  chosen  to  particiixite  in  the  fortunes  of  the 
journey. 

^  The  equipment,  which  had  been  preparing  for  some  time,  though 
without  the  oliject  being  understood,  was  now  completed.  A  boat  twenty- 
three  feet  long,  and  six  atid  a  half  wide  in  the  middle,  was  fitted  xvith 
sails,  and  remodeled  as  well  as  the  carpenter's  limited  resources  would 
permit.  A  quantity  of  food  was  placed  on  board,  and  a  party  consist- 
ing of  all  except  the  sick,  was  detailed  to  "sledge"  the  boat  and  draw  it 
to  oi^en  water.  This  proved  a  most  arduous  task.  The  ice  was  tr(,ul)lc- 
some,  being  loose  and  rough;  and  the  repeated  straining  of  the  sie.lge 
caused  it  to  lireak  down,  and  this  led  to  a  tiresome  journey  of  twoscore 
miles  in  quest  of  another.  Through  untiring  perseverance  the  open 
water  was  at  last  reached,  and  the  boat  launched  on  its  ])osom. 

Journeying  southwanl  through  Smith's  Strait,  a  piece  of  goo.j  fortune 
befell  the  voyagers.  Upon  a  snu.ll  island  near  the  eastern  coast,  it  was 
found  tiiat  large  numbers  of  ducks  of  various  kinds  were  nesting.  '  S„,ne 
of  these  were  feeding  upon  the  animal  life  of  the  sea,  while  thev  in  their 
turn  were  being  picked  ofT  by  the  dozen  by  members  of  a  stronger  va- 
riety. 0,n-  navigators,  i„  predatory  sympathy,  ^^'.\  v<.raciously ".„  all, 
and   promptly  laul  l)y  a  store  for  future  use. 

Observations  upon  the  coast  confirmed  tiie  inferences  already  an- 
nounced,  vi/:  That  the  projections  of  Capt.  Inglefield  upon  the"  map 
of  the  admiralty  had  been  faulty  and  inaccurate.  Dr.  Kane  w<.iil<l  haw 
hesitated  in  making  such  an  announcement  had  not  the  observatory  iVnni 
which  be  was  in  tlu  habit  of  checking  his  instruments  and  results  hcrii 
constructed  with  rareful  reference  to  astronomical  observations,  aii.Mts 
position  determine.l  to  a    nicety.      Capt.    Ingleliel.l    had    made    the  coast 


•A   STORM  ON   THE  BAT. 

trend  some  3o"  <lcsrccs  too   much    to   the    north,  thus  -ivin-   the    capes 
;iiul  inlets  discovered  too  hi.t^h  a  hititude,  by  some  miles. 

At  last  the  time  came  for  the  party  to  bear  westward  across  the 
channel,  and  they  soon  jiassed  out  of  the  Strait's  protection  into  the  open 
sea.  Out  of  sitrht  of  land,  in  a  mere  cockleshell  of  a  boat,  and  with  a 
iVeshcnin-  wind  l)odin<r  an  appreachin-,^  -ale,  their  feelin>rs  may  be  bet- 
ter ima.irined  tlian  described.  Baffin  had  traversed  that  -ulf  230  years 
I.efore,  but  his  ships  were  far  lar<,-er  and  better  fitted  for  heavy  waters 
than  the  little  boat  in  which  our  heroes  ventured.  The  ^^ale  arose,  and 
(br  twenty-two  hours  they  were  driven  to  and  fro  upon  the  troubled 
waters.  Only  the  consummate  skill  of  Mr.  McGary— than  whom,  Kane 
declares,  "  there  is  no  better  boatman  in  the  world,"  the  l)oat  would 
have  been  swamped  in  an  hour,  and  even  he,  hardy  old  whaler  as  he 
was,  often  lost  hope,  and  jj^ladly  hailed  the  moment  when  an  approach- 
in-  Hoc  odered  tliem  a  temporary  protection.  Anchored  to  this,  they 
lode  out  the  storm. 

It  now  became  necessary  to  look  about  them  and  find  in  what  con- 
diiion  the  storm  had  left  them.  They  seemed,  at  first,  permanently 
I.eset.  The  ice  had  closed  around  them  from  every  direction,  and  the 
hori/on  in  every  part  of  its  circle  was  jrirt  with  it.  Kane  knew  tiiat 
they  nii'^ht  depend  upon  the  warm  winds  from  the  south  to  scatter  the 
pack  and  j^ive  liiem  means  of  exit ;  but  he  saw  that  his  officers  had  no 
such  hope.  At  last  tlie  sim  ap|)eared,  and  leads  bcLjan  to  open  in  every 
direction.  As  tht'v  worked  tiieir  way  tiirou,uh  the  openino-  pack  each 
l)()inl  around  whicli  they  turne.l  bron-ht  tliem  nearer  tiie  Greenland 
shore.  I'o  cross  the  channel  seemed  now  impossible,  and  it  was  deter- 
luined  to  try  and  ivach  some  southern  point  on  tlie  east  side  of  Baffin's 
iiav.  The  next  week  was  filled  with  almost  constant  exposure  and  dan- 
ger. The  rain  fell  in  t<»rrents,  and  drenched  them  to  the  skin,  while  the 
hoal  was  so  filled  with  the  fdlin--  water  tiiat  it  reipured  almost  constant 
!':ilni-.  A-aiii  the  elosin-  ici'  on  every  hand  threatened  constant  nips 
I-'  the  uuiiroleeti'd  boat.  Not  an  iiour  passt'd  witlioul  witnessing-  the 
necessity  of  haulin--  tlu^  boat  on  the  ice  to  escape  a  eiosin-  lead.  In  the 
midst  ,■[  it  all,  one   of  the  number    I 


sick    troiH    exposure 


ami 


(cu   or 


Slfi 


AN  ATTEMPT  FOR  FREEDOM. 


sleep.  Perseverance  and  ph-ck,  however,  .t  last  overcame  the  many 
ohstaclcs,  a.ul  they  foiuid  themselves  close  to  the  coast  of  Greenland 
within  ten  miles  of  Cape  Barrow.  Coasting  for  some  distance  amon-. 
the  islands  alon-  the  eastern  shore  ..f  the  Strait,  and  meetin-  with  no 
important  adventnre  nor  hopeful  si-n,  they  decided  to  return  to  the  hri-^^ 
and  report  their  adventures  and  failure. 

One  last  desperate  attempt  to  liherate  the  ship  -  ..ow  resolved  on. 
The  hri-  ha<l  heen  now  nearly  a  year  confined  hy  the  ice,  during  which 
time  she  had  not  chan-ed  her  position  an  inch.  It  was  hoped  that  hy  ;, 
judicious  use  of  hlastin-.powder,  a  lead  mi-ht  he  suiHciently  opened"  to 
admit  of  her  safe  passa-e  (,ut  into  the  open  water.  The  hope  was  a 
feehle  one,  tor  the  ice  to  he  encountered  was  of  massive  thickness,  nieas- 
urin-  sometimes  nine  feet  ahove  the  water  level-indicatin-  a  whole 
thickness  of  sixty-tiiree  feet. 

At  first  some  pro^r.-ess  was  e/T'-ted.      One  canister  of  powder,   con- 
taining five  pounds,  was  sufficienc  co  remove   two  hundred   square 'yards 
of  ice.     As  fast  as  tiie  way  was  opened  the  ship  was  warped  along  .a  f,u. 
yards  at  a  time.      Finally  she  was   towe<l   into  a  small  hight,  where  she 
would  be  in  safety  until  more  extensive  measures  should  he  taken  for  her 
release.      It  was  observe.l  in  the  meainime  with  the  greatest  concern  that 
new  ice  began  already  to  form.      The  birds   began    to  \\y    to   the    soud,. 
The  progress  througii  the  deep   tloes   was   insignificant    at   best,  and   the 
laces  of  all  lengthened  as  the    prospects   of  release   dwindled    away   and 
fi.ially    seemed    altogether    to    vanish.     After    one    final    and    thorough 
examination  Dr.  Kane  decided  to  move    the   ship   no  fmther.     Hope  "of 
complete  liberation  must  be  abandoned,  and  to  remove  the  ship  from  her 
present  secure  position  might  expose  her  to  mmeeessary  danger  and  per- 
haps destruction. 

The  ch-max  of  the  expedition  being  now  reached,  it  was  deciried,  as  a 
prudent  step,  to  make  a  full  record  of  procedures  in  a  concise  form'  and 
deposit  it  where  it  coid.I  not  fail  to  be  discovered  by  searcher  in  that 
vicinity,  if,  as  was  possible,  the  party  should  all  perish  before  they  could 
make  or  Cmd  a  means  of  escape.  The  experience  on  Heechev  Islan<l  live 
years  before  impelled    him   to  he  particularly   careful   about   this  olFice. 


SEPARATION. 


517 


On  a  large  rock,  tlicn,  facing  the  opening  from  the  west,  was  painted  in 
bold,  black  letters,  "  Ti.k  Advance."  A  hole  was  drilled  in  this  n.ck 
and  in  it  was  placed  a  bottle  caretully  sealed  with  melted  lead  and  con- 
taining a  brief  record  of  the  experience  and  discoveries  of  the  expedition 
from  the  time  it  was  beset  nntil  the  date  of  the  record. 

Kane  now  reflected  that  it  would  be  unjust,  and  perhaps  inhuman, 
to  require  the  whole  party  to  remain  at  the  brig  against  their  wishes  and 
better  judgment.  As  for  him,  he  felt  that  honor  re(|uired  him  to  aJMde 
by  bis  vessel,  and  he  presumed  that  with  a  party  of  determined  men  the 
result  need  not  be  feared,  in  spite  of  the  gloomy  pro.pcct.  But  he  felt 
as  he  always  had,  the  greatest  deference  for  tlie  feelings  and  opinions  of 
his  men,  and  he  decided  to  make  it  optional  with  each  one  whether  tiiey 
should  go  or  stay. 

Calling  them  together,  he  lai.l  before  them  the  situation,  advising  all 
to  remain  with  the  ship,  hut  giving  any  and  all  the  lilicrty  of  choosing 
their  course.  Those  who  should  decide  to  go,  were  to  choose  their  own 
officers  and  abide  by  their  counsel  and  commands;  relinciuishing  for  the 
time  all  claim  upon  Dr.  Kane  an.l  those  who  might  remain  w"^ith  him. 
The  roll  was  called,  and  each  was  allowed  to  speak  for  himself.  The 
result  was  that  Dr.  Hayes,  with  eight  others,  decided  to  attempt  an  es- 
cape  to  the  south. 

-  I  divided  to  them,  "  says  Dr.  Kane,  "their  portion  of  our  resources 
justly  and  even  liberally  ;  and  they  left  us  on  Monday,  the  2Sth  of  August, 
with  every  appliance  our  narrow  circumstances  could  furnish  to  speed 
and  guide  them.  One  of  them,  George  Riley,  returned  a  icx,-  days  af- 
terward; but  wtarv  months  went  by  before  we  saw  the  rest  :gain. 
They  carried  with  them  a  written  assm-ance  of  a  brother's  welcome 
should  they  be  driven  back;  and  this  assurance  was  redeemed  when  hanl 
trials  had  prepared  them  to  share  again  our  fortunes." 

Their  friends  having  departed,  the  remainder  of  our  little  band  set 
about  making  their  winter  home  as  tolerable  as  possible  for  the  coming 
severe  season.  Large  quantities  of  nioss  were  gathered,  and  brought  in 
sledges  to  be  used  in  banking  up  the  brig,  making  it  very  like  an  Es- 
The    \\cc<\  of  fresh  meat    bc^an   to  be  real 


qniniauv   "igloe 


r: 


.*M';if' 


Fi 


i  f 


1-      ) 


518 

iiitr.     Tl 


PERILS  OF  THE  TIUNT. 


10  sick,  wlio  now  i-oiuprisi'd  most  of  tlicir  iuiinl..T,  i„„|,i  ,„„  ),,. 
susti.i.K'd  upon  a  scinvy-pro.Iurin-  ,l,cl  ..f  pork  an.l  IkvI'.  Tin.  ncv.l  K,] 
t.)  an  a.ivrntuiv  which  was  Nvcll-ni-l,  falMl  lo  all  conccrnc.l  in  il.  1),, 
Kane  an.l  rians,  ti,c  ICscpiinianx,  scL  out  one  day  t,,  lool<  f,,,-  ,eals.  I, 
was  their  intention  to  remain  .,ut  four  or  live  days,  tentin-  in  the  op,,, 
air,  for   the  liiermometer  still  showed   some  de-rees  alx.ve  zero. 

At  lirst  they  were  surprised  to  llnd  how  f.r  they  ha<!  to  ,m„  ,„  ,,,,^,|, 
the  ..pen  water.  The  swiftly  advat.cin-  winter  had  ma.le"!,  soli.]  ice- 
plain  of  the  spot  wliere  they  had  hoped  to  lln.l  seals  pla\  In-  In  -rcat  ,unn- 
bers.      At  hist  tiio   edge   of  the   water   was   reached,   and   several  of  ii„, 


WAICIIINO   I'OK   A   tiliAL. 

polar  beauties  were  discovered  -amboliii-  alnnit  in  their  native  elonent. 
To  their  -reat  consternation,  Kane  an.l  Hans  sn.l.lenly  became  aware 
that  they  ha.l  .Irlven  upon  a  belt  of  unsafe  ice  which  threatene.l  to  oivo 
way  at  any  moment,  and  precipitate  them  into  the  freezin-  Hood.  Any 
St.)])  was  fatal.  Fear  an.l  vi-orous  applicati..n  ..f  the  whip  crave  Hie 
do-s  their  -reatest  rapi.Hty,  and  they  spe.l  hke  an  arn.w  .,ver  llu'  \  iel.l- 
in-  mass.  Hut  such  an  effort  could  not  last.  One  of  the  nnn.ers  broke 
in,  and  then  .lo-s,  sle.l-e,  and  mefi,  were  successively  precipitat..,!  into 
the  on-cailn-  mass  al..,ut  them.  iM.rtunately  ibr  the  I'squimauN,  he 
had   l)r.)uoht    his    kavak,   and    in 


n    It   wa^^ 


prej 


)areil 


lor 


-ucii    an 


L-niei- 


VARIOUS   OPINIONS.  r,l9 

-cMcy;  l)Ut  Kane,  after  cuttiii-  the  doi^s  loose,  rounil  liimsclf  slni<,r<rlin<; 
in  llic  water,  aiui  -rowiii^r  weaker  with  eaeli  new  attempt  to  escape, 
Tlie  Es<,ui.nai.x,  in  the  ineaiitinie,  lii<e  a  -ooil  Moravian,  was  prayin- 
loudly  upon  the  soli.l  ice.  "At  every  fresh  erushin^-in  of  the  ice,  he 
wmiid  ejaculate 'Oofir  and  when  I  re-commenced  my  paddling  he  re- 
ciiinmenced  his  prayers." 

It  was  oidy  after  a  series  of  the  most  desperate  cfTorts,  tiiat  Kane  at 
l:isl  succeeded  in  cstal)llshin<r  himself  a-ai,i  npon  the  solid  ice.  Here  he 
was  "frictioned"  hy  the  Esquimaux  to  an  extent  which  caused  him  to  dis- 
miss all  fear  of  evil  results  from  his  duckin<(.  The  do-s  were  saved,  I.nt 
the  entire  equipment  of  sled-e,  tent,  -uns,  and  robes,  was  lost  in  the 
water. 

It  may  interest  the  reader  to  note  the  manner  in  which  our  party  of 
explorers  was  a-ain  brought  in  contact  with  the  Esciuimaux ;  and  to 
mark  the  subsecpient  chain  of  events  which,  through  cMnmon  hardships 
and  sullerings,  seemed  t<.  bind  natives  and  seamen  together  in  enduring 
friendship.  It  is  curious  to  observe  the  dilFerent  characteristics  which 
.lillcrent  explorers  have  attributed  to  this  peculiar  people.  Franklin  and 
Kane,  as  we  have  seen,  tbund  them  dishonest,  having  the  idea  of  prop- 
erty, at  least  as  regards  other  races  than  their  own,  almost  wholly  want- 
ing. Hall,  on  the  other  hand,  as  we  shall  duly  relate,  found  them  as  he 
says,  "scrupulously  honest,"  though  not  scrupulously  clean.  It  is  proba- 
bly t!  ue  that  their  dishonesty,  as  indicated  in  the  cases  of  Franklin  and 
Kane,  was  rather  due  to  a  shallow  knowledge  of  international  laws, 
and  a  very  limited  experience  in  the  matter  of  contact  with  other  races, 
than  to  a  depraved  moral  condition. 

During  Kane's  absence,  in  his  futile  attempt  to  reach  Beechey  Island 
his  remaining  men  ha<l  had  free  intercourse  with  those  of  the  neighboring 
natives  who  were  inclined  to  be  friendly.  In  spite  of  the  unpleasantnes^s 
occasioned  by  their  pilfering,  Kane,  upon  his  return,  encouraged  this 
intercourse  iind  took  steps  to  make  it  mutually  profitable.  He  saw  that 
the  only  danger  of  the  crew  was  in  the  absence  of  fresh  meat.  If  an  alli- 
ance could  be  made  with  these  natives,  accustomed  to  the  rales  of  Arctic 
hiuiting,  tliis  perplexing  problem    of  anti-scorbutic   food   might   be  easily 


iff 


020 


A    /'A'/A////r/i     IRIiATV 


solvol.      A  litlli-  (lotLM-miii.d  ;icli 


Hill  (»ii  tho  part  of  tin-  wliitcs  l)roii;,'lit  il 


two  iKirlios  lo  ;ni  tm.lorstaiKiiii.;-.      Cortain  artirks  haviii--  1 
carric-d  o.T,  Ivaiic  dispalclud  two  active    nu-ii 
briiiL;  the  nilpiits  liacl 


11;'  1)0011  stolon 
■ith 


ami 


m    pursuit,    witli    onlors  t 


Th 


v,  and  lo  oonipol  llioin  lo  rosion-    I 


10     stolon     >r()( 


)11S. 


IS  was  promptly  dono,  and  rosnltoi 


coniod.   Stolon  Li'oods  wa-io  ri'inrnod 


I  I'l  a  oonipaol  satisfactory  to  all  0011- 
Voni  all  cpiartors,  and  a  troal\'  oiitond 


into  with  v\^-\\  triho  within  tlio  social  rad 


Ills. 


I-' 


C'AICIIINK,    IIIKDS. 


Th 


o    ])rovisions   of  this    novc'l   and    primitivo  froatv  wore  as  fol 


ows: 


'On  tho  part  of  tiio  liiiuiit  or  i{ 


s(|uiman\:  '\Vo  ])roiniso  that  wo  will  hriiur- 


you  fresh  meat.       Wo  proiniso  that  wr  will  soil  or  loud  you  doi,rs.       W^, 
koop  you  company  whorovor   you  want    us,  and  show  you  whoio  lo 


will 


find  the  t^.ime.' 

"  On  the    part  ot   tho  whit 


o  mon,  tho  stipulations  wore  of   th 


IS  amnio 


equivalent:      'Wo   promise  that  wo  will  not  \isit 


you  with  (loatli  or  sur- 


ARCrrC   DIET. 


(H-rv,  nor  do  \()ii  any  liiiit 


>r  inisfliii'l'  wlial 


i'V(  r 


W 


f    will    sllDdt    Inr    \,,ll 


nil  (.111    limits.      ^^„l  shall  l,r    made;  wdcoiiic  aliuan!  ship.      Wt>  will  .^^Ivi; 
V'Mi  |)ivsciits.,riu.,-,!k.s,  pins,  ivv  ,    l<i,„ls(,C   knivrs,  a    hoop,  lluvc    l.iis   of 

''■"'''  ^^' ''  -"""^'  •"■''>  ;'!•  :i\vl,  and  soiiu'  si-win.^r  tlirrad;  ami  wi-  will  liadi- 

^'■''''  y •ftli^-"^''  :Hid  I'VLTythin-  I'lsc  you  want    lor  walrus  and  seal  im-at 

nlllir  lirsl  .pialily.'"        'I'.,    the  i-rcdil  of  holh  parti, -s  lu-  it  sai.l  that  in  all 
\Uv  iuliTcoursi.  of  that  wiiilt-r  of  1S51  .-,  this  treaty  was  luv.'r  hroki^ii. 

It  is  curious  to  iiotiiv  the  t-xtraordiuary  chau^jfc;  in  appetites  and  hah- 
ils  whicli  a  few  mouths'  sojourn  in  so  rij^-orous  a  leinperatuiv  had  cflected. 
The  dis.^rustiu--  hlul.her  and  -aw  walrus  meat  of  the  natives  had  <^m-owii 
to  he  a  luxury.  'J'hus  do  tlie  fivliu'^-s  adjust  themselves  to  the  physical 
iv(iuireineiitsof  the  diirereut  /.ones.  '•  The  liver  of  a  walrus  eaten  wilii 
slices  of  his  fat,  of  a  verity,  is  a  dehcious  morsel!  Fire  would  ruin  the 
curl,  pithy  expression  of  vitality  wliicli  l)elonos  to  the  uiu-ooked  piece,. 
Charles  Laml.'s  roast  pi^-  ,vas  nolhin,^^  to  it.  I  wonder  liiat  raw  heef  is 
not  eaten  more  at  home.  Deprived  of  extraneous  lii)er,  it  is  lu'ither  iiuU- 
«,rostil)le  nor  difHcult  to  masticate.  With  acids  and  coudiimnis  it  makes 
a  salad  which  an  educated  palate  cannot  help  relishin.^-;  and  as  a  heal-cre- 
■A\\\\<x  and  anti-scorhutie  food,  it  has  no  rival." 

Pile  rcadiM-  would  he  wearied  hy  the  detail  of  events  whicli  occurred 
(liirin--  tiie  last  months  of  1854.  [t  is  sullicient  to  say  tliat  amid  increasini,- 
privations,  and  with  disease  threatefiin;^  to  hopelessly  weaken  the  little 
hand,  the  close  of  the  year  drew  near. 

On  llie  7th  of  Decemhei  the  weary  watchers  at  the  hri--  were  sur- 
prised hy  the  appearance  of  several  sleih^n;- loads  of  liscpiimaux,  hriu:,'- 
iii--  anion--  them  lionsall  and  Petersen,  two  of  the  parly  who  had  "-one 
out  with  Dr.  Hayes  dnrin;^-  the  last  days  of  the  i)revious  summer. 
Tiiey  leporliMl  the  remainder  of  the  party  two  hundred  miles  away, 
tiicir  resources  wasted,  health  hroken,  and  themselves  divided  in  counsel, 
and  hesitatin.,'-  as  to  their  hiture  course.  Kane's  lu-st  liiou^^dit,  of  course, 
was  of  relieviiiL;-  tiieir  necessity.  But  he  had  to  mei't  liie  .piesiion,  ''Who 
could  i^o  to  llieir  relief?"  Not  a  man  exccDt  Mr.  McOary,  Hans,  and 
hnnsell,   was    ahle   to    stir.      His   only    hope   lay    in   Irustiiii;-  what   provi- 


hiOlb 


he  CiUikl  s|j;;te  lo  the  Mscjuii 


nan..,  and  depending;  upon  them  to  con- 


ml 


^'mL,, 


Vi2 


/iETU/i.V  OF   ir  l.V/JLA'liA'S. 


vcv  llu- ili-siri'il   .issist.iiuv.      IK'  would  williu'^U   haw   lJoik"   liimscll'  I 
it  lii'i'U  |)i;n.-lii.'aliU'  Id   K-avi-  liis  liospilal.      As  il  was,  Ik'  had  manv  <l 


i.wl 


iitilil- 


;md  ini>;j;iviii!^^s  as    to    wla-lhiT   ihi'   natives,  iiiuli'i-   temptation,  lonid    1, 
trnslc'd  witii  liic  pinions  iVcii^lit  wiiiili  thuy  wi-ii-  now  carryiu';-. 


TIr'si'  ivI  loot  ions  wore  (.•ndi'<l  on  thr   i  Jlii    hy  tiu'    return  of  tl 


le  wan- 


ini- 


(li'iiTs.       Thi'v  were   snUeriii'^-    teiTil)ly  iVoni   lold,  and    were  nearly  I' 
ished.     "  I 'oor  fellows,"  says    Kani-,   "I    eonid   only  ,i;rasp   tluni    1>\   iln 
hand  an<i  L,n\e  them  a  Inothei's  welcome.'" 

Tiieir  story  was  an  alnn'st  I'onlimions   record  ( 


)l    siilliMini;-    and  Inri 


ini;-    adventure.       Theii'    plan     had    heen    to    leach    Upernavik   on 
(irceidani!  coast,  and  iVom  tlnne  to  send    assistance   to   tii 
\)v'i'j;.      'IMiey  iiad    hoped   to  ri'ach  open  water  at  no  j^reat  dist, 


llu 


e  lesKlnr   ;,l  llu 


nice,  lull  ill 


this  they  weiv  disappointeil ;  l)i'sides,  the  ice  was  so  rouj^h  and  hidkeii  in 
one  |)lace  that  it  took  tlu-m  three  days  to  make  six  miles,  dra"-"-iii.'  as 
they  were   i-ompelled  to   do,  their    boat    and    provisions    over    Its    iii"..r(| 


^urlal 


Some    ol"  llu'in    wi'i 


e    naturally  read\'  to  ri'Inrn    almost 


I  HI  ore 


tlu'v  were  l'aiil\-  under  wa\'.      Wiiite 


r  was   coming;-   on,  starvation   stared 


them  in  the  lace. 


md  liieir  ener'nes  were  last 


lien 


hrok 


en. 


Alt 


I'l-  liiey 


had  lahored  on  lor  se\eral  weeks  it  hi;came   evident    that    th 


ev  mil-. 


some  place  ol   shelti-r. 


and 


A  hut  was  improvised  from  boulders  and  an  old 
sail,  wilh  such  other  articli-s  as  could  servi-  any  purposi-.  As  l-'ianklin 
had  done,  tlu'y  atti-iiipted  to  lenj:;-then  out  their  scanty  [jrovisions  ]>\  the 
nsi.'  of  the  tripe  Jr  roclic^  or  rock  lichen,  hut  il  acted  as  a  laxativ. 
prodnciiiLj:  still  ^jreater  debility,  added  to  their  embarrassment.  Some  lls- 
(luimaux  i-anu-  to  tiieir  wretched  hovcd,  and  brou;^rht  ihcm  a  limilc'd  sup- 
ply of  iVesh  meat,  hut  would  not  acci'de  to  any  rccpicst  to  sell  or  lend 
their  teams.  A  plot  on  ih.e  part  of  the  natives  to  destroy  the  eiitiiv 
parly  ha\ini;-  been  defeated,  Dr.  Hayes  ai^'aiu   tried  to  treat  with  them   in 


relerence  to  their  tea 


ms. 


II 


e  says; 


■\  now  re])ealed  to  Kahitunah,  their  chieft, 


lin,  a  recpiest  which  had  1 


leen 


made  on  previous  occasions,  namely,  that  the  people  should  take  us 
their  sledi^-es  and   carry  us  northward.      His  answer  was  tl 


iinoil 


le  same  that  it 


had  been  hitherto.     It  was  then  proposed  to  him  and  his  compaipons  that 


we  should    hire   their    teams    fromlhem;  but    this    they  also   il 


eel  11  led  to 


h.wl 


MDIlIll, 


)lll( 


111'    Willi. 


I\     1,1111- 


|\   ihi 


111  i.iri 


•Ml     llu' 


H'  ai  llu. 

'I',    lull    ill 

irokni  111 
■;.^iii-,  as 


l'U'_ 


I'l'idi 


siainl 


llNl    iliid 


an  old 


aiikliii 


l>v  Ilk' 


■T,  and 


)I1H' 


.'ll    Mll)- 


)!■     1 


(.'11(1 


I'lllUV 


iL'Ill     111 


Id  hci'M 


IS  upon 


that  It 


I 


)       M 


m    \  i 


KAl.i;  IXNAH. 


)11S  tl 


lat 


iiR'd  to 


623 


524 


HATES'  STORY. 


comply  with.  No  offers  which  wc  could  make  seemed  l.,  have  the 
slightest  effect  upon  them,  and  it  was  plain  that  nothing  would  induce 
them  to  comply  with  our  request,  nor  even  give  any  reason  for  their  re- 
fusal. In  fact,  they  thoroughly  understood  our  situation,  and  we  now 
entertained  no  doubt  that  they  had  made  up  their  minds  with  a  unanim- 
ity, which  at  an  earlier  period  seemed  improbable,  to  abandon  us  to  ,nn- 
fate,  and  to  profit  by  it. 

"The  question  to  be  decided  became  an  easy  one.  Here  were  six  civ- 
ilized men  who  had  no  resort  fen-  the  preservation  of  their  lives,  their 
usefulness,  and  the  happiness  of  their  families,  except  in  tiie  aid  of 
sledges  and  teams  which  the  savages  obstinately  refused  to  sell  „r  hiie. 
The  expectation  of  seizing  our  remaining  effects,  after  we  should  have 
starved  or  frozen  to  death,  was  the  only  motive  of  their  refusal.  The 
savages  were  within  easy  reach  of  their  friends,  andcould  suffer  litHe  I,y 
a  short  delay  of  tiu-ir  rctur.i.  For  their  property,  compensation  could  he 
made  after  (^\w  arrival  at  the  brig." 

A  plan  to  secure  the  services  of  the  teams  was  at  once  organised, 
and  steps  taken  to  carry  it  into  -xecution.  Tlie  natives  were  gathered' 
together,  and  shown  the  utmost  ki.uhiess  in  order  to  remove  the  susni- 
cions  recently  entertained  of  llie  whites.  Pictures  were  given  them'as 
presents  for  their  children,  and  a  great  feast  was  promised.^  While  this 
was  preparing.  Dr.  Hayes  managed  u.iobserved  to  e.npty  the  contents  of 
a  small  vial  of  laudanum  into  their  favorite  soup,  hoping  that  it  would  as- 
sist in  making  them  sleep,  thus  facilitating  the  escape  "with  the  dogs  a.ul 
sledges.  Everything  w.s  covertly  put  in  readiness,  and  after  the  dinner 
had  been  eaten,  signs  of  dnnvsiness  among  the  Esquimaux  Nvere  anx- 
iously looked  tor. 

"  Our  guests  were  in  a  few  moments  asleep,  but  I  did  not  know  how 
much  of  Lhcir  drowsiness  was  due  to  fatigue  (for  they  had  been  luu.ting) 
and  how  much  to  the  opium;  nor  were  we  by  any  means  ass.n-e-l  that 
their  sleep  was  sound,  for  they  exhibited  signs  of  restlcss.iess  which 
greatly  disturbed  us.  Every  .noment  had  therefore  to  be  conducle.l  with 
the  utmost  caution." 

i\.t  last  evervthill""  wi^;  in  rfirlini-ji;.^     fill  I  <'  i  1 

^ivLiHii^  w.is  111  it.Kimesh,  ami  tnc  party  started  on.      Some 


fii 


BUOYANCr  OF  KANE. 


S25 


(iisturbance  had  been  made  in  starting,  and  they  were  not,  therefore, 
surprised  to  see,  before  they  got  out  of  sight,  those  whom  they  had 
clandestinely  left  behind,  come  toward  them  with  full  speed.  They 
were  obliged  at  once  to  take  some  definite  action.  They  leveled  their 
rifics  at  the  approaching  savages.  These,  seeing  their  danger,  made  ges- 
tures of  submission,  and  at  last  promised  to  do  all  that  was  asked  of 
them.  They  took  the  whole  party  on  their  sledges  and  brought  them 
to  the  brig,  where,  as  we  have  seen,  they  arrived  on  the  12th  of 
December. 

Words  cannot  describe  the  horrible  experiences  ot  the  remainder  of 
that  Arctic  winter.  Sickness  had  prostrated  nearly  every  one,  and  the 
results  of  this  were  intensified  by  the  depression  of  spirits  which  it 
seemed  impossible  to  shake  off.  It  was  all  that  the  commander  could  do 
to  bear  up  under  the  jiressure,  and  sustain  the  feelings  of  his  men,  whom 
a  settled  melancholy  seemed  to  have  seized.  Bright  and  liopcful  as  he 
always  managed  to  appear,  his  journal  records  some  fearful  "  sinkings  of 
his  heart  within  him."  lie  had  often  to  perform  the  fourfold  duty  of 
nurse,  physician,  cook,  and  provider  of  fuel,  besides  taking  his  place  as 
watchman  nearly  half  of  the  time.  There  is  recorded  no  more  marvel- 
ous sustaining  of  the  soul  than  is  shown  in  the  case  of  this  man.  This 
was  the  third  time  that  he  had  witnessed  the  spirits  of  his  men  die  out 
witii  the  light  of  the  departing  sun,  and  had  been  compelled  to  see  them 
sinking  under  disease  during  a  long  and  tedious  winter  night;  and  this 
was  the  third  time  that  he  had  lieeu  first  and  ablest  of  all  his  company 
to  iiail  the  return  of  the  day-god. 

In  the  mitlst  of  all  trials,  Kane  was  resolved  to  preserve  the  most 
rigid  discipline  and  the  most  perfect  routine.  It  was  at  least  a  remem- 
l)rancer  of  civilization,  aud  it  served  to  promote  the  confidence  of  the 
men,  weakened  by  disease.  It  would  hardly  seem  that  mutiny  or  deser- 
tion need  be  feared  in  this  dreary  waste,  but  we  find  that  both  occurred; 
and  of  the  most  diabolical  type.  The  description  of  this  experience  will 
recall  the  circumstance  referred  lo  in  the  chapter  of  Kane's  biography. 
One  William  Godfrey,  a  sailor,  had,  it  seems,  been  particularly  trouble- 
some throughout  the   voyage.     He   and   a  shipmate,  John   Blake,  were 


Ml     '  i    : 


r)2« 


A  PLOT. 


IS 


t's 


bad  fellows,  of  whom  Kane  declares  that  he  was  curious  to  know  whu 
mvr\,,  have  been  their  past  life.  Certain  iorebodinj,.  whisperin<,.s  ha.l  led 
Kane  to  suspect  a  plot,  and  put  him  at  once  on  his  <,ruanl.  One  d-.y  -, 
sailor  reported  having  overheanl  a  conversation  between  the  two  dis 
affected  seamen  to  the  effect  that  they  woul.i  leave  the  ship  as  soon  .. 
possible.  Bein.^r  able-bo<Iied  men,  and  nearly  well,  they  could  not  ho 
spared  from  service,  and  their  desertion  would  also  probably  have  a  pre- 
judicial influence  on  the  nei.<,rhl)orin<r  Esquimaux. 

When  the   two   came   to   leave   the   ship,   they    were   promptly   co„. 
fronted,  apprehende.l,  and  put  in  irons;  and  Godfrey,  the   instij^^ator   and 
leader  m  the  step,  was  severely  punished.     At  first  he  confessed  all,  and 
made  fair  promises  for  the  future;  but   bein.^^  released,  he   went  on'deck 
ostensd)ly  to  work,  and   deserted    again    within   an    hour.     It   happened 
that  Hans,  the  Esquimaux,   ha.l  -one   out    with    the   sledge    a   few  day. 
before,   and    was   supp,)scd    to   l,e    at    the    Esquimaux   settlements  some 
seventy  miles  away.      The  plan  of  (Godfrey  was  supposed   to  inchule  ilie 
seizure  of  the  dogs  and  sledge,  thus   .lepriving   the    f unine-visite.I   partv 
at  the  bng  of  the  last  precarious   means   of  subsistence.     Kane   at  onc'c 
saw  tile  necessity  of  suppressing  such  a  proceeding  al  the  first  start.     He 
accordingly  dressed  as  an  Es,,nimaux,  appeare.l    mvsteriouslv  in  the  vil- 
lage,  ■^^v\  hefbn;  Godfrey  could  recogni/e  him,  had  him  in  irons. 

The  winter   of  ,854-5   wore  away,   and  the  advancing   sun   bnn.-dit 
a.nprovci  symptoms  to  the  sick,  and  a  measure  of  hopefulness  to  all    The 
Situation  even  yet  was  ,hvadfui.       All    ha,!   long  since  conclndcl  that  the 
bng  never  could  be  lih.rated,  an.l  escape,  in  that  wav  was  out  of  the.,„es- 
l.on.       The  men  Nvcrc  still    so  reduced  in  strength  that  when    a  deer  w.s 
kdled,  it  was  a    matter  of  serious  dilfienlty  t„   transport   the  bodv  to  the 
ship.     A  .Icarth  of  fresh  meat  was  still  at  limes  a  .iillicultv  hard  to  over- 
come.      The  Escpnmaux  themselves  were  in  a  starving  con.Iition,  su  that 
aui  from  that  source  was  not  to  be  hoped  for.       (),u-  of  the  stoutest  oili- 
cers  on  board,  on  l.H.king  at  hin>seh- in  the  glass  lor   the    first    time   since 
h.s  diness,   hurs,  i„,o  tears  to  ^\nA  how  rc^luced  and  wretched  In   appear- 
ance he  ha.l  become.    There  wassa.l  truth  in   Kane's  sumndn-  up  of  the 
.natter,  '^  With.-ut  a  sp.c.ly  change  the  ...a-  of  the  party  was  i.,evilahle" 


CHAPTER   L!X. 

RANK     DKTERMIXKS     TO     AHANDON     TIM';     liUU; UEMOVAI.    OI'     IJOATS 

AND       SLEDOES TO       TIJK       WATEu's       EDGE I'AimNO       !■  KOM 

KKIENDS HANS    PROVES  SUSCEPTIHEE — EM  liA  I{  K  INd— A   KEAST 

A    SEAE    KIEEED THE    ANNUAE    OIL    BOAT AUIUVAE    AT    UI'EK- 

■vavik—iiaktstene's  seakch— Kane's  east  days. 

The  party  had  now  been  in  the  ice  about  two  years  and  the  day  of  the 
liiiij^'s  release  seemed  as  far  away  as  ever.  A  careful  reference  to  the  re- 
ports of  Dr.  Kane  and  his  officers  reveals  some  important  facts  relative  to 
the  necessity  of  their  abandoninjr  the  Advance.  Dr.  Kane  had  recjucsted  his 
ice-niastcrs  to  examine  the  ice  surrounding  the  brif^  and  shuttiuf^r  h^r  from 
the  open  sea,  in  order  to  determine  its  condition  compared  with  that  of 
the  previous  season,  and  the  probaliility  of  its  allowin-,^  the  Advance  to 
effect  an  exit  this  year  of  1S55.  The  above  mentioned  officers  repoi-ted 
tliat  the  ice  was  thicker  and  stron<i:er  than  it  was  the  year  before,  and  ex- 
ti'uded  for  miles  further  out,  and  that  a  breakinjr  up  under  these  circum 
stances,  which  would  allow  the  brig  to  escape,  was  not  to  Ik;  looked  for 
as  the  result  of  a  single  summL'r. 

It  was  further  found  that  all  the  fuel  had  been  taken  from  the  sub- 
sl;ince  of  the  Advance  which  could  he  taken  and  still  leave  her  sea-wor- 
tliy  in  case  of  subsequent  release;  and  that  not  above  half  a  month's  fuel 
could  be  gathered  from  the  whole  store.  Moreover,  their  stock  of  pro- 
visions had  become  so  reduced  that  not  over  tliirty-six  days'  food 
ivmaiued.  These  discouraging  facts  were  certainly  sufficient  to  justify 
Kane  in  making  immediate  preparations  to  leave  his  vessel  and  dejjart 
tor  the  south  in  whatever  way  was  deemed  practicable. 

After  due  consultation  it  was  decided  to  put  the  boats,  supplies  and 
sick  men  upon  sledges,  and  transport  thein  to  what  was  consitlered  the 
open  sea,  and   then   proceed  southwan!   until  some  fortune  should  drive 

527 


TAKING  LEAVE  OF  THE  BRIG. 

them  upon  fi-icnds,  „r  until  they  should  reach  Upcrnavik,  trustinq-  to 
Providence  to  supply  them  with  food  when  it  siiould  crive  out.  This 
agreed  upon,  the  officers  and  crew  proceeded  to  take  final  and  formal 
leave  of  the  brig.  A  portion  of  Scripture  ^vas  read,  and  a  few  ^^ords 
spoken   by  Dr.  Kane,  reviewing   their  past  experience,  and  speaking  of 


MANS,    Wiri-    AMI    m:i.ATrVHS. 


hope  for  the  future.  They  marched  an.uiul  the  lirig,  commenting  „n 
her  appearance,  and  rehearsing  the  time  and  place  wiien  certain  scars  on 
her  surf  ice  were  given.  The  ligure-head,  a  representation  of  a  little  girl 
with  painted  cheeks,  \vas  taken  from  the  how.  Dr.  Kane  was  at  first 
doubtful  about    adding    this    to    the    alreadv  heavy  burden,  but   the   men 


'i.  !  * 


HANS,    THE    UNFAITHFUL. 


529 

.vns„.,e.l  that  i.   co,„.,  ,«  ,„.,,„,  f„,  ,„,  ,f  ,,       ^„„,„  „^,  ^^, 
«-M>u.  upo„  the  ,,„„,,.  ,„  ,,  ,„,„,,,„„^,,  ,,,  ^^^  ^^^^^^^,^  ^^___^    3      ,  . .  .t 

The.,,    b..,a„  .  ,„„„  ,,,ic.  .,f  hu„l  day..  „.„.,,  for  whLh   the  ,.en 
.'^•"..1-tcd  hy  „„ff.„,.,  „„.,   „„,,,„    ,„  ^,  .,_  ^^^,,.^   ^^^         __  n 

;» ovision.s  ami   necessaries  had  to  l.of-,1',      f,.        .,        ,-  •      -^  "e 

I      ^    r  .  *'""^  ^''''^  ^'"P  '«"'!  transported 

pitable  denizens  of   th(>  ic<-       Ti.         ^- 

otthcuc.      The  natives  ,^.ave  abundant  proof  that  their 
tcelnip-s   were    sincere       Tli,>,r    ...        i    i 

^  sinterc.      1  hey  ei„,v.le,l    aroi,,,,!    the    m,„;„ers,  p,.e.,i„„ 

---  .hei,.  ,.e,tet  at  thei,-  c,„„h„  ,,e,-elve,„e,:t  '•'■""" 

'■  ^'>-  .'-"  w;'"-."  -y.  K.„e,  "  to  ,he..  p ,  ,,;,,,,,  ,„.,,„.^,,„, 

■  IK.„     ,.  „o  arrocta,,,,,,  ,„■  ,,,re,.     The,,  a,.  t>ve„. v-t .f  he,,,  .„■     ,    ' 

■..-."    'H,.,y„.,.      ,,Hce.t„   the.D„et,.    Kaye,,.,  a,,.,   ..e.-e     ,- 

Wc  cook  for  thetn  ni    our  hri-   camn  1-,.h)       .1 
--^-    '-    .U-a    l=.-ie;  a  he,,-  e„„,e  at  ha„„   .,„„„;  Z^::^CZ. 

'"':';;•'/•" '    "-'    •<-yvah,e-.,eep,  ,■„,.,,   a„<,   e„„,p ,1 

"-l.,he„-„-ea»,„.e.l   sh,„-t.Hve,l   »u„„ne,- s„„  above  , he,,,    the/,         T^ 

^ ;'7'^-'^------'-T^ce,.,.,,.e,.,e;;  ;:,:;:■'''' '■''•" 

l.'","l..  of  a„  l.»,,„„„a„x  eh,eftai„,  he  ha.l  „„e  Jay  left   ,he  .hi„V 
l""y""tl.,,vt„,„.     .\ClhetN„e„r  k-         ■      ,  ^'t    the  .ships  „„„. 

--r-^-'> ---:^;--X;:;r ;:;;;::::;: 

»J".i  c.pene„co  he  ha„  hee,„„e  the  ..at  ,„a„  „f  h,  eh„se„  t,     e     wj 
Af,e,.  U.avh„  theh.  f,ae,„ |  en.ha.-kh,,  „„  the  sea,  the  Heath,,  iee 


f.t  I -I 


m 


s.*n 


A    RARE   FEAST. 


Of  flic  sound  came  upon  them  in  dancrerous  quantities  for  many  days. 
Ovcrcomin-r  these  diffieuities,  after  a  time  they  caut,'ht  si,<?ht  ..fa  nocI<  ,,f 
eider-(hiel<s,  and  soon  luraine  awan-  that  ll.eywciv  at  the  l.rc-cdin-  place 
of  these  acinatics.  A  recess  was  found  ainon-  ihr  icr-c..vc-ri><l  rooks 
alou-  the  shore,  and  int..  it  thi>  crew  pulled  tlieir  littk'  Ik-c!,  and  srt  apart 
several  days  for  the  replenishini--  of  their  stock  of  catahles. 

«  We  remained   almost  three  days   at  our  crystal   retreat,  <,rathenn<r 


PiUidJijl 


OFF  TO  THE  OPEN  SEA. 

eggs  at  the  rate  of  1 300  per  day.  Outside  the  storm  raj^^od  without  inter- 
mission, and  oin-  c^ij:  hunters  found  it  dilHcult  to  keep  their  feel;  hut  a 
verier  set  of  gourmands  than  were  gathered  within,  never  reveled  in 
genial  diet." 

W'iien  at  length  they  started  again  on  their  wav  new  ohstailes  were 
met  with.  In  passing  into  the  less  dense  atmosphere,  ihev  <^n\\\A  difli- 
eulty  in  hreatiiing,  and    their  feel    swelled  so  that  it  liecanic    necessary  to 


A    WELCOME  SOU.VI} 

c,.  open  U,eir  canvas  booe.     A  .,.„nWc,o.e  Tonn   „f  insomnia  a,.„  a,- 
I..CU.1   thorn,  and  did   much   to  .leprivc  thcra  of  rc«      Tl    ■ 

.ppetitc,  ha,l  made  fearful  .nroads  L  their  K^r  ZL  '""'"""^ 

"'''^' ''"•' the  scrimn  n<rf>nn 
».qucn.  upon  th„  ™adc  all  weak,  and  s„,ne  of  then,  nearly  prosf  "^ 

"  rt  »as  at  this  crisis  of  our  fortune,  that  .vo  saw  a  lar"  "  ^V 
on   I  siTviIl   ,^..f^i,     <•  •  .  laigc  seal  floatin'j 

....      Mn  11  patch  of  ,ce-„s  ,s  the  custom  of  these  ani,nals_a„d   seen 
....ly  a»leep      S„na,  was  made  for  one  of  .he  ,,„ats  e„  follow  aster,     1 
ho,nhh„,„.than.let,we  prepared  to  craw,  down  upon   hi.n.     Pe 
,™   w   ,.  the  large  English  rifle,  was  stationed  in  .he  how,  and  stoc'       , 
uce  .l.aw„  over  the  oars  as  unUHers.     A,  we  neared  the  animal  our    t 
c„e,nen.  hecarne  so  m.ense  that  .he  men  could  hardi,  keep  stroke. 

I  had  a  set  of  signals  for  such  occasions,  which  .spared  us  the  noise  of 
tl.  vou:e,  and  when  about  three  hundred  yards  away  the  oars  were  t^  e 
off,  and  we  moved  on  in  silence  with  a  single  scull  as.ern.     Me  was  . 
aslep.   or  he  reared  his  head   when  we    were  almost  within   rifleshot 

"°.""'  ''"'r   ■■— -■  'he  h.ard,  careworn,  almost  despairin ' 

express-on  upon    .he  men's  thin   faces,  as  they  saw  him    move.     Thei; 
lives  depended  on   his  capture." 

The  seal  W.S  killed,  .and  was  torn  in  pieces  .and  devoured  almost  raw 
V  ,he  ha  ,  am.she.l  men.     Every  part  of  this  annnal  was  saved.     Even 
.he  cn.rads  foun.l  .heir  way  in.o  .he  po.  without  the  preliminary  trc,, 
.nen.  common  in  civilized  par.s.     Thus  a  rare  and  savage  feast  was  sum. 
manly  enjoyed. 

A  few  days  afterwar.l,  as  they  were  laboring  across  the  heavy  sea  a 
">>...r  sound  came  to  them  over  .he  water.  It  was  not  the-Hnl'. 
i.uk.  of  the  nat.ves,  nor  the  screeching  of  a  gull.  I,  had,  to  ear,  ,„„' 
.....rntsy  .acute  to  he  mistaken,  the  well  known  ring  „f  a  healthy 
"  llo  How  the  men  bent  to  their  ashen  oars,  and  how  every  „.,„k 
...  .he  foggy  horizon  was  scanned  for  any  trace  of  the  source  whence  i. 
,..-..cecded      It  proved  to  be  a  Danish  shallop_.he  annual  oil  ship  from 

Here  they  got  their  first  idea  of  what  had  transpired  in  the  world 
s.ncc  they  be,nm,  as  it  were,  their  hernutac^e.  Not  much  news  could  he 
^a:.K.d  ,.,    .\n.eri.a,  Ina   it  n'as  ascertained  that  Lieut.    I  lartstene  had  re- 


' 


4 


-im 


083 


JiESULTS   OF  KANE'S    VOrAGE. 


yij 


ccntly  passed  up  the  bay  in  search  of  the  party  supposed  from  their  lon^ 
absence  to  he  lost  or  perishing.  And  Sir  John  Franklin,  what  of  him" 
How  their  own  little  specialty  came  up  into  mind,  as  they  thought  of 
then-  fr.ilure!  Traces  of  him  or  remains  of  the  party,  had  been  found  a 
thousand  miles  to  the  south  of  their  searching-ground. 

Still  they  rowed  on,  and  the  next  day  came  t(,  Upernavik,  the  upper 
most  town  of  Greenland.  Here  they  were  showered  with  kindness  by 
the  .nhabitants,  who  regarded  them  as  having  been  almost  miraculouslv 
saved.  They  were  so  weather-hardened  and  used  to  exposure,  that  thcT 
could  hardly  endure  to  stay  within  walls,  so  suffocating  was  this  novel 
expcnence.  A  ?^w  ,norc  days  fbund  them  at  Godliaven,  where  they 
met  the  rescuing  party. 

"  Presently  we  were  alongside.  An  officer  whom  I  shall  ever  re 
member  as  a  friend,  Capt.  Ilartstene,  hailed  a  little  man  in  a  ra-^-a.! 
flannel  shirt,  'Is  that  Dr.  Kane?'  and  with  the  'Yes!'  that  followed^Uie 
nggmg  was  manned  by  our  countrymen,  and  cheers  welcomed  us  back 
to  the  social  world  of  love  which  they  represented."  It  was  well  into 
September,  1S55,  before  they  were  "finally  on  their  wav  to  their  homes 
which  had  missed  them  so  long. 

It  is  proper  in  closing  to   mention  briefly  the  scientific  results  of  this 
remarkable  voyage.     Kane  ha.l  no,  found  Franklin,  nor  had  he  explored 
tlie  fairy  land  and  water  which  surround  the  Pole.     But  his  bravery  mkI 
perseverance   had    added   immensely    to  the   limited   knowled-^e  o"f  'the 
north  ot  Greenland.     Over  a  thousand  miles  of  the  coast    had  been    .e 
curately  surveyed  and    projected,  and  many  of  the    glacial  wonders   of 
this  fngid  region  had  been  investigated  and  explained.     The  brave  cm 
mander  had  not  only  been  exceedingly  zealous  himself,  but  had  planned 
and  se.it  out  numerous    expeditions  for  the  purpose  of  investic^atin-^  p  n 
ticular  phases  of  the  polar  life.     Each  n.an  seemed  to  catch  tl.e  e.u-nest 
enthusiastic  spirit  of  his  chief,  and   the  carefully  compiled   reports  of  .11 
these  expc.Ut.ons  have  proved  invaluable.     The  observations  on  tlie  ,ne 
teorology    of  the  country,    were   perfectly    taken    and    classilied       The 
mathematical  operations    used  in   making   geographical   location. 
conducted  with  the  utmost  care  and  skill :  niMkin-  the  re 


were 


i-esnits  authe 


iitic  (in 


itni' 


JTAATE^S  EARr^r  DEATH. 

all  points  dealt  with.     The  flora  of  fU  u 

,       .•  ^  ^'^'-'  "«"h  was  treated  in  a  nio>  t  ov 

.hings  were  done  under  ciruZc  "'"    ""  ""'""'°"-    ''"  "'^•»" 

rew,vo„,d  have  had  ZZ:^::^"'^"''^^^'"'^''^ 

returned  adven.nrt  ,  „  ll,     ''^^  T  "^^  "^^'  "^  *"'  ^'">''  "f 
s  to  iDass  away.     H,s  f^ul  form  could  not  endure  the 

shocks  n^posed  upon  it  by  three  northern  winters      Broken 

and  weighed  down  by  the  cares  to  which  he  h.i  been  ",  ' 

sailed  for  England  in  18.7      R.        •  ^'  ^"""^  '°  ^°"-'  '^^ 

where  he  die!  the  s    J.  y'  ;..  .^r'"^^  "^'"^^  :^-^''  ^^  ^P^^^^  ^  ^^'^a, 
^'UTiL  ycai  at  the  early  age  of  tliirty-seven. 


II 


ii 


CHAPTER    LX. 

M'CLINTOCK    I.V    COMMAVD    OK     niK    KOX  -  ,ris    CHOICE    OP   OKK.CEUS^ 
CAUGIfT     I.V     T.IE     PACK    OK    HAKKIN's     HAV  _  A    VVINTEK    IN    THK 

icE_A,unvK  o.v  KING  vvilmam's  islaxd  _  hobson  discovers 

A  HECOHD_A  MOURNFUL  INFERENCE  _  TWO  SKELETONS  -  v 
CURIOUS  MEDLEV-TESTIMONVOFTHE  ESQUIMAUX  WOMAN  _ 
IMPORTANCE    OF    m'cHNTOCK's    INVESTIGATIONS. 

We  are  now  about  to  descnbe   an  expedition    which,  while  pcM-h.ps 
not  equaling  so.ne  others  in  the  thrilling  character  of  its  details    never 
theless  achieved  the  long    wished-for    result    of  bringing    back    cert-.in 
knowledge  of  the  circumstances  under  which  Sir  John  Franklin  n.et  his 
death. 

At  the  time  of  the  inception  of  this  enterprise,  the  interest  in  such 
undertakmgs  on  the  part  of  leading  nations,  and  the  sacrifice  of  li,b 
a-i  n,oney  in  their  pursuit,  had  become  matters  of  history.  Traces  of 
the  .11-starred  voyagers  had  been  discovered,  but  no  definite  record  „f 
the  probable  fate  of  the  expedition  had,  as  yet,  rewarded  the  efforts  of 
explorers. 

"^^heclevotion  of  Lady  Franklin,  which  had  already    received  ample 
■histrafon   HI  the  large  amounts  of  money  expended   by   her  in   pursu.t 
of  knowledge  concerning  her  lost  consort,  was  also   instrumental   in   the 
httn^gout,  and  .iispatching   of  this   vessel;  and   on  the    iS^h   of  April 
.H57,  she  did  Capt.  Leopold  M'Clintock    (before  mentioned   as  a   bnve' 
and  efhcent  officer)   the   honor  to  oTer   him   the    leadership  of  the  pro 
posed  expedition.     As  might  be  expected,  it  was  accepted.     As  a  post  of 
honor  and   difficulty,  it  would   quite    naturally   possess   sufficient   charts 
for  a  naval    officer  who  had  already  served  in  several   such   expeditions. 
M  Chntock  was  a  gallant  officer,  whose   heart   was   in   the   cause,   and 
whose  previous  experience  had  n.ade  him   perfectly  conversant    with  all 

5;{4 


OFFICERS  CHOSEN.  ^.j, 

the  details  of  Arctic  sailin.  It  see.neci,  a.ul  uulccd,  the  event  proved, 
that  MO  .nore  fortunate  choice  couhl  ha.e  heen  made.  The  screw-yacht 
I-x,  ot  .77  tons  burthen,  was  purchased  and  fitted  out  for  him,  and  full 
pcrm.ss.on  obtained  for  hi.n  from  the  admiralty  to  con.plete  the  search 
m  his  own  way. 

Not  only  did  M'Clintock  receive  aid  and  support  from  Lady  Frank- 
1".,  but  the  Royal  Society  contribute<l  money  for  the  purchase  of  suit- 
.1.1c  mstruments,  and  the  London  Hoard  of  Trade  donated  several 
articles.  In  fact,  Capt.  M'Clintock  found  that  he  had  only  to  ask  for 
what  he  wanted,  to  receive  it  if  it  was  in  store.  He  recjuired,  however 
only  such  thin-s  as  were  absolutely  necessary. 

He  was  peculiarly   forttmatc  also    iu   the   choice   of  his  olHcers   and 
crew.     Amonj,.  them  were  Lieut.  Ilobson,  an  officer  of  much  experience- 
Capt.  Allen  Younj,^  of  the  merchant  marine,  who  not  only  threw  his 
services  into  the  cause,  but  subscribed  ,£500  in  furtherance  of  it;  and  Dr 
David  Walker,  an  accomplished  surgeon,  and  scientiHc    man;_all   these 
were  volunteers  whose  services  were  secured,     u  Many  worthy  ol,l  ship- 
■na...,,"  says   M'Clintock,  "  my  companions  in  previous   Arctic   vova<^es 
n.ost  readily  volunteered  their  services,  and  were   as   ,n-atefullv  accepted 
tor  ,t  was  my  anxious  wish  to   gather   around    ,ue   well-tried",ncn,    who' 
^verc  aware  ol   the  duties  expected  of  them,  and  accustomed  to  naval  dis- 
c.pline.     Hence  out  of  the  twenty-five  souls  composing   our   small    coin- 
pa.iy,  seventeen  had  previously  served  in  the  Arctic  search."     J  ust  before 
starting,    Carl     Petersen,    mentioned    in    connection    with    Dr     Kane's 
.n.m.rable  expedition,  joined   the    vessel   as   interpreter.      The  ship    was 
a:n,,ly  provisioned   for  twenty-eight    months,   an.l    the   supplies   inchuie.l 
the  custon^ary  stock  of  preserved  vegetables,  lime-juice,   :uul    pickks   tbr 
.la.ly  consumption.      The   adnuralty  caused   66S.    pounds   of  penunican 
to  he  prepared,  and  the  Hoard  of  Ordnance   furnished  the  arms,   powder 
and  shot,  and  giant-powder  for  ice  bL.sting.      M'Clintock,    beii,.^  anxious 
to  retain  for  his  vessel  the  privileges   she   formcrlv   enjoved    as^"^a   yacht 
was  enrolled  a  member  of  several   of  the  leading  clubs. 

Upon  JtMie  3,  .S57,  the  Fox  left  the  harbor,  Tiul,  wi'tii  tavorin-^  winds 
the  coasts  of  (Greenland   and   Cape  Farewell  were  sighted  on  tlj  i.th  of 


836 


CAL\.IIT  IN   THE  MIDDLE    PACK. 


II! 


%\ 


atVki.'Jiii  ? 


Ilij 


■vn 


July.  It  may  he  well  to  state  what,  perhaps,  is  not  clearly  iin.lcrstood, 
that  HalKn's  Bay  freezes  over  every  winter.  Diirinj,'  the  followiui^r  sum- 
mer the  ice  hreaks  up,  and  finds  its  way  downward  tlirou<,'h  Davis'  Strait 
frequently  ohstruciinj,'  the  passa,-,'e  from  east  to  west.  Tiie  North  I'as- 
saj,'e  is  accomplished  hy  sailin;,'  around  the  western  end  of  the  pack  as  it 
comes  tlown;  the  Soutii  Passa<,'e  hy  pursuin<j  a  similar  course  with  re- 
gard to  the  southern  end;  :mu1  the  Middle  Passage  is  ellected  hy  pushiu'r 
through  the  ice.  It  was  M'Clintock's  misfortune,  after  trying  all  these 
courses,  to  become  fastened  in  the  pack,  and  thus  he  was  delayed  for 
several  months. 

The  disappointment  of  a  crew  eager  tbr  result;,,  and  still  obliged  to 
spend  several  months  in  fruitless  drifting,  may  be  better  conceived  than 
portrayed.  The  thought  was  unbearable  that  they  must  spend  the  win- 
tor  in  the  ice,  and  then,  even  if  they  escapeil  being  crushed,  perhaps  be 
obliged  to  return  to  a  waiting  nation  without  tidings  of  the  missing  and 
looked  for.  During  all  the  z\z  days,  however,  that  they  were  ice-hound, 
the  best  of  discipline  was  preserved,  and  the  brave  commander  himself 
still  remained  sanguine  o'i  success.  Many  times  the  destruction  of  the 
Fox  seemed  inevitable.  A  sea  of  heavy  ice  crowded  continuously  about 
her,  threatening  to  crush  in  her  sules,  or  by  sweeping  over  the  deck  to 
sink  her,  or  destroy  members  of  the  hapless  crew.  »  Every  tloe,"  as 
Dr.  Kane  explains  it,  "took  upon  itself  the  *'.tnctioiis  of  ocean;"  and 
thus  the  perils  of  an  Arctic  sea  were  made  doubly  terrible  by  the  waste 
of  ice. 

Whenever  it  was  possible  to  employ  or  amuse  the  men  among  these 
dreary  scenes,  M'Clintock  was  desirous  that  it  should  be  done.  An 
evening  school  for  the  men  was  arranged  by  Dr.  Walker,  and  carried  on 
with  genuine  success.  Later  on,  lectures  and  readings  were  organized 
and  subjects  of  scientific  interest  discussed,  such  as  the  trade  winds,  at- 
mospheric phenomena,  and  tlie  uses  of  the  various  instruments.  On 
November  5,  being  still  in  the  pack,  the  men  proposed  to  celebiate  the 
preservation  of  their  ancestors  from  the  well-known  gunpowder  plot. 
An  cIHgy  of  Guy  Fawkes  was  prepared,  and  burnt  on  the  ice.  "  Their 
blackened  faces,  extravagant   costumes,  glaring  t(jrches,  and  savage  yells 


CIIUISING   ON   THE  COAST.  m 

friKlnoncl  ,h„  ,|0B,  away;  ■„„■  wa,  i,  ,il|  art„  ,hc  lirow„rk,  wcr.  lot  off 
a...l.ho,ra„„r  c„„,u,ne,l,  .ha,   ,h.y  crop,   ha.k  a,a;„.      U    wa,  Hchool- 

"'"1;      '         ■""'  '"""^  "P  '■'■'■  '""•  ""  "'^'V-  .he  D„c„„.  a  holiday." 

rho  F.,.  had  a.aohc,l  Melville  Bay  when  she  hecaav  loekcl  i„  ,he 
pac  ,  and  dun,,,-  .he  ei,,h,  ,n„„.hs  ,ha.  »he  wa,  a„  ice.bo„„d  prisoue,, 
,he  had  dr„.e,l  southward  .,ve,-  ,oo„  ,„i|es.  \Vhe„  a,  las.  release  ca.ne 
"-.t  .he  i,en„.,l  l,ree.es  of  .S„„.her„  Oree„la,„l,  it  wa,  deci.led  .,.  s.ea,,, 
."  1  *.-.,He,«  io  re,.,  ,.e.  refreshn.cn.s  a..d  ,.,pplle,,an,l  e„j„y  .he  h„s. 
,-,i."0,  of  .  e  Danes.     Thence   i.  wa,  proposed    .o  ,.ar.   anew    npon 

,e.,  ph,lan.hr„p,e  ,nis,ion.  I.  was  April  .S,  ,858,  when  .hey  foln.d 
.l,omselvcs  salely  aneho,e.l  a.  Ilols.einber,,  and  o„  May  8  .hey  onee 
,nore  spread  their  ,ail,,  for  .he  north.  The  plan  now  wa,  to  keep  a, 
close  as  p„s,.He  to  the  Greenlan.l  shore  a,  far  up  a,  Melville  Bay,  a,.l  it 
was  hope,l  that  it  woul.l  be  possible  ,0  cu,  acro,s  .he  north  end  of  .he 
P|,ck  and  s;a.„  the  British  side  of  Baffin',  Bay  wi.hon.  nruch  lossof  ti.ne. 
On  several  occasions  it  seemed  a,  if  they  were  fated  .0  experience  the 
,n,slortnnesof  the  preceding  su,n,„er.  Escape,  however,  wa,  ,„ade  fro,„ 
,he,e  d„bc„l.,e,  wi.hon,  serious  delay,  and  July  foun.l  .hem  eruisin. 
about  the  British  coast.  " 

Car.  wa.s  taken  to  question  all  nat.ves  old  and  youn.  concerning  any 
whites  who  hac  ever  visited  their  coast;  especially  concerning  thewreck' 
m^  o  ships,  and  the  time,  place,  and  cause  of  the  death  of  anv  who  had 
been  known  to  perish.  Thus  the  whole  distance  from  Meiville  Bav 
through  Lancaster  Sound  and  the  shoals  and  inlets  of  the  British  side 
was  gone  over  as  far  down  as  King  William's  Island.  At  nearly  everv 
point  rumors  were  furnished  concerning  certain  ill-fated  ships  that  wer'e 
s:ud  to  have  heen  wrecked,  and  the  crews  reduced  to  starvation  and  death. 
But,  although  the  stones  thus  far  listened  to  might  furnish  keys  to  the 
.solution  of  some  other  problems  interesting  in  their  time  and  place,  there 
was  too  much  uncertainty  and  vagueness  in  them  to  be  relied  npon,  or  to 
form  the  basis  of  any  hypothesis  of  discovery. 

Upon  King  William's  Island,  however,"they  hoped  for  better  results, 
some  forinei 


111 


by 


blfthat  Sir  [,>hn  had  met    his  deati 


vigators  pointed  to  the  fact   as   proba- 


J 


fit 


{  i    H 


1  on  this  island,  and    it 


was   ho'jjcl   to 


rm 


ON  KINd    WfLLfAM\S  ISLAND. 


m 


II' 


find  some  record  or  trace  that  should  settle  the  matter  beyond  the  dis- 
pute of  cynical  theorists.  How  successful  they  were  will  appear  in  the 
foUowin;^  pai^es.  It  was  the  morninij  of  the  24th  of  May,  when  the  little 
jiarty  crossed  over  to  Kin^^  William''s  Ishunl.  Nearly  two  years  had 
elapsed  since  the  expedition  left  England,  and  as  yet  not  one  fact  had 
been  gauied  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  object.  What  but  the  sincer- 
est  devotion  to  a  cherished  purpose  could  have  induced  these  men  to 
sacrifice  so  much  time  in  the  voxy  prime  of  their  manhood,  and  spentl  it  in 
danger,  .and  dilficulty,  and  sufferings.'' 

Tile  information  gained  from  natives  on  this  island,  although  j'^n-tak- 
in<r  in  some  dc'jfree  of  the  vague  character  of  that  obtained  from  other 
sources,  nevertheless  sulBciently  confirmed  their  jjrevious  suspicions.  Be- 
sides, certain  trinkets  and  small  articles  in  their  j^ossession  were  identified 
as  having  at  some  time  belonged  to  members  of  Franklin's  crew.  Thus 
it  was  concluded  that  here  or  in  this  vicinity,  would  be  found  a  positive 
answer  to  the  troubled  query. 

On  arrival  at  King  William's  Island  the  party  was  subdivided  for 
purposes  of  sledge-travel.  Capt.  M'Clintock  and  Mr.  Petersen,  his  inter- 
joreter,  lieaded  one  party,  and  Lieut.  Hobson  the  other.  Each  division 
was  well  ecjuipped  with  clothing  and  other  essentials  to  their  comf )rt  and 
safety.  Capt.  M'Clintock  does  not  seem  to  have  had  as  good  success  in 
discovering  indications  as  Hobson,  not  having  inet  natives  who  could  give 
him  any  intelligent  information;  ami  we  find  him  in  a  few  weeks  on  the 
track  of  that  officer,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  giving  him  aid  in  case  of 
need,  and  partly  to  confirm  anything  of  importance  that  Mr.  II.  might 
have  come  upon.  At  various  points  olijects  were  now  discovered,  sliow- 
iug  the  track  cf  the  retreating  party. 

Near  Cape  Herschel,  on  the  south  of  the  island,  Capt.  M'Clintock  at 
last  found  a  cairn  built  by  Lieut.  Hobson.  No  wreck  had  been  found 
and  no  natives  interviewed,  but  he  had  discovered  a  record  so  long  ami 
earnestly  sought  for  of  the  Franklin  expedition.  Refore  giving  the  details 
of  this  record  it  may  be  well  to  explain  that  documents  of  this  character 
are  made  on  l)lanks  fuf'nished  for  the  purpose  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment— of  the  kind  suitable  for  inclosing  in  bottles  and  dropping  into  the 


A       RECORD.  ggg 

sea,  in  case  of  wrecked  or  sinking  vessels.  On  these  blanks  is  printed,  in 
six  different  languages,  the  request  that  the  finder  shall  forward  the  same 
to  the  admiralty.  The  reeord  here  found  was  of  the  kind  described;  it 
was  written  by  Lieut.  Gore,  and  read  as  follows: 

"MAY2S,  1S47. 

"  H.  v..  S.  Erebus  aad  Terror  wintered  in  ice  in  latitude  70"  ,-'  north,  longitude 
9b  -'3',  west.  Having  wintered  in  1S46-7  at  Beecliev  Island,  in  latitude  74°  43' 
:S"  north,  longitude  91"  39'  15-  west,  after  having  ascended  Wellington  Channel 
to  77"  and  returned  by  the  west  side  of  Cornwallis  Island. 

"Sir  Jno.  Franklin  commanding  the  expedition 

"All  well. 

"Party  consisting  of  two  officers  and  six  men  left  the  ships  on  Monday,  24th 
May,    1S47. 

"  Gr.  Gore,  Lieut. 
"CiiAs.  DeVoeux,  Mate." 

There  is  manifestly  an  error  in  tlie  record  given  above.      The    winter 
spent  at  Beechey  Island    must   have   been    1845-6,   for   the   record    itself 
makes  a  point  of  stating  that,  1S47    (i.e.  1S46-7)   was   spent   in    the   ice. 
This  is  plain,  and  the  party's  success  is  briefly  summed  up  in  the  remain- 
der of  the  record.     Certain  wlialers  brought  intelligence  in  1S45  t^-it  the 
two  ships  of  Franklin  entered  Wellington  Channel  bv  Lancaster    Sound, 
au.l  sailed  uj)  150  miles.      As  is  shown  by  the    record   Franklin    returned 
southward,   probably  not  caring  to  risk  tlie  fleet  in  the    unknown    waters 
so  far  f >om  the  coast  of  America.      Tiiese  results,  however,  the  exploring 
of  Wellington  Channel  and  the  addition   to   the   charts  of  admiraltv    ,^- 
the  lan,l  on  both  sides  must  be  regarded  as  remarkable   for   the   work    of 
a  single  season.     It  is  thought  tiiat  Franklin  had   demonstrated   witiiout 
doubt  the  existence  of  a  Northwest   Passage,  although   he    was    destined 
never  to  make  liis  discovery  of  practical  importance. 

If  the  above  record  had  l)een  all,  or  if  the  remainder  had  been  as 
cheering  in  tone  as  that  already  given,  how  gratifying  must  have  been 
these  disclosures  to  our  weary  searchers.  But  alas!  around  the  margin 
of  the  record,  whose  contents  have  been  partially  given  above,  were 
inscribed  the  following  words  in  another  hand: 


^■'i'ii^i 


I 


II . 


U'l 


'n^ 


W 


if.i. ' 


640 


MOUia^FUL   INFERENCES. 


'Al'RII.  25,   1S48. 


VV.  of  tl 


•II.  M.  S.   IViror  ;iiui  Krel)us  won-  iicsi;itc(i  on  tliu  in\  April,    live  loa<,nu!s  \.  \' 


Ills,  luivm-  liOLMi  iK-sct  siiuc  \i\\\  of  SopteriilHT,  \\^^^(^.      Tlu'  olV 


iciTs  aiui  iTi' 


consisting;  of  uj;,  sonis  iinuer  tlio  coinniand  of  Cipt.  Crozier,    l:nuli-(l    iu-ro  in   ImI 


69     ,57'    .|.<'  N'..  ion-itiRie  vS'  .|i'  W.     Sir   [no.  I''r:nikliii  died  on  ti 


iliiii 


1S47,  and  llic  total  loss  hv  deaths  in  the  exjiedition  has  heen  to  this  date 


K-    iith   of'    1 1 


<■)  olll 


icers   am: 


(Sijrnetl. 


(Signed.) 


'  F.  R.   M.   C 


KOZIKH. 


'Fas.   I' 


"Capt.  aiui  Sr.  Ollicer. 


Ami  start  (on)  to-morrow,  jrjth,  for  Hack's  Fish  liivor. 


ITZJAMKH, 

Cajit.   ICrehus 


H 


o\v  1110 


luntul  it  was  to  fi-ccivi-  tlitis  tlir  (.•oinpletc  assurance  of 


a  fact 


vvhosf  loivshadowiii^-  had  lon^  Wqw  over  ihcin!  .V  sadiltT  tal 
fold    ill     few    words.        Tli 


0  was  iirvci- 


leri'    is    soiuctliiii'f    decpU-    loticl 


liiii'--    111    t 


U'lr 


(.•\lrenu;  siinpiit-ity,  and  they  show  in  the  slroiiLjest    nianiur  that  1 
ers  of  this   retreatino-    ])arty    were    aetnated    i)\-    the    loftiest 


>olh  ihf 


leail 


sense 


duty,  and  met  willi  calmness  and  liecision  the  fearful  alternative  of 
bold  stmL,^i;le  for  life  rather  than  perish  without  edbrt  on  hoard 
ships.  We  well  know  that  the  iM-ehtis  and  'I 
for  more  than  three  years,  or  tip  to  July,  iS^S. 


a   last 
llieir 


error  were  not  ur 


pr()\-isi()iie( 


M'Clinloelv  afterward  went    I 


o   tlie  wi-stern  evtri'inily    ot"   Kiii"-    W 


liam's  Island.      Here  he  found  that    llohson  had  heen  heibre  ii 
discovered  a  lar'-e  l)()at  willi 


un  and  had 


various  oilu'r  articles,  such    as   clothin--   and 


the  ])araphernalia  of  t!ie  Arctic  toilet. 

"15ul,  "  says  M\diiitoek,   "all    these    were   aftei    ol 
was  tliat  in  the  boat    which  translKed 


iservalioiis;    t 


lere 


us  with  awe.      It    was    ])oriioiis  ,,f 


two  liiunan  -keletons.      ( )ne 


was  that  of  a  sii'dii  yonn. 


person ;  tlic  oiIrt 


er   wa-,   louiid  in 


llM|.,|)ll 


lere;  Jar'je    and    uowert'iii 


of  a  lar^e,  stron;^-ly-made,  middle-a-ed  man.      The    form 

the  bow  of  the  bo.il,  hut  in    too  mneh  disinrhed  a  stale  to   t'liahle  1 

to  determine    whether  the    siillerer    had   died    t 

animals,    probably    wolve-,  had  destroyed  much   of  this    skeleton,  w  liirli 

may    ha\-e  been    that  of  an  ollii-iM'.      \ 

pair  ol"  woiked   slippers.  * 


ear   it  wi'  found  the  U- 


e'liieiii  III  ;i 


resides    the 


se   slippers,  there    were    a    pair  of  small,  strong,  siiooiiii'. 


half-boots.      The   olh 


er  skt'lelou    was  In  a   somewdiai 


moi'e    perleet    slate, 


RELICS   OF  Tim   LOST. 


541 


il  was  iMivi-loped  witli  clothes  and  furs;  it  1 
CI-  tliwai-t.      Close   beside   it    were    found 


•  111 


IWi)     ( 


loiil 


ly  across  llie  boat  under  tht 
live  watciies,  and  there  were 


iK--l)arreIed 

d 


r,„is_„nc-  barrel    in  eacii  loaded  an<l  cocked,  stand- 


-■  niu/,/le   upward    a'_,rainst   the   boat    side.      It 


;hat  (1 


may   be    iina'Mued   with 


eep  niterest  tiiesc  sad  relics  were   scrutinized,  and    i 


tiow    anxious 


UTV    Iraj^niient  of  clothiiiL;-    was  turned 


T 


potlii'l  -l)0()ks, 


over   in   searcli    of  pockets   and 


ournais,  or  even    nauK 


1' 


i\'e  or  si\  i) 


all  of  iheni  scriptural     )r  devot 


oolvs  were    lonnd 


loiiai     Works,  except    the    Vica 


r  of 


held 


One    little   b 


\v 


ive- 


'Christian     Melodies;  1 


,    ooiv  an   inscription  on    the 


title  pa-e,  from  the  donor  to  (1.  (>.  ((  Jraham  (iore?)  A  small  I'.ible 
contained  mnnerous  mar-inal  notes  and  whole  passa-es  underlined.  P,e- 
sidc's  thc-se  works,  the  covers  of  a  New  Testament  and  Prayer  Book  were 

I'oiiiid. 

-Amon-sl  an  ama/.in-  ,p,anlily  of  cloihin-  there  were  seven  or  ei-ht 
p.iir.  of  boots  of  various  kinds  -cloth  winter  boots,  seadxx.ts,  bc-rvy 
ankle-boots,  an<l  stron-  shoes.  I  noticed  that  there  were  silk  handker- 
ciiiefs-black,  white,  and  li-ured;  towels,  soap,  spon-e,  tooth-brush,  and 
iMir-co.nbs;  Macintosh  -nn  cover  marked  outside  with  paint,  A  i.^,  and 
lined  with  ])lack  cloth.  Besides  these  articles,  we  found  twine,  nails, 
snvs,  liles,  bristles,  wax-ends,  saihnakers'  palms,  pow.ler,  bullets,  shot, 
cut nd-cs,  wads,  leather  cartrid-e-case,  knives— clasp  ami  dinner  .,nes  — 
neclles  and  thread,  slow  match,  several  bayonet  scabbards  cut  down  into 
knife  sheaths,  two  rolls  of  sheet  lead,  and  in  short,  a  ([uantity  of  articles 
of  one  description  and  another  truly  astonishin,-,^  in  variety,  and  >uch 
as  f)r  the  most  part,  modern  sled'^re-travelers  would  consider  a  mere 
accuninlation  of  dea<l-wei,L,rbt,  but  sli,<rhtly  useful,  and  very  likely  to  break 
down  the  streuL^tli  of  the  sledjj^-e  crews. 

"The  only  provisions  we  could  (Ind  were  tea  and  chocolate;  of  the 
former  very  little  remained,  but  there  were  nearly  forty  pounds  of  the 
latter.  These  articles  alone  could  never  sujjport  life  in  such  a  climate, 
and  we  found  neither  biscuit  nor  meat  of  any  kind.  A  portion  of  lo- 
h.irco,  and  an  empty  pcmmican-tin,  capable  of  containing  twenty-iwo 
pounds  wei-ht,  were  found.  The  tin  was  marked  with  an  E.  It  had 
probably  bclon-ed   D    the    Crehus.      None  of  the  fuel  ori-inally  brou-hl 


i    n 


m 


w- 


^^^^Ht^^^^^^^^^^^^^ll 

I 

AN-  OLD    WOMAN'S    TEST/A/OXr. 


in.n,  the  ships  rc>mairu..!  in  or  about  the  boat,  bnttlK-re  was  no  lack  of.t 
!-•  a  dntt-trcc  was  lyi„.  on  the  l,each  close  at  han.l,  and  had  the  party 
been  ■>.   need  of  fuel,  they  would  have  used  the  sides   and  botton.  of  the 

boat.  ' 

Hcsides  the  thin.^.s   mentioned   above,  there   were  discovercl   several 
pieces  of  plate  evi<iently  havin,^^  belon-cd   to  the  oIKcers'   mess        The 
.nclaneholy  relics  were  placed  in  the  hospital  at  (^rec^nvicb,  where   ,hev 
nK,v  be  seen    to-day.     No  vesti<,e  of  a  wreck  was   Ibund,  and  i,   seemed 
hkely  to   M'Clintock  and  his  companions  ,bal  the  ships  had  been  broken 
up  an.l   carried    out   to   sea.       Although   no  particular  skeleton  was  here 
Hlcnt.hed,  nor  any  further   news   found,  it   seemed    likelv  that    a   jonrnev 
had  been  attempted  to  the  mouth   of  the  Great   Fish    River        The  cap 
tains  had  evidently  chosen  to  make   this   last   and   desperate    endeavor"  to 
save  the  bves  of  their  crews,  rather   than   to   ren.ain  in  the  ships;  whic. 
course,  m  the  absence  ofprovisions  and  the   lack  of  means   of   obtainin.. 
any- would  have  been  no  more  nor  less  than  suici.le.   So  the  nuuksalon^ 
tlu-  way  seemed  to  justify  the  testin.ony  of  the   ol,l    I.:squimaux   won.an" 
wl-  had   deposed:      "The  white  men  n.arched   alon,.  toward   the  .reat' 
nvcr  an.l   tell   dea.l   as  they  marched."       Faint   from   lack  of  foo.l   'their 
loved  comman<ler  lon.o:  since  gone,  the  last   hone   dyino-  ,  .,t    ,s  the    last 
star  Is  obscured   by  the  thickening,  cloud,  they  had  stru^^led  on  an<l   nlet 
then-  fate  m  the  land  where  their  best  work  was  done. 

Of  ,,n-eat  importance  were  the  discoveries  of  M'Clintock.  Upon  his 
•vnnn  to  En.,.lan<l  in  the  autumn  of  ,859,  he  was  received  with  the  -re at 
est  honors  an.l  warmest  congratulations.  He  had  been  absent  lb,- „ver 
tu-o  vears,  during  which  tin,e  ahnost  no  tidings  ha.l  come  of  bin.  to  prove 
t'^a.  he  had  not  met  the  destiny  of  those  whom  he  sough,.  II.  ...eived 
manv  .vwards  fVon.  the  admiralty,  and  the  undying  gratitude  of  Ladv 
■  rauKhn,  for  his  valor  and  success.  Still  later  he  was  knighted  bv  the 
Q>--,  and  S,r  Leopold  M'Clintock  has  gone  into  historv  as  one  of 
tiu'  most  emment  of  modern  explorers. 

I-i    us  add    in    conclusion  a    word  in  regard  to  the  geographical  im- 
l-'-ue  of  M'Clintock's  investigations.       Besides   bringing  to  li-ht   the 


uiost  important  of  th 


e  knowledge  gained,  but  n 


ever  Dubli. 


d,l)v  !• 


r.-i 


! ;  <  '■ 


"';!'' 


644 


GEOGRAPHICAL    DISCOVERIES    OF  M'CLINTOCK. 


lin,  he  himself  achieved  success  in  many  ways.  lie  proved  that  Stiait 
Hellot,  which  had  hitlierto  l,cen  regarded  as  an  impassahle,  frozen  clian- 
nel,  or  perhaps  i-iiored  as  a  channel  at  all,  is  a  navij^^ahle  strait,  the  south 
shore  of  which  is  thus  seen  to  he  the  northernmost  land  of  the  continent 
of  North  America.  He  also  laid  down  the  hitherto  unknown  coast  lino 
of  l'.oothia  southward  from  ikdlot  Strait  to  the  Ma-netic  Pole,  delineatul 
the  whole  of  Kin^f  William's  Island,  and  opened  a  \\^i\w  and  capacious, 
th()u<,'-h  ice-choked  channel,  suspected  before  but  not  proved  to  exist,  ex- 
tendin^LC  i'i"<>i"  Victoria  Strait,  in  a  northwest  direction  to  Melville  or  I'arrv 
Sound. 

The  latter  discovery  'vwarded  the  individual  exertions  of  Ca])t.  Allen 
Young,  hut  very  properly,  at  Lady  Franklin's  rcMpiest,  bears  the  name 
of  the  leader  of  the"  Fox"  Expedition,  who  had  himself  assigned  to  it  il,,. 
name  of  Fraidclin's  widow. 

Neither  was  the  expedition  unfruitful  of  scientific  results,  for  wiiileihe 
popular  mind  is  delightetl  with  the  graphic  descriptions  of  the  native  Ils- 
quimaux  and  animal  life,  so  copiously  given  in  his  interesting  book,  the 
specialist  in  science  may  be  grateful  to  fmd  in  Capt.  M'Clintock's  val- 
uable appendices  many  and  important  additions  to  tlie  zoologv,  i)otanv 
meteorology,  and  particularly  the  details  of  the  terrestrial  magnetism  of 
the  regions  examined. 

The  natural  modesty  of  M'Clintock  has  prevented  his  doing  justice 
to  himself  in  his  own  jom-nal.  His  conduct  and  prowess  were  sucli  as 
could  be  estimated  only  by  those  whose  fortune  it  was  to  serve  under 
him,  and  who  have  ])een  glad  to  testify  to  his  great  cpialities  in  times  of 
need  andof  extreme  peril.  The  example  of  such  men  must  indeed  he 
invaluable  in  a  country  where  it  is  desired  to  develoj)  in  the  lieaits 
and  minds  of  the  people  those  qualities  of  independence  and  devotion  to 
a  noble  purpose,  which  tend  to  make  the  nation  invincibh'. 


i»J 


CHAPTER    L,\[. 


UA.i.S       KIUST       VOYAOK-A      <;KXKK,)US      OKKKK-Mk.      (HUNXKM/s 
AGEXCY— Ki;»I,A(;0-SEA     SICKNKSS      -IC  I ;  lUUi .  JS- A     SA  I  I.-„K  ATH 

OF   Ki;nLA(;o.-AT  holstk,.  nKuft    -t„   son  nwMUKiiUAso   im.kt 

-UUXAWAVS-THK     HLAcK      HAC^LK  -  A     TK  ANSKOUMATIOX  _  A 
NEW    USE    OF    THE    T()X(aiE. 

Few  men  have  enterc.l  upon  ,^.reat  i.ndcrtakin-  with  less  cnco,,,-- 
a-L-mcnt  and  means  than  did  Charles  Fra.icis  Hall.  An  American  of 
;,umhle  birth,  without  friends  of  influence  or  monev  of  his  own  with 
which  to  fit  out  an  expedition  to  the  Polar  Sea  ,  he  nevertheless  accom- 
plished much  more  than  most  of  tiiose  who  had  far  superior  resources. 
He  xvas  a  characteristic  American.  Wh  A  if  his  father  had  been  a  black- 
smith? What  if  the  smile  of  fortune  had  not  fallen  upon  him?  What 
thou-h  only  an  obscure  journalist  in  the  Western  town  of  Cincinnati, 
if  conviction,  coura-e  :'.nd  enthusiasm  called  him  to  the  dan-erous  work 
of  Arctic  exploration? 

Franklin  had  been  lost;  the  British  Government  had  spent  $10,000,- 
000  for  him ;  D--.  Kane  and  others  had  wasted  their  lives  in  the  cause  with- 
oi.t  complete  success.     Franklin  and   his  crew  still   linj^ered  somewhere 
in  the  ice-bound  coasts  of  Kin-  William's   Land,  no   man   knew   where. 
Hall's  heart  went  out  in  sympathy  for  the  lost  <ines,and  for  years  he  was 
nicditatin-  upon  the  probabilities  of  their  discovery  and    recovery  before 
lie  dared  to  mention  it.     Finally,  in  1S59,  the   "call,"  as  he  terms  it,  be- 
came so  imperative  that  his    plan  was   divul-ed  to  a  few  intimate  friends 
ill  Cincinnati,  and  afterward  to  men  of  more   notoriety.     Mayor  Bishop, 
Cov.  Dennison,  Miles   (Greenwood,  Senator   Chase,  and  others,  espoused 
his  cause  at  once,  and  -ave    letters  of  value   to    aid   him    in   securin-   an 
outfit.     But  whence  was  such  an  outlit  to  come?     Mr.  Hall  at  first  con- 
chuled  to  apply  to  the  En-lish  Government  for   a   ship   which  had  been 


J5 


045 


540 


A   GENEROUS  OFFER. 


f  :  : 


llfl' 


used  ill  exploration  liefore,  and  was  at  the  time  on  the  docks  awaitincj 
repairs.  For  some  reason,  however,  application  was  never  made  for 
this  vessel.  In  fact,  it  was  but  a  short  time  after  making  known  his  in- 
tentions  that  the  generous-hearted  firm  of  Williams  &  Havens,  New 
London,  Conn.,  sent  the  would-be  explorer  the  following  letter,  therein- 
making  all  other  efforts  to  secure  a  ship  unnecessary : 

* 

"CiiARLKs  Francis  Hall: 

"Dear  Sir  : — As  a  testimonial  of  our  personal  regard,  and  the  interest  we  feel  in 
the  proposed  expedition,  we  will  convey  it  and  its  requiretl  outfit,  boats,  sledges-,  pro- 
visions, instruments,  etc.,  free  of  charge,  in  the  barque  George  Henry,  to  Northum- 
berland Inlet,  and  whenever  desired  we  will  give  tlie  same  iree  passage  home  in  our 
ships.'' 

This  offer  was  at  once  accepted.  The  George  Henry  had  been  tried 
in  Arctic  waters  and  proved  faithful,  and  it  now  only  remained  to  have 
a  smaller  boat  built  to  accompany  the  larger  vessel.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore the  contract  for  building  the  new  crafl  was  awarded  to  Mr.  G,  W. 
Rogers  of  New  London.  This  ship-builder  had  fitted  out  Kane  and 
Dellavcn.  Hence,  with  some  jiersonal  supervision  by  Mr.  Hall,  and 
much  valuable  advice  by  Henry  Grinnell,  of  New  York,  the  old  Rescue 
was  refitted   as  an  attending  schooner. 

By  this  time  men  in  various  parts  of  the  country  became  interested  in 
the  new  movement,  and  letters  of  encouragement  were  pouring  in  to  the 
adventurous  journalist,  while  more  substantial  tokens  of  Interest  and  it- 
<'-ard  were  received  from  several  sources.  Still  Mr.  Hall's  purse  was  low, 
and  his  needs  great.  He  presented  his  cause  to  private  individuals;  he 
went  before  geographical  and  scientific  societies,  .aid  wherever  a  dollar 
could  be  secured,  there  this  determined  man  of  the  future  was  to  be 
found. 

As  has  been  intimated,  the  su^^ress  of  this  voyage  was  due  more  to 
the  generous-hearted  and  courageous  explorer,  Henry  Grinnell,  than  to 
any  other  one  person.  Mr.  Grinnell  assisted  with  money,  with  cheering 
words,  with  wholesome  advice,  and  with  his  superior  influence.  Mr. 
Hall's  blunt  manner,  determined  look  and  thorough  knowledge  con- 
vinced the  merchant  that  no  man  was  better  fiuod  to  undertake  this  dan- 


[f^P'i'^'T^T 


1,   !.    k  I 


LEAVES  NEW  LONDON.  ... 

04  ( 

serous  oxpclition,  nor  did  adverse  opinions,  li,„ite<l    means,  an.l   the  ill 
success  of   past  voya.^es  deter  l,im  a  m<,me.,t  from  givinj.  all  the  aid  p<,s- 
s.l.k,  and    finally  fVon,  seein,.   the   brave  crew   aboard   the  north-bound 
vessels,  hlled  with  the  hope  of  great  discoveries. 


CHARLES  FRANCrS  HALL. 

It  was   May  39,  1S60,   when    Charles    Francis    Hall,   on    board    the 

<--r,^e  Henry,  sailed  fron,    New  London,  Conn.,  for  the  Arctic  re.nons. 

li^'art  was  .:u\  at  leaviu;^  iViends,  hun.e  and  country,  whom  he  might 


^1 


S48 


SEA  S/CA'JV/iSS. 


ncvcTsco  a-ain,  |,ut  filled  with  the  -,va(,  purp,...c  which  ha.l  driven  him 
from  his  Ohio  lircsidc,  muI  ...a  .  ,.,„  i!,  ■  unknown  sc-a  of  discovery. 
Anuni.l  hiu>  were  -athcml  tiic  (icoiyc  Jlcnry's  ercw,  with  Capt.  Hud-' 
din-K.u,  .n.  old  Arctic  sea  captain,  at  their  liead,  and  man)  .stout  hearts 
anioii'^-  their  niiniluT. 

Tlic  Rescue  was  to  keep  in  sight  of  the  other  vessel,  if  possible,  n.d 
lend  assistance  vvhe.i  such  mi,,Hu  he  rcc,.nre.l.  I  here  were  twenty-nine 
individuals  on  the  two  ships,  besides  Mr.  Hall  and  an  Esquimaux  by  the 
name  of  Kudlago.  The  means  had  not  1h  .n  sulKcie.U  to  supply  the 
expedition  with  many  articles  needed,  but  everytitin.^^  that  was  absolutely 
necessary  liad  been  secured.  This  included  instruments  for  scientitic 
investigations,  provisions  fc.t  crew,  presents  „f  ],eads,  shirts,  and  trinkets 
for  natives,  and  a  laroe   sledL,n'. 

The  winds  were  favorable  on  the  llrst   day   out,  and    the    two   vessels 
skipped    over    the    blue    Atlantic    as    th,n,-l,     i  high  glee  at    being    o„ee 
•more    upon    the    broad    ocean,   with    such  an  extet.sive   field  for  sport  be- 
fore them.      Most  of  the  crew  bad  been  on  northern   trips,  and  all    were 
sailors  of  experience.      Mr.    Hall,  h..wever,  was  '.king   his  first    voyage 
upon  the  ocean,  and  hence   began   soon   to    reali/,e   the   bitter   experience 
of  a  nuich  shake.i-up  physique.      This  sea-sickness  continued  for\everal 
days,  during    which   time    the   brave    navigator   concerned    himself  tnore 
about  the  temperature   and  peacefid  condition  of  his  ow,i  organism,  than 
about  the    Polar  seas.      Few    things    transpired,    indeed,    to    Excite  the  at- 
tention during  the  lirst  few  days.      A    school    of  whales    blowing   water 
high   into  the  air  was   met  with,  but   the  crew  not   caring  t,.  tarry  on  the 
way,  no  harpoon  was  thrown  at  the  marine  monsters. 

About  the  13th  of  June  a  terrible  squall  struck  ;he  (Jeorge  Henry, 
dashing  the  spray  in  wildest  ftn-y,  an.l  ahnost  submerging  her^at  times,' 
but  bravely  di<l  the  noble  ship  plow  through  the  deepert  trough,  climl 
the  in.nmtain  waves,  and  come  out  of  the  wil.I  warri.ig  ele.ne.Us  ttnin- 
jured  and  undismaved. 

Although  well  shaken,  all  oti  ],oanl  enjoyed  the  excitement,  and, 
when  again  they  were  skimming  along  over  a  beautif.d  cl^-ar  sea,  no 
merrier  crowd  of  mariners  could  be  f)nnd.      ()u    ]u'.u-    ji    My.    Hall    n-- 


II' " 


ICBBERGS^NORTllEim     T.riUlTS.  54J, 

markcllhe  ,l,on„„,„e,..,  faUi,,,,  „„„  ,„,,„i,,„,  ,„.  ,„,„,„..  ,„■  i,,,„„^,„_ 

Cp       „„,.,.,„„,„   ,„„l     a,.   ,.„    ,,v    tl.     .,a,„..   ,„■  s,..nv,   „„„...;, 

I  u,h„l  a,  ,he  „loa  of  Mx-i,,,.  those   ArcH,:  .n.voler,  so  soon.     The  ..x 
po,v,-    ,„ai„tainc.,l      U  „o,i,io,„  which,  inde.,1,   „a,    vc-ri.ici  :„„„,,    „.,; 

o  clock  .ha.  „„h,.     VVhc,  ,h„  hu.c   spectral  ,i,.„,.  .., ,■,,„„  ,„,. 

som  of, he  ,lecp, 1  s,„„,l  c.ctto  the  hei«h,  „f  o„e  h,„„„    ,1  a,„l  nftv  lee. 

n..  .-.a„,le,-  s.^cCacle  ha.l  eve,-  l.e„  wi.„csse.l  l,v  ,„„,„  v  .,„.,,,,  ,„^  ,,;.,,^,; 
To  see  a  ,„,,s,ive  c-vs.ali.e,!  form  shi„i„.  i„  .„e  ,„o,.„li.,H„,  ,„„,  ,„„^^. 
n.ajcs.,call,,  ,,„.  ....Uelessle  alon,,  as  ,ho,„l,  p,,p,-ne..  I,v  ,„.,,  ,„„;; 
.vac  „„  „ow,,  fr„„,  whence  i,  ha.l  ,  o„k.,  .-as  a  ,i.h.  .„c,„;„e,,  .o 
awaken  the  suhlnnesl  feclinos  of  .he  l,u,„an  her.r. 

After  .hi,  it  hecone  „„  ,o,„  ,■  a  n„e  occurreace  ,„  ,.,ee.  wi,h  these 
mo.„.cr  ,„e„e„,.=rs  fro.n  ,,.ove.  They  were  see,,  ;„  all  shapes,  a,„l  of 
.'ill  Sizes.  '      ' 

Nor  vve,e  icohe,-,     ,he  o„ly  .'.hjccts  tha,    „„„.  ,.„„,,„„,   „,^.  ^,,.^^, 

l.c„ea.h  the  surlace,  ,„  a  few  i„s,a„ees  ,„„  feet  ,.      T e   u.,,,    I,,,^ 

„eve,-|,e,o,-e.™,,nan„c  animals  of  a„y    si«,    the    si.,,,   „f  .„ese    ,  ,o„. 
a.cs  „,.„,,,,„,„,      ,rilli.„  h,    the  e.„.c,„e.     Th„s   .,av   after  , lav 
sped,  a,,d  ,„.,„  „„.r  „„„„  .,.„„,  „,,,  „„.  ,,,„,,^,„,,^  ^.^,^.,  ,,^,;. 
„,.*,    hn„„,„„  si.Hns   „ever   wi.aes  .,1    ,,e,o,e.      I,  ,„;     ,„„^.  ',, 

«h,le.hee.plo,.erwas  ou,  „po„  ,he  .leek  e„jovi„,,  ,    e  .   ..„en-    ah,a,.' 
m,<l,u„.h.,  .ha.  the  "X„,ther„  Lights"   s„.l<|e„lv    II,  ,       ,  ■  ■ 

Startle,,  at  lirs,  hy  s.,ch  „  phc„o,„e e   at  'le,,,,,,    1.,.,,,  T   ^X. 

.■|».n  .  e  ,.a„se       I.  was  „o,  the  A,,,-,.,.   „,„.,,,„.   .„„.    ,„  ^.,„.„.,^.^,,        _ 
|.lay  o,  at,„„sphe,„      ircwo,-ks_„,„../,.  „„■  ,,v/,     ,■„„  ,>,„„  „  „,„,,„„, 

""    ""'    ■'-^"■.'-  ■''  '•'■"•'•■■'-     '   ^"'--       ■'  '-,,.  I ;,„„,,,  ,t,  sca„ee 

I-    d,sc„sse.l  „s  prohahilit,,  ,„„,,,,   ^,^^,_  ,,,,^.^„,     ,^^,   ^;^^,^ 

«.cl,  a  s,,h,-.he  e„,i,-e  oorth  l,ei„g  al,   ahla.e    w„„  a    flo„a   ,„■  „„,,,,„ 

.lo,-,v.     01.I.So,,,oth.o,e,vcawor,,,,o,„„c ,.,1  ..f  ,,is  p,::    : 

ap    .,cka,asth,.,,l,ts,,,ile,„e,,eer,l,e,,,,,.ts,.f.,,„sewl,o,,,     ,: 

<>"   .h-"or.,i„g  of  J„„e.  ;,„„,,,  ,„;„.,  ,,^,     ^,^,,,„    ^^^^^^^_^^ 

"""•''*■'■ ""  ^^""'»  "-= ""  ''-'<.  -^'-ly  K... ,..,.  i„  t ,i,.ec,io;,  ■„; 


t       '   filfl 


MHvi,'-' 


f     ? 

,4, 
i 


lawkfMrat 


nr»() 


lUiATII  OF  hUDLAdO. 


tliL-  si;,'liic(l  ii.iCt.     Tlu'   A 
lU'iin,  ami  wiTi'  soon  ;nK 


c-Jirrii'd  111,'  Danisli  ll.i-.      Hy  die  luM 


mcricaii   i-olors   witc    niii    tip   ,.11    ih,-    ( 

llowled^re,!    |,y     IIr.     ;,|,| 


ll'Olir,^. 


)r«>arliiii--    vi-ssci,   wliiili 


i-ovfi-i-d  the  iiaiiu'  <)(  till'  \i,ii,,it,,  l)f  M 
tliis  to  have-  \wv\\  il 


<>(■  a   powciliil    >^\nss    Mr.    Hall 


;(is- 


inaiiiu' 


llc-al 


ic  iiaiiK'  .)(■  the  vessel  wii 


fiiice  lemi'iiilieri'd 


leir  III 


crew  fiom  (ireeiiland  to  New  ^..ik  after  II 
years   hetore.      Demnark   annually   sen.ls  a  vessel 
provisions  and  neeessary  artieles  to  her  sul 


ieh  eonveyed    Dr.  Kane   and 
i'inorai)le  voyage  several 


Tile  Mariamu'  had  1 


>o  (ireeiiland    t 


jet'ls  iipo  1    I  hat    loneU 


o   eairv 


island 


'eeii  on  siieli   an    errand    at    this    li 


relin-nin-:  t<>  lier  nalive  port. 


nie,  and    wa 


s    jllst 


The  siirhl    of  a    friend  I 


y    sail,    Ihe   sound    of  a    luiniaii  v 


heard  troin  the  tlnoat  of  a  I 


oiee,    IhouL'h 


lii"-l>onnd 
appretiate, 


erew  whieh  oiil\   ihosi'  in  simil, 


nnnpel  mik-s  away,  was  a  relief  to  the   A 


re- 


II-  eireunistaiiees   eonid    p(js 


slhly 


l''roin    this    day    mitil    || 


le    lini 


e     \y|i 


anchor  oil"  j  joist 


en    I  hi'    (u'or^o    II 


eini)or-,  ( iiienland,  litll 


eniy    dioppf,! 


,  little  oeenried  worthy  of  u.ile.     () 


lie 


eircnnistanee,    however,   of  -real     iinp<.rtanee  to  t 
l)e  oiiiitled,  vi/.,    the   dealli   of  Kudl 
traeted  a  si'vi're  eold  when  a  few  d, 


ne  ;ia\iL;alois,  in 


Usl    Udl 


i''-o,  th 


,  me    ivscpiimaiiN. 


II 


e    liad   eon- 


reeoxci-ed.      All  th 


lys  out  from   Xrw   London    and 


e  erew    fell 


.Utvatlv  attached  to  ll 


lis     ( 


kind-hearled 


specimen  of  ilu'     <<c//u\    // 


jiu'erdookii 


iii'M'r 


Olll 


lli'-ht 


:i  ■general  feeliii''-  of  sad 


owo^  and    when  liis  spirit  t,,ok  iis 


ness  peivaded  tlu-  eiit 


ser\  ici's  were  held  ovei   hi 


ire  idiii|)a;i\ .      I' 


S    I 


eniains      Mr,  I|  dl    coiid 


ropi.  r 


net  11 1''-   li 


exercises  -and    then    the    inorlal    pari    of  K,,dl, 

water's  ed-e,  and  sunk  into  the  hosoni  of  the  .1 

Fo.irs  and  ill    winds  ke|)t  ll 


le    I'l'ii'' hills 


i.HO    was    lowered    to    || 


eei). 


pt  Ihe  two  vessi'!     away    from  their  d 


oil  the  (ireeiiland    coast    until  jnly    7,    kSOo,   wl 


estiiialioii 


the  heaulifiil  harhor  of  Hoi? 


leii    they    cast    anc 


lor   111 


they  hei 


teinl)orJ,^      Forty  days  and   fort 


v    iie'lits    h: 


11   out    upon   a    pe 


riloiis   sea,   where  constant    watch 


111''-    and    thi 


ntmost   care  had  to  he  exercised  to  avoid    1 


or  (lashed  t( 


)  pieces  by  the  furies  of  a    iiortl 


leuiL,^    wrecked    upon    iceliLr^-^ 


and  was  hailed  with 


lern    storm,    and    the   sinlil   of 


Creat   deliLrht. 


When  the  crews  of  the  Rescue  and  Geor-e  Henry  ha.l  planted  lluir 
feet  once  more  up<,n  dry  lan.l,  surrounded    with   wanderiii,^    ICsmiiinanx, 


AT  liOLHTElNUOlu;. 

ilu-  >^nsc  of  loneliness  fblt  while  out  ,,..„.  ,l,e  ocean  imme.liatelv 
v..nshe.l,  and  a  fl^elin^  of  thanl^lulness  an.l  .aiislaction  took  po; 
soss.on  ,.r  each  heart.  More  than  a  th..nsan.l  n.iles  ...1  heen  ,.ave!sc.I 
-;-...  the  „,ost  dangerous  seas  of  the  ,lohe.  Hut  they  had  eo.ne 
^■y  through.  They  l,ehel,l  with  their  own  eyes,  an.l  tonche.l  with 
"'-•  own  feet,  the  far-fan.e.l  (ireenlan.l  of  the  north.  They  at  l.st 
^"";«'  >'I>«'..  tl'c  shores  of  that  conntry  nnknown  to  the  civilised  world 
.mt.l  the  tenth  centnry,  and  ahnosl  nn.lcvelope.l  since  that  time 

rhe    lirst  place  which  Mr.  Hall  visite<l  was  the  ..ovornor's   mansion. 
Saul    n.ans.on   was  not  so  palatial   as  conld    he   found    in    portions    of 
I-.-OPC  or  Che  United  States,  as  it  consisted   of  but  three  or   four  rooms 
-.1   these  all    on  the  fh-st    floor.      Mut  everything,  was   found   to   he    neat' 
and   cleanly,  as,  indeed,  were  all    the   houses,  in  this  far-ofF  town  of  HoN 
s.cn.hor...     Governor    l.:il.cr..  had    lived    here  for  a  ntnuher  of  years    re 
-vm;,  a  ..^ular  salary  ,Vum  the    Danish  Government.     His  wife   an.l 
ch.Id   had^  departed    from  Copenhagen    hut  a  short  time   previous  to  the 
-■-•■val  o,  our  explorers,  and   the  governor  was  rejoicing  over  the  pros- 
.-.  of  havn,,    h.  r.ni.y  with  hin.,  when  the  news  reached  Greenland 
that    he  vessu.  ha.l  heen  wrecke.l,  an.l  the  h.ved  ,mes  lost  in  the  cruel  sea 
Mr.    Hal    fonn.l   the    .,overn..r  a   remarkably  pleasant    gentleman, 
obh.nn,-  an.l  courteons.    Everything  was  .lone  for  the  comlbrt  an.l  enter- 
tannnent  of  the  visitors  which  could  be  devised.     lnfbrmati.,n  rc^anlin-. 
the   .slan.l   an.l  natives,  histories  of  former  navigators,  and  assisUuce  i^ 
^pamn^  U.c  George    Henry,  were  gla.lly  given  by  the  genial  governor. 
l..Hal      nnui    that   .here  were  .,nly  ten    Europeans   in    Holsteinbor. 
ahhough   tiiere  were  fwo   hundred  an.l   fifty  in  all  Greenlan.l.     A  pric" 
-<i    two    sclux.l   teachers  were    among    the    inhabitants,    and    a    verv 
llattcrmg    .level.,pn.ent     in    n.>rals    and    e.lucation    was    toun.l.        Hov' 
-.1   gn-ls,  n.any  of  them  younger  than   are  usually  fbun.l  in  our  pubiic 

l^iM-ing  a  stay  of  eighteen  .lays  an.ong  the  inhabitants  of  Holsteinhor-. 
our  her.>es  atten.le.l  .livine  worship,  several  sessions  of  school,  an.l  ^.::, 
dances.       The  latter  were  considered  by  the  nafves  the   highest  torn,  .if 


EM  '" 


M 


552 


CONTIXU()[/S   DA  7: 


amusement       Nor  were   they  much  less   appreciated  by  our  rough  and 
ready   sailor   boys,  who,  with   their  I'air    ICsquimaux  partners,  "tripped 
the  light  la.Uastic  toe  "  after  the  most  approved  style.       Most  of  these  en- 
tertainments were  given  <,n  sh.ore,  but  before  departing  preparations  were 
made  on  shipboard    for  a  grand   ball.       Accordingly,  when  the   day  set 
for  the  party  had  arrived,  the  kayaks  of  the  natives    l,egan   to  shoot  out 
from  the  shore,  an.l  long  before  the  appointed  time,   nearly  every  family 
of  Holsteinborg  was  represented    on   the  George  Henry,       The  sailors 
took  to  the  sport  with  eagerness,  and  even  the  long-bearded  Hail  bin-  elf, 
although  he  had  never  before  engaged  in  such  amusement,  was  induced' 
to  swell  the  number  of  dancers.       Thus  the  hours  sped  away.       Before 
leaving   tlic   ship,  however,  the   company  from  shore  joined  in  singing 
several  Danish  church  hymns-a  practice  which  might  not  result  in^'evd 
among  more  civilized  dancers. 

Rut  the  time  had  come  for  leaving  this  delightful  shore.  Many 
friendships  had  been  formal  and  n^any  eyes  were  moistened  at  the  thouglu 
of  separation.  The  stern  duties  of  exploration,  however,  demanded  tl^lr 
onward  march,  and  on  July  24th,  ami.l  a  large  number  of  natives  and 
Europeans,  after  many  hand-shakings  and  exchanges  of  presents,  the 
noble  thirty  repaired  to  their  ships,  and  were  soon  stemming  the  tide  up 
Baffin's  Bay.  ^ 

The  travelers  turned  their  course  toward  Northumberland  Inlet.  The 
first  day  forcibly  reminded  them  of  the  .Lingers  to  which  they  were  sub- 
jected, as  the  sky  became  overcast  and  (juite  a    gale  blew  for  awhile,  hut 
the  worst  of  its  fury  pas.c.l  over.       Icebergs  of  every  description  were 
floating  about,  many  of  which  were  of  the    most   fantastic   and    beautiful 
design.      The  third  day  witnesse.l  a  heavy  snowstorn^.      However,  when 
the  clouds  i^ermitted  (he  sun's  rays  to   reach   the  ear'h,  the  effect  was  frr- 
(inently  the  mo.t  .lelightful  and  startling.       It  will    be  remembered   that 
the  explorers  were  now  in    that  portion  of  our  globe  where  there  is  per- 
petual  day  for   a   large  portion   of  the   year,  during   which  time  the  sua 
uever  disappears  below  the  horizon.      Mr.  Hall  graphically  describes  the 
day  that  noted  old  SoPs  non-i.Klinatiou  to  go  out   of  sight,  when   the  en- 
tire crew   stood    upon   the  deck  at  miJuight  and  watched  liini  descen.i  t.. 


nEFRACTIOiX. 


the  horizon  iiiul  then  si 
of    the    skies.       Th 


owly  l)e"-in 


\S,n\   his  march   up    the   ni'r.rd 


most  beautifully    verified   and    ill 


10    peculiar   laws    of    refiectiou    and 


553 


mountains 


ustrated.      I 


refraction    were 


-tudv  theories 


,  and   demonstralc    what 


n    our  works 


on   ])hvsics   wc 


■ircumstances,  littl 


e    reahxinir,  Jiowev 


ini<jfht  come  to  jxiss  u 


nder  certain 


exist,    and    that    th 


er,   that   th 


0     results     are     beheld     1 


ese   circumstances   really 


)V 


peopU 


on     some     point 


/•  I  ™  -      i'--'|j.^     vMi     some     nouit 

■■.->-  ^i'l--.      The  .,.„,  ,..-  H,.   R..„„„  „,„,   o,„,.^^   „^,„       J^ 

l..l,d.i    ,„„,„»,.„,.   ,,„,„,„„,     ,,.„„   „|,  .,   „_^    ^,^^.     ^^,^^.^,^_    ^^^^^    ^.      . 
scv,..,„y-hve    .o   <,„e   hundred    ,„i,„  ,„,,,.       ,,,„    „„,,    ,,,j,^    „.^„.^    ^^_ 

refracted   as   to   pick    up 
these    mountains,   which 
would     otherwise     have 
lieen  invisible  at  such  a 
great    distance,    because 
of   the  rotundity  of  the 
earth,    and     ],lant    them 
high  above  the  horizon, 
where   the    awe-stricken 
sight-seers     could      o-aze 
upon      their      monstrous 
forms  at  their  leisure. 

Nor  was  this  the  only 
phenomenon.  J}\-  the 
same    laws  of   refraction 

CAl'T.    SIDNKY    O.    lirDIUNr.l  OK  tK 

,     ,,   ,  "^<-    '"f^"'>    at   first  si<rht 

''l'l'-;-l  ^'"  '-'<™  -"1  .li*.r„,h  i.h„„ls  cl,„!u.d  „-i„,  „,,,|,„,,  „:,.„ 
-"  n,  ,hc  hcavo.s  i„vc,-,o,l  iod„.,-,»,  ,;„,.  |,„.,  ,„,,,„„„,^  ^^^^^^ 
"P-  Uu.  ,,po.,  a„.l  „.c„  llu.  vast  ..a  U..,r,  had  appaaa.tlv  sl.irt.d  i,: 
l--;no„  .„  ,lu.  cl,.ud.,  while  ,hc  „„„.  ,„„.,„„„  „,,„,  ,,;„,^^_,,^^.^,  ^^^ 
™..,c.  a.s™,hla.c.  „r  oanhly  visitors,  hNc  a„  ,„.i..,„al  ,;,i,,.|a„d  phancd 
"I't  in  Its  most  evtravao-ant  array. 

<l"o  ,n„r„i„.  ,hc  c-cw  .,r  tl,c  r,o,.P,,„   I,,,„y  wcv  sarpris. hoar 

-l..^  cry  ..  Sh,p.a.,,„y!  ••  ,v,„„  ,h„  .,,ch.     Th.  stra,,,.  ,-„«.,  „„.„  ea.ne 


within  shoutinur  dist 


nice,  when  the  followiuLT 


cotu'ersa.tion  ! 


!   tc 


place; 


'^^ .  :  i 


fir 


554 


ff  r: 


III 


yy/A-  /.v/A'/i /^'/inv. 


"  Who  are  ycMi?"    cried  Capt.  IJiuldinjrtoii. 

"Crew  fro,,,  ll,e  A„sell  (nl,l,s,  of  Ne-.v  MeilConl,"  was  the  ,-eply. 

"  \Vhe,e  :n„n,  a„,i  ho„>i.|  to  wha<  po,-t,"  erie.I  the  Captai,.. 

"  1' ro-n  the  ,io,-th  a„<l  l,o,„„I  to  the  so„th,"  ca,„e  the  a„swe,-. 

'•  ^'ou  aie  i-.„ia\vays,  arc  you  not?"    th,„i<lere(I  Cai)l.  H. 

"  V  "s,  we  are,"  was  the  ap.swer. 

"Why  (lid  yon  leave  you,-  ship?  " 

''  I5a(i  tieatiiicit  on  hoai-.l  a,i(!  iiothiii.^  to  eat." 

-  Do  you  kuow  how  far  it  is  to  the  U-n-fed  States?"  asked  the  eaplain 
"Ahout  1500  u.iles,  we  have  .eckoue.i,"  said  the  spokes,na>,. 

"Ai-e  you  all  ol.l  sailors?"   was  asked. 

-  No;  o.ily  two  of  us  have  ever  hee,i  to  sea  l)ef;>re,"  was  the  leply. 
Invaiudid   Capt.  IJuddi„,i,rto„  a„d    Mr.  Hall  expostul^    with    them 

^'l'""t  their  ha.anlous  uudeilakM.-  They  .^ere  hou.ul  to  .y^.tiuue  thei, 
voyao-e.  Sionns  an.l  icehe,-s  ,„;.■!„  ,Vij.|,fe„  others,  but  these  A,iunr« 
iH.ys  were  fearfully  ho.nesick,  a,.,l  uotwithstaiiditi-  the  prospects  of  star- 
vati..,,,  of  free/,«,;4,  of  heiu-  swallowed  l.y  some  sea  in.mste,-,  they  a.^ain 
took  their  departure,  and  were  soon   lost  to  view. 

It  is  uot   possible  to  follow   these  ."eckless   sea.iUMi  i„  their   little  hoat, 
throu-h  the  niauy  <h-ea,-y  days   a,ul    ho.-rihle  experie.ices  of  their  cou,-se.' 
Suiliee  it  to  say  that  <mly  three  out  of  the  seve.i  ever  reached  their  native 
'^"•'1-      One  „f  these,  T1k,s.  Sullivan,  ;^ave  a,i  account  of  their  ,nisf  .,„,ncs 
^n^^l    desperate    stra.ts.      Driven    Inther    aud    thither,    without    f.od    .,n,l 
l"-"P->-  rlothino-,   the    rcnainino-   th.ee    were    linally    picked   up   In    i:.- 
'l•'^„an^,  and    went    l,ack    hon.e.      While    wrecke.i    upon    an    „„kn,.wn 
i-laudoneof   their    nu.nher  died,  when    the    ivst   cut    thellesh   fio.u    his 
1-nes   and    ate  it.      Nor    was  this    the    ,nost    horrihle   ri,vu,ustanre.      An 
^'itenipl    was    nia.Ie    h.    n,u,-der   another   of  the    crew.      A    teri-il,le    li..|u 
ensued,    in    which    one   of    the    would-l.e    ,„unlere,s    was     killed.      Their 
S..M-V  tonned  a  iittiu^  le,„„nation   to  such  a  scene  of  insuhonlina.,,,,,  an.l 
had  discipline. 

Tlu-  lon,r.s„n;.ht  hay  was  soon  appn.ache.l,  an.l  prepaiat.ous  ,n:..le  h. 
l^n.d.  A.  s.,„n  as  the  (n-o,-e  Henry  was  si-hted  tVoni  the  ha,-h.>,-,  f.ve 
whalcMs  were  sent  out  fn„n  the  IJlack  l':a-le,  which  was  lyin-  at  a„eh„r 


^    TltANSFORMA  T/OJV. 


555 


Ill  nils  lo  ;i 


■ssist  ill  hiiiiMiiiir  ill  the-  ( 


JL-OIiTL- 


II 


he  II 


KTiy  i;iii,L;liter,  he: 


ciirv 


i-ty  liaii<l-shakiii<r,  and  1 


111'  siiilors   ;is  tlic\-  met 


each  otiicr  in  tiiis  t" 


><)i>U'rous  shouls  t 


I'oin 


inr  joy  ol   such  ;i  mectinic.      Capt.   All 


if-oir  land 


,  evinced  the   :,'-enii- 


il   Ins  mates,  soon 


owed  out  to   tl 


iL-n,  of  the  niack    ICa-I 


C',     with     t\V: 


le  nicoiniii"-  \ 


were    oiir   heroes    wel 


coined    to    t 


•A  \essel,  AWil  n^-ht 


conhalK- 


luelve  o'clock  on  the    Sth  day  of  A 
-:il'el\-  in  the  har!)oi-. 


le    harhor  of   ( 


''iiinell     IJav.      ^\i 


)Ollt 


i,t,'-ust,  the  (;eor<re  II 


L'liry  cast  anchor 


It 


innsl  not  he  ror--„tten    that  wlial 


«.-a,  althou!4- 


>  l>rave  and  skilllnl 


in--   vessels  make   tr 


il)s  lo   this    f"; 


iiiiist  he  the  ii 


to  risk  his  lite  in  sii 


i\i,Lj;ator  wlio 


thi> 


P-"'l 


)<)se. 


It^ 


t-li  an    undertaking       The    IJlack    I- 


is  willin"- 


crew  was  not  iar' 


a,L,de    was  out   lor 


a  «*i'afarin"-    lif 


;^',  I'tit  tearless  of 


1  It'll  the  sporls  of  the 


anythin^u^  connected 


111 


ero-u-  fhan    would    he   i.^ 


will)   lC.v|»jr»>»H,x 


pected.      A 


se  passaL(es  wei 


L'  more  iin- 


C(|iiaiiilaiices    were    al 


,  vvhicli  proved   a  somee  of  vast 


wavs    formed 


and  rcckle»»i  creWs  (4  a  wh 
I'jjoii   (he   .K-A'n^Um   of  the   ( 


<-'iijoymeiit  to  the    wild 


diiiLf  \esse: 


ieori^e    Henrv 


)    fiid  w  omen. 


nalured  iiativr^,  ,.ui 
tcii^e  iiiteri'st  in  f  ,- 
liMi'^cd  to  the   vessel.      The    I'] 


:ii-rival,  scores 


0|      ''-OOi 


^'   Comer: 


i-aiiK.'  ahoaii 
;    lull    iievei- 


OSl       111- 


iiiaiiifestin-  tlie  m 


l"ucliin-  aii-ht  wliich  1 


>iiiimaii\,  aci-ordiii' 


loi 


biy  honest    -not  so  sea 


ii|;nloiisly  clean.     A  litl 


tlii>  time,  which  will 
Kiidla'M)\  little  ■drl. 


)    II;i 
t'  circnmstaiK 


are    scair 


oe- 


)ii- 


servi'  lo    ilhistraie  t 


•-'  oc(  iirix' 


ai-iii''-  of"  her  fat 


i|tiire   concerniii'^-    it.      Kndhi"- 


le    lack  of  this  latter 
ii'i''^  death,  c.nn 


<|nalit\- 


'>    had    lhoii"-|it 


e  al)oard  to  in- 


|l;"iL;liti'r,   and   had    iilled  a    chest   witl 
pivsenls  to  her  and    his    wife. 


a    -/■<  tl    d 


eal   o(    hi' 


little 


I   varioii- 


ri'^hi 


col  (lie 


alHi,ii( 


1,  Mr.  II 


ill  and  Capt.  I 


U:cordiiitrly,  whew  t\u-   hftl 


articles  as 
c   one   came 


lean  costume.      jhit  the    task  of  traiisf 


'.  ron.Inde.l  thev  \v.>ul.|  drt-s-  JR-r  j,,  A 


mer 


ii;vnl\cd    .ilmost 


as   much    lahor  as   d 


toilet  anion-  American  "-iris  fan| 


)rniint,r  tiiK   dau^^hter  of 
oes  an  ordinarv   m-;ui*I 


tlie   lorest 


iHlllh-d- 


icr   soiilli.      lie,    /, 


■a  mai\-elons  eiit.inL^denieiit    and 


mixture  of  i 


I'eri-  hair  all  matted 


orinution  of 


noss,  -,eal,   ,iid 


(OM'l.tl 


/!th 


Coii 


ipoiiiids  frf  uitiiu.w 


111  rein- 
II  nature.     .\or 


W^i 


mn 


iMl 


nrto 


^v•;ls    !uT    1 


.'/  A'/^ir  irsf-  OF  T///C  roxc, (,'/.: 


U'.kI    !Iu'    i(ii1\' 


pi'ilioii    wiilcli    lUH-ilcd    .iticnt 


on. 


layn     oT    uortli 
li.nids,    wliifli    I 


;ui'r  .ill 


cr 


I'l'U      llUiliuT     i'.|ll!l 


ii.-id   ;icciJiniil;il 


l<l     IIMOIl     luT    Im 


«''|nin-,l    mihh    s();i|)   lo    n-movc.      I 


>iil     wlu.'ii,    ;i('l 


scnilihiii.;-    ;ui  I    comMii,.-,    |l, 


i-'i'    :iii( 


^'l'    cIlK 


I'   orio-rii,,!  \v;is  ai'rivi'd   ,it 


iild 


im  mori-    1 


(.■niid  CO 


I.ilitudc.    II 


ll.l\r   hri'ii   liMlll 


H'.-iunriii 


d    l)fl\VtH'll    llu'    _';;lll    ;lll   I 


91  li  drunx-s  of 


I'l-i-lnH'ks  \vi.M\-  as  vcd 


llnHil 


Is  I'osfs,  lu'i-  lips  oC 


niU',  and  lirr  t-ye 
<|f    din  an 


111'  inosi  cxiiiiisih t. 


S   01     "IU\lV(.'ll  s   own 


lull' 


X 


f   <lirl  ai)j)arciitly  injmvd  Iut  licallli.      SI 


'>|-  had  liu-   outer 


''ovcnii' 


as    the  1 


Nvas  .IS  rohiisl  and  full 


<•■  nn\oni    niaidrii  on    llu-    dI 


"I     life 


)lanis  o|    ijliii 


i:asl.      K 


i>is,  (tr  til 


r    nioiiiitanis  of  || 


nuniiloo  was  tin-  ii; 


W'iu'ii  kiinm 


mil-  of  this  ronianti 


ili>(»  i-aiiu-  oiii  ,,|-  iln^,  cahiii  .d 


(•  niaidcn. 


:iiidilv    attiR 


<l'vss,  l.rass  ini.^s,    (aiu-ilnlly    arran-cl    iVills    and    inilud 


•'    111    a    i( 


inaiix  ic-lations  and  tVit-nd 


|>\vs,   luT   !•; 


-IJIU- 


s  ian''-|iL' 


d,  sliontc-d,   and    iiiin|)i,-d    ahont 


iU'liu;litt-d    with  ih 


1  .urcaliv 


i-  clian^t'    ot'  rost 


nnu- 


vc'i\'    intcreslii 


!-;ivt 


'"   of  a    i)lind    10s,,niniaiix    called    Hlind    ( u-oi -u    |: 


il;'   ai'founi    is 


/.?//-/'),.. r,7-  In-  the  natives.      Jk-  claimed  to  I 
and  indeed,  so  proved  liiinscH;      Mr.  Hall 


'V    tile    sailor 


-^i  ;iii, 


>>■■  an  expert  \v:tl\  the 


llCCll 


avi."    liini  a  "a 


niieiit 


and  walchci 


ii>    nu'inl 


Ills  inanoMivers.      ( 


containiiiLr  the  eve  hetweeii  his  U 


^eor-c  look  the  needle   and    pu 


1     tlie    I'll,! 


li.      llel 


lip  of  his  toii.j- 


Will 


H'li  pill  llu'   Ihri'ad  n 


1  his  lon^nc  he  hrou'-lil 


coiilaii  with  the  net'dU 


Ihe  I'lid  of  the    t 


poll    I  lie 
liiead  ill 


until 


lii'i-H'llv    il    stri 


was  threaded!    \\.rilv,  this  is  a 


ick    the  eve,   and    1 


le    net 


Use-  ot    till'  I 


Tl 


onL,Mie  iie\i'r  km 


)\vii    hel.iii 


ic-e 


.^<piiiiiaiix  showed 


;reat    ea;_^t-rness  to  1 


A 


iiu'iicaii    iiiaiiiicrs   and    laii-nia'. 


leconie  acipiainied  wit! 


^iid    what    is    St  ran. 'V,    vet 


al\va\s  tin-  case,  word- 


iicarlv 


ol    prolaiiil  V  and    ohscci 


iil\-    wei 


learned 


\V 


I'    invanahlv    lli-l 


icii  oiu'  o|'  them  could  not 


|)ii.'k  tipa  little  hall  of 


was  daiH-niL;-  aroiin 


iiiercuiN   ili;ii 


<l,  he  said  II   had  llu. 


•\il  in  it.      1' 


accounted  |or  h\   the  fact  that  tl 


•■'rhaps  this  is  \n  he 


icse  words  wiM( 


lieard  mor.    thai 


1  aii\  otlu-r.- 


amoiiL;-  Ihe  sailor 


---,  out    II    seems 


a    comcKieuce    woitii\-   o|' 


note    iJKii    llu. 


same  is  t  rne  in  tli 
loii-ue. 


e  lasi'  ol   I'veiv  for 


I'l-ner  111  Inst  aeiiiiirin-   the    i: 


U'^llsll 


!H'r   liicc   :i,i,l 

II,     Mltcr     ,||K' 

"■^'  i'raiitiriil 
■''•■■s  of  iioril, 
■N'|iiisitc  Diij. 
iter  covcriiiM- 
<l  full  n\  \\\^. 
ilaiiis  of  iln; 


'  — ■•    -...--.     ,;,M,.:,.-s-nn..KK.     ,..uu.,.,-kk     -.     ...sKu-.Kn 

.ANA     SAVK,.--,.A,.,,     ..AKKK,<-,o..KOO,.r,.C,-A    ,W.:nKK„.,s   <„...,.,. 
-A     SU„n..     ,HAN..K  A     Sn<A.,.K     rUST„M-^,^    .     STAKV.V.: 

-x-...M.x-.ouM,.:unv    no.s-    ham.    .akks   u.   n.s   kksummk 
Willi    i.wuns, 

'•'''^■''^"•:""'"'""- ^'-■-'-    — in.l    un.il    the    .,st.      lyuru.r 

Hum-  st.y  the  .rcw  n.^a^^nl  in  whahn,,  and   M,-.  ,1^11   ,,,vot.l  his  aU.,;: 

..'HMO  tile  natives,  and  ,o  visi.in,  son.  of  the  island,  which  ahoniulo!  in 
tlK'  hay.      Leaving  this  hay  the  eaptain    shape.!  his  course   ,o,-    I^.-ohisher 
S.ni.s,    which    wei-e   reached    the    lollowi.,;,   day,   and   ,he   anchor   was 
'1-Pl-l  in  a  heantiful  lit.lc    inlet    which   was    n.nned   after   Richard    II 
Chappell,  of  Mew  London,  Conn.     On  <,oin^  ashore  it   wa.   fonnd    tlrU 
.luT  were  separated  iVon,  ,hc  waters  just  lelt  hy  a  strip  of  land  less  than 
-n,len.wi.Ith,  and  which  was  so  low  that    hi^h    tides  would    prohahlv 
— -•      Theistlunns    was   sandy    in    portions   while   in   others   i,    w.. 
covered  with  rock  an.l  shale.      Fron.  a  rid.e    of  rocks    na,ne<i    Mon^an's 
ll'N,  ■>  l.ne  vew  of  the  heautitul  strait    was   enjoved.      Facing  the   par.v 
:r"V"""^"*'^"-^'"    '"■  '' '-'-'H-r,    and    hevond    it    in    thedistanc: 
''■';'.     "'"^""^''    ■"'"'^"'    ''>'    ^^"-"     '^'i-'-.h,     and     sailed     upon     hJ 
In.lH.her  two  lunulred  and  ei,.-l.,v.two  vears  previonslv 

Al.hon;,!,  lortv  nules  dis..nf  :,elandon  the  opposite  side  of  the 
^'-'-vas  clearly  seen,  and  had  the  appearance  of  hein;,  topped  w.th  a 
'7'"'^''V"""-  ^^"-  "-■-"'  -s  visited  severaMnonths 
-i-!-ntlv  ,,  was  f  .nnd  ,.  he  an  enorn.ous  ,,ac,er,  which  was  nan.ed 
ann-  Henry  Gnnnell.  To  the  west  the  n.ountains  seemed  to  unite  with 
'l'^-  "■•"•n.w  strip,  and  a  week  later  it  was   learned 


if.  ^^!, 


It  til 


e   water   was  a 


IS 


558 


A   r;/{fEF-STJi/CK-EN   DAUGHTER. 


h  I  .  ti 


I    •  ' 


W^\S 


.."V  «  „p,  ,„.,„  „„„,  ,,„,„„„  ^^^„.^  ,,^^_^,^,  ^^^_^ ^^ ^_^^^^__^  n... 

Geo,,    „„,        ,  „,„,  ,  „^„.,.„^„  ^.^^.^,^^^,  ,,,^^^^__  ^^^^^^  ^^_^^^  _^>  ^^^^^  . 

of  -h.  ..,■      D„n„,  ,„..  .,,■,„,,„„„  ,„„„,  ,„„„  „,  ,,,^  „^„.^. 

K'.m.-  „„  1,,„,,,|,  ,„„|  „„^  ,^,ri,f.»„-iokon.  '    " 

tr "'■^■'■'^ '"'^•M'.^.-..-s„, ,. ,,.,iaco„M.,„„.„ ;  ,' 

u.„„„,„„.,.,„„  „.  ,,.,,    ,,,„„„^.,  ^.^^^,^,,  _,^^.^_^^^^_^^    ^_^^^^^^^^_,^  - 

I-;  '■— .  -l-aH,  a„,  p,.,..i„„  ,.,.  ,„. ,„, „  ,.„„,  „,.  ,„^.,; 

illiv,:li„„  .,r  I-,„l„M,c.,   Strait.  '  "' 

0...lK.n,„n,i,„,„-.hc,,„tl,a,rip    wa,   ,„a,L.  t„   a   la,-,..   Wa„|    „„ 

:"","-"'^", I —'-■.:.„.„.„,. « ,„ .„,,,,; 

:;7 '  7"  ™™' "''^  ^'*'' '''^- ''^^'' '"- '  "-i^-".  tn.  ,„ 

"'  r ;-■'''-*''-•'-' '•.-'-.."i- ia ,,,.,,.  „i,,,.,. ..,,,:. 

-m.      ";-'-"c...  , a    U.M.tl,,, ho    „,„„.,.,„•  ,.„,a,„l    a   I,a,ri„d, 
'"7'^' ■""*"'  "■"'""^■■'^ ™.  ...■„..  „„aK..     Th „„„. 

...a..  a,v  vc-y  r,.,„,  ,„•  tho  ,ki„  ,„■  .,„.  ,;,,.,„aa,  „,„,.,  „,,;,„  ,„„  '„, 
'■'».- .hey  , I,.  al»  „K.  a,.at  ,.,•„..  „hal,,  aa.l  .-hid,   tt-avol,.,-    „.   , In, 

;,;^";'  '■';";"'•■:,:;  -^ "-^''"— '--  '-•  .1.^  ...to,.  p....na,.,„  :,■ 


WRECK  OF  THE  RESCUE. 


55!) 
■■    .1-  ).n.,..  .„■  „  Tha„k,,,lv,-„g  ,„rkoy."     The  E«,uimnu.    ,„„sHc,„c  i. 

,H,  ,„  S.,,te„„.e,.,,,..,.,o  piece  „f  wl«   ...  ,„„,_,   .„  ,,„  „,, .; 

"0,.1„„«  ,„„e,eo„  „„,„„,„  „,.  ,■„,„„,  ,„,  L,„„„„,  „,„„,  ^,„,  ^^^,^  ^, 

"■^".i  l>n.vc.,l  ,.,  he  „  ,-eh-e  ,„■  Fr„hisher'»  Expe.li.i„„ 

r„„.;„„  eh.  ,„  „f  sepeemhe,.,  „p  .„  ,„c    h.„e,.  p.,-,,  „„„„ ,■ 

n,.  ,ese  .,ce,„.,.e„  .„  .,„.  ,,,„,„;„,,     ^.^  ,.  ^^,  ^^^_^      _^^^^^^  - 

.."l<.".»ho,...„p,,  ,■,„,„  ,„e»hiph,va,.io.„  .„ee.i,.,.,  |„    ^  ,,,.„     „ 

uh;ch    h.,„e  e„.a.e„    i,.  .hen,    „„    .eve,,.,    ,«a»,„.    ,„e.   „i.h    ,„i„„. 

-u,!c„,s  a,u,  ,„,.hap.     Quite  a  ,„„„he,.  „f  „ative,  visited  M„  Hall    ..,„ 

.|.|nn..hc..-.ay„e  ,,ai,.e.,   fro.   the.   eh    valuable   i,.ron.a.io:  ^ 

<>■.  'ho  ^6.1.  li,ht  »in,ls  e„,„.„e„ce.I  „.  ,„„„.  f„„„  .,,,  „„„„. 
.-.,  sea.|,lv  ,.,e,.eas,„,  in  f„,,e  until  the  following  ,lav,  when  thev  a,. 
M-no  ,he  p,.„p„,.,i„„.  .„■  „  ,„,,,,,,,^,  aee,™pa„ie.l  ,.v.„„„,  \,  ^ 
" -cU  ,n  the  evenn,,,  all  ,he  aueh..t»  were  le,  ,„.  An  'hou,.  late,-  the 
lU-ene  e„„,„u.n,,e.l  .Irag.in,  her  anchors,  a„,l  „„„  afte,-  the  Geo,-.,ia„v 
—"..Id  v  Capt.  Tyson,  was  in  the  san.c  pre,liea„,cnt,  Tl^  . 
»>on  „,c,-ease<l  to  a  hu„,eane,  an.l  ,,,  .ui.lni.h,  the  two  ships  na.ne.l  „;,. 

■" -V"";"'"    ""■  ■■"=''^-       ^'"^  °'---^ '  "-■■•■■"■"  ■•"■<->.>  a  point  on 

'"■  l-Kl  and  ,0,  „,t„  eon,paratively  sn.ooth  ua.e,,  althou.H,  she  was  ■„ 

';•  -■7'""'-       -n-o  crew,  cpcctin.  she  would   ,0  .0  pL-cs.  d    J  „ 

"'"'";r:'-^-  r""' ""  '■'""-  ^'"-■•--  -^'^  '-'.-■ -  '-.■  htoa.,sidcs.  t,, 

e.ped,.,o„  „oat  npon  which  Mt.  Hali  depended  so  n,„ch,  was  also  torn 
"-".-.  n,„o„n,H,  and  dashcl  ,0  pieces.  When  n,on,i„,  dawned  hoth 
vessels  were  seen  pounding  against  the  hreakets,  and  assistance  u-as  in,- 
-■■  «d.v  sen,     ,e™.     Capt.  Tyson  and  his  ctcw  e.-te  ten,,.-..,  in  salctv 

"■  '7'"'^'"  "'^"'•■>'-    TlH'  «....-.n  continued  with  tntahated  hn-v  thron.-h 

™  -  .lay,  h...  ,he  rollowin,  n,o„,i„,  the  .aleaha.ed,  and  a  panv  uCnt" 
-hoK.  1  he  Rescue  was  ,„,n,d  ,0  he  a  total  wreck,  and  l,:,d  ,0  he'  let  ,0 
- '"-""■       ■'"'^'•'  '-'"■•---  --  '-.'-.I ...  he  perfeclv  ti.h.  and  con,- 


paralivelv  uniniuri'd. 


.1    I 


UT 


crew  aq-ain 


tool. 


V  iJDNsessioii  of  Ikt,  towed 


t  3| 


560 


TOOKOOLITO. 


I'l ! ; 


IfU 


•I'  I 


!f;v' 


hu.-  o/F  the  rocks,  an.l  once  .nore  .achore.l  he,-  in  deep  water.  The 
escape  o,"  the  George  Henry  was  ahnost  ,nirac..lous,  hut  she  di.i  not  lon^ 
surv.ve  her  partner  in  adversity.  She  was  wrecked  July  .6,  .^G,  on 
one  ot^  the  lower  Savage  Islands  in  Hudson's  Strait,  aho.u  one  hnnL, 
-lesfnrthersonth  than  Rescue  Ilarhor.  The  Geor^iana  .nade  .oo,l 
her  .letects,  and  on  Oc.her  ,st  set  sail  tor  Northnn.herlan.i  InU^  u. 
wniter. 

During  the  months  of  Gctoher  and  Xoven'her  the  ti.ne  passed  rather 
■nonotonously,  and  durin.  that  tin.e  Mr.    Hall   devoted    most  of  his  time 
to   observations  of  the  display  of  aurora,    which   were   beautiful   beyon.l 
descnpfon.      On  the  1 3th  of  October  the  expedition  was  startled  by  an  mh 
expected   arrival.     A  stean.er  and  a  sailing  vessel  can.e  up  n-o.n  the  .; 
->'I   anchored  on   the  opposite   side  of   Fiel.l  Bav.       The  discov-  rv  w.' 
soon  made  that  the  strangers  were  the  funons  Capt.  Parker,  of  the^True 
Love,  an.l  his  son,  con.nan<ling  the  steamship   Lady  Celia.       Thev  h.,] 
•"ade  the  trip  Iron,  Cornelius  (irinneli's  IJay  in  less  than  a  dav         V  vi^it 
^>  the  strangers  was  in.mediatch-  planned  and  execnte.l.      When  seen  hv 
M.-.  Hall,  Capt.  Parker  wa.  sixty-nine  years  old,  and    had  been  navi..,t- 
mg  the  Arctic  regions  f,rtv-,lve  years.      His  ship  at  that  tin.e  was  a  ,:;.,. 
cl.-ecl  years  old,  was   built    in    Philadelphia,     Pa.,  and    had    taken    par,    i,, 
many  ot  the  searching  expeditions.    Capt.  Parker  exan^ined  the  plans  .f 
he  expcd.fon,  in  which  he  took  a  deep  interest,   and    promised   an  addi- 

--•  '-U  which  was  much  needed  in  the  transportation  of  suop.ie, 
'-^  -h.ch  pron..e,  nn.ortunately,  was  never  lulliiled,  as  the  ship^  were 
''■■■ven  to  sea  by  a   gale  a  tew  days  later,  an.l  did  not  return 

Mr.  Hail   relates  that  on  Xoven.ber  .    he  was  surprised  bv  a  visi,  .,f 
-  I-l.unaux  la<ly,  dressed  in  iCuropean  habihn.en.s  and  speaking  ilnentlv 
he    Lnghsh    language.       She   was  Tookoolito,  who,    with   her'  hushand 
Ll^.erhu^g,  ha<l  spent  twenty  nn.nths  in    England,  where   she    ha.l    n.uk 
the  most  of  her  advantages.       ,  I.,   ,„..,,,,„    ,,,,  ,,^,  accuston.ed  ,0  ,he 
Ln^Wish  tongue,  but  could  carry  on  a  conversation  in  tha.  lan-nn.^e         V 
v.s,t  to  their  lK.„e  a  ibw  davs  later  showed  a  happv  state  of  alial^.    The 
tent  was  as  comfortable  as  the  surroundings  coui.l  n.ake  i,,  and    Took,,,,. 
l.to  was  .ngagcl  in  knitting  socks  fbr  her  husband.    Not  onlv  this,  n„t  she 


A  GENE  If  O  US  OFFER 
CaUKl,.  :,M  who  wanlod  ,o  learn  it  the  samo  „cc„p«i„„„„„|  ,„„,  „„,„„,„, 
...  ,na„g.,ra.,„s  quite  a  „„™l,e,-  „r  useful  Eur„,«an  habit,  a,„l  eu,t„™, 
a.n..ng  her  ne„hl,„r,.  She  c,„„„lai„e,l  that  ,„a„v  of  ,he  whaler, 
were  bad  men,  and  e„„,an,i„ate,l  the  native.  She  eoinplaine-l  in  par.ie' 
..I...-  "t  the  Ameriean,,  who  ,wore  n,ore  and  wor,e  ,ha„  .heir  E„.,li,h 
brethren.  " 

While  on  shore  for  water  one  day  in  the  huter  part   of  October,  Mr. 
Hall  was  muuated  into  the   mysteries  of  Esc,ni,naux    worship.       Seeinc. 
an  excted  crowd  gathered  around  a  ,nan  who  had  the.   completely  un! 
.1-  h.s  control,  and  ,nade  then,  obey  his  every  word  and  ,estu  ■„  hJ  w,s 
mlormed    that    this    important  personage    was    an    angeKo,   or  wi.ard. 
Though  young  he  seemed  to  have  the  unbounded  confidence  of  the  na- 
t.vcs,  upon  whose  credulity  and  ignorance  he  live.l  at  his  ease.  He  carried 
on  h,s  ceremonies  in  a  tent,  into  which  Mr.  Hall  was  taken  to  behold  the 
oxhibitic,  and  at  the  close  this  great  n.an   insiste.l  upon  giving  him  one 
o.  I.S  w.ves;  to  which  proposition  the  women   assented,  each  one  tryin. 
to  make  herself  as  agreeable  to  the  stranger  as  possible 

On  the  19th  of  November  the  ice  from  the  head  of  the  bay  com- 
.ncnccl  bearing  down  on  the  ship,  and  by  the  6th  of  the  follow  inc.",„onth 
she  was  secured  in  the  solid  ice  for  the  winter,  and  the  boats  w'^ere  dis- 
mantled,  not  to  be  used  again  for  about  nine  months. 

The  Esquimaux  lamp  is  one  of  the  institutions  peculiar  to  this  region 
!'  -  n.ade  of  stone  and  is  supported  on  three  legs.  Without  it  they  Tould 
notcx,st.  Their  homes  are  lighted  and  warmed  by  it ;  it  melt;  ice  or 
snow  for  the.r  drinks,  and  by  its  heat  they  dry  their  clothing,  nmtens 
boots,  and  stockings.  As  oil  seal  blubber  is  used,  and  forms  a  very  ^ood' 
substitute  for  petroleum.  '    " 

December  came  in  w,th  a  calm  which  connnued  four  days.  On  the 
Mh  the  thermometer  stood  at  zero,  and  a  day  later,  15°  below  that  point. 
1  he  .ce  was  solid  around  the  ship  in  her  winter  quarters,  and  the  Esqui- 
.naux  visited  her  in  large  numbers  <iaily,  often  remaining  on  board  over 
n.^ln  and  sleeping  in  the  cabin.  They  went  on  various  errands-some 
nu-Tcly  as  visitors,  some  to  see  what  they  could  secure  in  the  way  of 
presents,  and   others  to  do  some  trading.     The  last  mentioned  brou^^ht 


,H- 


S«2 


A   HTliANGE   CUSTOM. 


\k  i 


wilh  them  skins  which  tiicy  cxciian-ed  lor  knives  and  other  articles. 
The  (hesses  made  by  the  Iiuuiit  women  were  of  a  superior  quality  in 
every  respect,  and  found  a  ready  sale  on  board. 

The   temperature   chan;,'ed   very  suddenly   as  the  month  drew   to  a 
close.     On  the  lyth   the  tliermometer   was  20"  below   zero,  and  the  ba- 
rometer 30.175,  yet  the  weather  was  calm  and   seemed  no  colder  liiau  al 
tlie  commencement  of  the  season,  when  thr   thermometer  stood  at  32". 
On  the  3()tli  the  thermometer  had  risen  to   5^    below  zero   early  in   tlie 
morning,  and  kept  rising  until  night,  when  it  indicated  14°    above,  witli 
a  gale  blowing  and  a  general   breaking  up  of  the  ice  in   Field  Bay,  and 
the  harbor  in  which  the  ship  was  laid  up.     On  the  21st  the  thermometer 
stood  21",  and  the    bay  was  almost   clear  of  ice.     Considerable   rain    fell 
during   the  night,  and   next  morning   the  thermometer   was   32^",  or  a 
half  degree  above  the  freezing   point.      This   placed  the  natives  in  a   sad 
plight.      It  demolisluid  their  snow  houses,  and  rendered   them   homeless. 
The  rain   continued  on  the  22d,  preventing  the  natives  from  seal  fishing, 
and  causing  much  distress   auKJiig  them.      What  food  could  be  spared 
from   the  ship  was  distributed  among  them,  and  cracklings,  which  liad 
been  taken  along  as  dog  feed,  were  considered  a  great  delicacy.     On  the 
30th  of  December   the   thermometer  had  again    retired  to   zero,  and  six 
days  later  was  28°    below  that  point.     The  bay  and  harbor  were  again 
covered  with  ice,  and  the  men  resumed  their  seal  fishin"-. 

About  this  time  It  was  discovered  that  the  natives  treat  their  friends 
with  the  utmost  neglect  when  they  are  overtaken  by  sickness.  When 
death  approaches,  a  tomb  is  erected  for  th.'  victim,  to  which  lie  or  she  is 
carried,  placed  witiiin,  the  entrance  closed  svitii  blocks  of  snow  and  ice, 
and  the  person  is  left  in  this  living  tomb  to  die  alone,  uncared  for. 
They  believe  that  shoukl  any  be  present  at  the  death,  they  must  discard 
the  clothes  then  worn,  and  never  wear  them  again.  The  fimeral  service 
IS  very  simple.  Tlie  corpse  is  carried  over  the  shoulder,  much  as  a 
sportsman  carries  his  gun,  to  its  linal  resting  place,  where  a  ht)le  is  dug 
in  the  snow  and  ice,  in  which  it  is  tlei^osited,  covered  up,  and  left  there. 

Having  determined  upon   an    exploration   trip   to  Cornelius    (iriimcll 
Bay,  Mr.   Hall,  in  company    with  El)ierbing,  Tookoolito,  and  Koodk).., 


A  STORM. 

Stan  Tlu.rsday,  Ja...    lo,  I  ,    .led^.c   and  dogs,  with  provisions   tor 

scvc,       la,  .      VVhcMi  lacy  ,       he'  ,horc  they  started  north,  and  h.te 

.  the  afternoon  neared  the acrs  of  the  ocean,  on  the  niarcji,,  of 

wli.c.  the  chlfs  were  ahnost  perpenchadar,  makinj,^  it  necessary  for  the 
J.arly  to  lou  r  th.  .d,^^e  down  to  tiie  ice  helow.  The  journey  was  con- 
t.nne<l  until  ,  ,-.  ..,  when  ^tlie  party  halted,  erecte<I  an  ice  hut,  and 
camped  for  the  nijjht.  Every  article  o„  the  sledj^^e  was  taken  in,  and 
the  entrance  closed,  the  do-s  heino-  left  outside.  Durin-  each  night  In 
these  huts  the  clothing  of  the  occupants  is  hinig  over  the  lamp  fo"r  dry- 
ing,  and  caretully  attended  to  1  he  women,  who  also  make  any  neces- 
sary repairs.  This  was  Mr.  1  lull's  first  night  in  ne  of  these  huts,  and 
he  records  that  he  slept  as  comfortahly  as  he  ,      ild  wish. 

The  journey  was    resumed   in  the    morning.     The  course   was   due 
north,  but  owing  to   the   innumerable    hummocks   in    the    ice  it  was    not 
direct,  and  the  party  only  made    five  miles   during  the   day.      It  was  ex- 
pected that  the  journey  w(nild  be  ma.le  in  <.ne  day,  but  the  obstacles  were 
so  great  that  the   second  night  found   them  far  away  from   tlieir  destina- 
tion.    To  add  to  the   complications  a  storm    came    up,  and  they  had    just 
secured  shelter  when  it  bu.st  upo.i  them  in  all  its  fury,  in  their  ice  abode 
on  the  frozen  sea.      It  continued  all  night  long,  and  on  tlie  ti.inl  morning 
of  their  journey  they  foun<l  it  impossible  to  proceed.      In  the  afternoon  It 
was  discovered  that  the  ice  was   breaking,  an.i    the    water    made    its   ap- 
j)earance  not  more   than    ten    rods  from    tiiem.      They    became    seriously 
alarmed,  and  consulted    as  f.    whether  they  should    attempt  to  reach    the 
land,  which  was  three  miles  distant,  ..r  remain  in  their  .luarters  and    take 
the   chance   of  being    carried    ..ut    to  sea.      They  decided  upon  tin      itter 
course,    and   eagerly   awaited   the   coming   of  another   day.       The    gale 
abated  alH)ut  lo  v.  m.,  and   in    the    morning   the    weather   was    favonil)le. 
Proceeding  on  their  way,  they  had  every  dilliculty  to  ontend  with.     The 
ice  had  given  away  in  every  direction.      The    snow    was    very    deep  and 
licaeherous,  and    it    was    with   great    .lithculty    that    tlie   sledge    could    be 
moved  so  as  to  guard  it  against  falling  into  some  snow-eovere.l  ice-crack. 
The  do-s  also  were  in  a  starving  condition,      luaeh  member  ..f  the  party 


tuuk  the 


ad  iiy  turns,  I 


o  guard  against  the    dangers  whicli  beset  the 


m 


Si'  W^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


/. 


f/. 


1.0 


I.I 


2.8 


L25  i  1.4 


M 

[Z2 
20 

1.6 


cSt. 


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Q 


f//j. 


Priotographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14S80 

(716)  872-4503 


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% 


,-.  \'«.-v.. 


!-r!..'4rff«Tl 


lij^i^m 


Ut' 


■■H' 


"in 


564 


ROBBED  Br  DOGS. 


and  to  find  a  track  through  the  hi 


.^hich 


lum mocks  which  met  them  on  all  sides 
By  2  ,..  M.  the  entire  party  were  in  such  an  exhausted  condition  that 
they  were  compelled  to  halt  and  partake  of  their  now  verv  slender  stock 
of  provisions.  After  this  they  proceeded  with  renewed  vigor,  reaching  the 
.sh.,re  ,ce  m  safety,  and  in  a  short  time  they  were  alongside  of  U<^arn^'s 
i^rloo{^.c  hut),  built  on  th.  southwest  side  of  Rogers'  Island,  overlook 
ing  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay. 

On  the  following  day,  Jan.  15,  the  explorations  commenced.  Rab- 
b.t  tracks  were  discovered  on  the  hills,  and  in  the  distance  were  seen 
the  prominent  headlands  noticed  on  the  first  arrival  of  the  ship.  In  the 
meantime  the  provisions  gave  out,  and  the  party  found  themselves 
without  food  or  light,  with  the  thermometer  25°  below  zero.  The  na- 
tives met  with  no  success  in  hunting  or  seal  fishing,  but  brought  to  the 
hut  with  them  some  black  skin  and  kuan^,  which  they  had  obtained 
^  from  a  cache  made  the  previous  fall  by  the  natives,  when  the  ship  was 
ni  the  bay.  At  noon  next  day  a  lieavy  snowstorm  set  in,  which  con- 
t.nued  nearly  four  days,  confining  the  party  to  the  hut,  and  compelling 
thorn  to  live  ou  raw  frozen  black  skin,  kuang,  and  seal. 

On  Sunday,  the  20th,   they  were  in   a  sad  state   from  actual  want  of 
food.      The  weather  continual   so    forbidding   that   nothing  could  be  oh- 
tanied  by   hunting.     At  8  o'clock  in  the   naorning,  Mr.  Hall   and  Kood- 
loo,    one    of  his  native  companions,  started  to  return   to  the  ship   with 
a  sledge,  and   twelve   neady  starved  dogs.     A   speedy   trip    was   antici- 
pated, but  the  difiicultics  encountered  were   so  great  that  Ebierbing    fol- 
lowed them  on  snow  shoes,  and    taking  his  place,  sent  Mr.  Hall  b^-k  to 
the  huts  to  await  their  return.      The  supply  of  food  was  exhausted  with- 
out any  apparent  prosj^ect  of  obtaining  a  supply.     Christmas  eve  found 
the   party  with   nothing  left  but  a  piece  of  black  skin,  one  and    a  quarter 
inch  wide,  two  inches  long,  and   three-quarters  of  an  inch  thick.     Dur- 
ing the  night  one  of  the  natives  came  to  the  hut  with  some  choice   mor- 
sels  cut  from  a  seal  which  he  had  just  caught,  but  be  had   no  sooner  en- 
tered  than    a   starving  dog  which   had  been   allowed  to  sleep  in  the  hut 
over  night,  sprang   at   the   meat  and   ate    a  fair  share   of  it.      Before  the 
party  recoverc.l  from  their  surpr!.:.,  the  remaining  hungry  dogs  made  a 


■ 

APPEARANCE  OF  SCURVr. 


SOS 

storm  vvh,ch  they  encountered  on  their  journey  "' 

In  speakin,  of  the  Innuit  people,  Mr.  Hall  savs  thev  are  noted  chieflv 
'"'  then-  thoughtlessness  and  improvidence.     When  th;v  h-.vo  , 

ant  supply  of  food  they  devour  it  all  as  f.st  -.  '^' 

cringthatontheday  Llowin.    he     m-^    ;      TT   ^^'^'^""  ^"-'"- 
J  vvM.^   cncy  may    be   m    absolute  want    md  nn 

course  of  re„so„i„,  ea„  i„<U,ce  .he.  .o  change  in  .hi.  ...pee.. 

Febn.a,y  ,6  Mr.  Hall  onee  ,„„.e  ,.,„•.«,  „„  a„  c.plori,,.  e.pedi 
t.on,  a„,v,„,  .he  ...e  afternoon  a.  aa,V.   Harbor,  a„d   proee'edi   r  .' 
o..ee  .o  Allen.  I.an.,,  where  he  regained  .wo  dnv,  a.  Urarn.A    V,: 
c.™..,,  wa.ehin,  .he  va,,o„s  effor.,  .„de  .o  .us.idn  and  "enjoj     I  2 
*  ■  -,,nlar  people  of  .he   „„r.h.      He  ,pe„.  f„r.y.,wo   nil^,   l    ,, 
.  oo,  l.vn„  w,.h  .he  native,,  ,.„..  „f  .heir  ,i™e  on  .heir  food  aeeo     in 
.  'I-.-  own  en..o,„s,  an.l  .aid  he  had  no  regrc..  in  lookin,  hael<      ,  ™ 
'^  c.per.enee  bu.  on  .he  eon.rar,,  enjo.ed  his  life  so  spen     as  ^J 
d,<   nnder  .he  „,„s.  .avorable  eire.„„s.ances.     On   .be  3.s.  he  bad 
ac!.en  .o  h,s  Innui.  friends  and  s.ar.ed  on  his  re.nrn  .o  the  shi 
...led  b,  Kblerbln,,  U,ar„,  and  K.n.nln.  .a,<i„;w:r::r:i:;  7^ 
and  clogs      The  ;„„rney  was  devoid  of  aeciden.  „r  exci.eraen.,  and    the 
party  reached  .he  ship  on  .he  evening,  „r  ,|,e  sa,„e  .lav 

A  nnnrber  of  .he  natives  had  bnil.  i,„„.„  „„  ,„..  i,!,  ,,  ,„,  .i^,,,^.  „. 
^csh,p,hnt  at  .ha.  ti„,e  they  were  deserted  f„r  the  Hshin,  „ronn  1  ; 
F  ob,sher     Ca,.       When     he    visited    the     ere.    .he    ne^    dav      M 

all     onnd  .wo  of  .he   n.en  afflie.etl  wi.h  sanvv,  .he  ie,s  „,■     „'    j- 
.he      frotn. he  knees  down   bein,  as  blaek  as  .ar.     Both  o^  thenr   Ce 


t:: 


CHAPTER    LXIII. 

A     DEER     KM. LED     liV     DOOS  FKOZK.V     TO    DEATH  THE    AI'PUOACH    OK 

SPRING HAYARD    TAYLOR     PASS A    NATIVE    HISTORIAN  THE 

BREEDINf.-    PLACE    OK    THE    DEER THE    "DREADED    LAND" SUB- 
SISTENCE   IN    ARCTIC    REGIONS AN    UNSAFE    BOAT AN    IMPQU- 

TANT   JOURNEY    POSTPONED. 

One  morning  early  in  March  one  of  the   men  reported   reindeer  in* 
sight  upon  the  ice.      Koojesse  was  armed  with  a  rifle,  and  sent  in  pursuit. 
He  succeeded  in  getting  a  shot,  but  missed.     This  roused    the  dogs  and 
they  immecHately  gave  chase,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  restrain  them.     A 
fine  Greenland  animal  soon  took  the  lead,  and   maintained  it.     Soon  all 
were  lost  to  sight  and  nothing  further  was   thought  of  the    matter  until 
the  dog  returned  to  the  ship   about   mid-day,  covered   with   blood.     His 
actions  led  a  number  of  the  men  to  follow-  him    on   the  ice,  and  he  led 
them  to  a  spot  where  they  fountl  a  dead  deer,  with  its  jugular  and  wind- 
pipe neatly  cut  by  the  fangs  of  the  dog,  a  feat  never  known  to  have  been 
accomplished  by  a  dog  before. 

On  the  1  yth  of  March  John  Brown,  one  of  the  scurvy  patients, 
determined  to  return  to  the  ship  with  some  natives  who  were  about  to 
make  the  journey,  and  started  with  them,  On  the  way  they  were  com- 
pelled to  stop  antl  cac/ie  some  of  their  supplies,  and,  becoming  impatient 
over  the  delay,  Brown  decided  to  proceed  alone.  No  amount  of  reason- 
ing or  persuasion  would  make  him  desist,  and  with  a  dog  to  guide  him, 
he  started  on  his  journey.  The  sa.ne  night  the  natives  arrived  at  the  ship 
and  retired.  The  next  morning  Brown  was  missed,  and  parties  were  at 
once  sent  out  in  search  of  him.  He  was  not  found  until  late  in  the  eve- 
ning, when  his  frozen  body  was  discovered  at  the  foot  of  an  iceber'^ 
seventeen  miles  from  the  ship. 

Nothing  especially  worthy  of  note   occurred  until   March   cS,  when 

566 


APPROACH  OF  XPIU.VG.  ,„ 

liruca,  .he  companion  of  B.nv,,,  camo  very  near  n,ee,i„.  a  si„,il„,.  fa,e. 
Ho  sva.,  ».,1I  affl.c,e<l  with  scurvy,  and  had  bee,  again  sent  t„  an   Innui. 
settlement.     On  the  morning  of  the  day  mentioned  he  determined   upon 
reeunnng  ,o  the  ,hi„.     He  was  accompanied  by  an  Innuit  woman,  and 
Irad  ,   no,  been  for  l,er  strenuous  exertions  he  would  certainly   have  lo-t 
lus  l.fe      On  tl,o  same  day  Mate  Rogers  star.e<l  for  the  whaling  depot 
at  Frob,sl,er  Bay,  taking  with  him  such  articles  as  wore  required  for 
spnng  operations,  ami  a  sledge  and  dogs,  driven  by  Koojesso.     The  iour- 
noy  was  made  without  dimculty  until  noon,  when  a  gale,  accompanied 
by  thrck-ftlln^  snow,  sot  in,  and  they  were  compelled  to  retrace  their 
stops     After  battling  .he  storm  for  ten  hours  they  reached  the  goal,  more 
(lead  than  alive. 

About  this  time  there  were  unmistakable  evidences  of  the  approach 
ofspnng,  and  on    April  8  the  cooking  apparatus   and   other   materials 
were  moved  up  from  their  winter  quarters  below,  and  four  days  later  the 
weather  was  described  as  being  so  "gloriously  fine"    that   Capt.  Hall 
."ade  a  trip  up  Budding.on  Mount,  which    was  described  as   verv   dan 
gorous  on  account  of  the   steepness   of  the   incline,  and  its   hard,;now- 
covere    sKlcs.     Three  days  later  a  long  tramp  was  taken  round  the  head 
o    F.eld  Bay,  for  triangulating  and  making   observations,   and   on  April 
^6  Capt.  Hall  made   his   first   lunar  observation.     Four  days   afterward 
the  snow  embankment  around  the  ship  was  removed,  and  the  crew  com- 
raenced  putting  her  in  complete  order  for  service. 

On  the  morning  of  Monday,  April  33,  Capt.  Hall  started   upon   his 
n-st  tnp  ,„to  Frobisher  Bay.     The  course  fron.  the  ship  was  westerly  to 
the  other  s.de  of  Field  Bay,  from    whence  they  went  over  a   mounLin 
i-ss  wl.ch  was  named  after   Bayard  Taylor.     After  passing   throu«.h   a 
.o,^e  they  arrived  at  a  small  inlet  leading  up  from  an   arm  of  Confess 
.     \^arw.ck  Sound.     After  traversing  the  inlet  a  very  short  distance 
hey  came  to  an  abrupt  turn  in  the  mountain,  and   caught  sight  of  Fro- 
l^'sher  Bay,  and  the  mountains  of  Kingaite  beyond.     Proceeding  to  one 
"f  the  .slands  they  remained  with  an  Innuit  family  all  night.     Next  morn- 
mj.  Capt.  Hall  ascended  to  the  summit  of  a  mountain   close  bv,  from 
whence  he  had  a  ^.n.  view  of  the  bay,  but  was  disappointed  in  cHseover- 


0 


m 


•'fii'T  ffffl 


rm 


A   NATIVE  IIISTOlilAN. 


m    ■  \\' 


.n,^  that  the  ice  had  broken  t.p  on  its  surface,  which  would  prevent  hi.n 
frun,  niakin.^^  Ins  contemplated  sledge-journey  to  the  westward.      He  -.Iso 
saw  Iron.  Ins  pnniacle  Resolution   Island   and   Meta  Incognita      M„w 
small    p.eces  of   li.ncstone   were   found  on   top  of  the   mountain      Dc- 
scendn,,.  he  again  passed  the  night  in  an  Innuit  igloo,  and  next  morni,,. 
started  lor  another  village.     Taking  a  course  over  the  hilly  center  of  the 
.sland    he   arrived  at  his  destination   after   walking   about    three    miles 
1  wo  .lays  were  spent  here  taking  observations,  after  which  the  trip  w.s 
rcsun.ed.     The  breaking  up  and  absence  of  sea  ice  caused  the  partv  io 
encounter  many  difficulties  in  making  their  way  along  the  shore    "  .\s 
they  traveled  forward,  the  mountains  of  Kingaite  loomed  up   in   m-i.^ 
nihcent  grandeur,  and  the  explorer  -vas  struck  with  the  idea  that  n.ore 
than  land  existed  there;  and  in  truth,  it  was  solid  ice,  which  the  natives 
said  had  never  been  known  to  chan"-e 

About  dark  they  reached  the  south  point   of  the  island  of  Nonyain 
where  they  expected  to  find  an  Innuit  village,  but  were  disappointed,  and' 
were    con.pelled    to    construct    an    igloo    out  of  a  snowbank,  in  which 
they  lodged  for  the  night,  though   not   without    an    intruder.      The  tide 
poured  m  upon  then,  without  ceremony,  but    retired    without    inrtictinc. 
senous  damage.     In  that  region  the  rise  of  the  tide   at   its   full    is    thirty 
ieet.     On  Saturday,  AprU  34,  the   party   started    on  the  return  journey 
and  on  the  following  Monday  they  arrived  safely  on  board  the  ship  after 
an  absence  of  eight  days.     Immediately  after  arriving  on  board   Capt 
Hall  had  an  attack  of  snow-blindness,  which  continued  a  few  dr.  On 

the  last  day  of  April  the  ice-fetters  were  stricken  from  the  ship,  and  she 
floated  two  feet  higher  in  the  water,  having  become  so  much  lighter 
through  the  consumption  of  stores  since  the  period  of  freezing  in. 

One  day  early  in  May,  Capt.  Hall  went  ashore  at  Cooper's  Island,  in 
Rescue  Harbor,  to  talk  with  an  Innuit  woman  who  was  acquainted  with 
nearly  a  hundred  years  of  the  traditions  of  her  race.  Fron)  her  he  learned 
that  upon  Nionutelik  Island  she  had  seen  bricks  and  coal,  and  pieces 
of  timber  of  various  sizes,  and  that  she  had  often  heard  from  old  Innuits 
that,  many  years  before,  ships  had  landed  there  with  a  great  number  of 
people;  that  when  a  little  girl   she    had    heard   of  these   pe.,j,lc   kiliin-^ 


AN  OASTS. 


several  I 


mM 


iiiuiits  and   takin.!.^   away   tvvo    I 


a-ain  ht-anl  of,  a.i.l  that  they  came 


nmiit    woiiu-ii    who    w 


ere    1 


ever 


then  a  •'■reat 


•y  year;  first  t 


many  ships.      She  also    told    of  fi 
captured  hy  the  Innuit  people  at  the  time  of  the 
a  great  many  years  ago;  that  tl 


\V'),  Ilien  tl 


uve 


ve    whit 


e    men    \v 


ho    w 


;ij:)pearance  of  tin 


lese    men    wintered 


l.ve<l  among  the  Innuits;   that   they  afterward    1 
mast  and  sails;  that  they  endeavored  to  i^et  a 
succeeded  in  doing  so  after  much  trouhl 


on 


■•^lioi-e;    that 


>uilt   a    1 


ii'ge    l)oal. 


:»y,  and    that    thev    1 


\v 


m 


e,  and  were  n 


As  all  th 


s  was  located 


which   Frobisher    landed 
with  written  historv,  and  th 


ever  again  hean 


upon  the  island 


it    \\. 


IS      COI71]), 


ey  Were  foun 


correspond,  ^vhich    determined   Hall 
Nionutelik,   the    island 


referred    to,    f 


o   \ 


purpose  of  gaining  further  info 


or 


Before  1 


nnadon. 


eav 


an  examination   t 
of  Field  Bay.     Travel 
hours 


ing  for  the  Frobisher  wat 
ip  was  made   to  the  h 
ing  was  impeded,  ; 


seven  nours  were  ccnsume<l  in  reachin  -    .„,. 
«hore.     Fmm   the  top  of  a  small   rock'v   hill 
wa:,  discovered  to  the  west  a  long  an.l  narrow 
lakelet,  extending  in  a  northerly  direction  to 
the  base  of  Alden   Mountain.     After  resum- 
ing the  journey,  a  beautiful  grassy  plain  was 
reached,  which   was  quite  destitute  of  snow 
and    surrounded    by  rugged,   somber,   rocky 
™  WOM.VS  „..„.....,,.        „,,„tains,  making  it  appear  as  an  oasis  i 
S^J^  des.-t  of  ice  and  snow.     Running  northwest    n-om  .he  plain 
-     Alden   Mountan,  was  another  plain    extending  in  everv  <lirection 

tla  at  that  tn.e  Arctic  navigators  knew  very  little  of  the  interior 
o  he  country,  as  they  rarely  saw  and  explored  aught  but  the  coasts. 
>l.|ng  from  information  afterward  obtained,  these  plains  are  the 
b.-eeding  places  of  the  deer.  After  traveling  about  twentv-five  miles  the 
explorer  arrived  on  shipboard  again  at  3  o'clock  the  following  mornin. 


'*«*    nii'r;:*"rnn 


li; 


rwf  .pJUfd;  f !  fjl 


i 


670 


77/ E   DREADED  LAND. 


Oil  tlu'  ^ytliol'Miiy,  C'.ipl.  Hail,  .u-c-onipjiiiic-d  l.y  .'i  miiiiiuT  of  natives 
stailc-d  ..II  tiK-  I(.ii,i(-i-\i)L'Ctt-(l  i-\|H-(iili..ii,  hilt  l.L-torc  thuy  liail  ;ro,H.  faitlu'v 
wore  c-oinpclk-d  to  ivtiini  lo  the  ship,  as  it  was  Cound  impossihie  to  make 
the  journey  hy  sledi^^e.  It  was  the  intention,  however,  to  spend  a  dav  or 
two  on  the  islands  of  Opim.irnewini,^  and  Nionutelik  hcfore  makin<,r  the 
refnin  trip;  hut  this  also  had  to  he  ahandoned  in  the  face  of  a  storm,  and 
the  party  hurried  haek  as  fast  as  they  could.  Soon  after  arrivin-  ,,,1 
I'oani  a-ain,  a  party  of  Sekoseiar  Inniiils  anived,  and  imparted  some 
valnahle  infornialioii  concernin-^  white  people  who  had  in  years  ^rone  hy 
visited  their  country. 

Early  in  June  liie  journey  to  the  "Dreaded  Land,"  as  it  is   called  hv 
the    Esciuiniaux,  was   coninienced    a<rain    hy   sledge.      The   progress  was 
very  slow   at  lirst.      The  direction  first    taken  was  toward  Dillon  Moun- 
tain, latitude  63"  3J'   north,  at   the  east  end  of  Fox's  Land,  an  island  „„ 
the  east  side  of  IJear  Sound  and  Lupton  Channel,  twelve  miles  in  wi(lth, 
its  center  l)eing  in  latitude  62"   29'  north,  longitude  64"  28'  west.     The 
hummocks  caused  the  party  to   change  their  course  to  due  south  toward 
Lupton  Channel.      Had  weather  compelled  them  (o  encamp  on  an  island 
which  was  named  Sylvia,  its  highest  point  heing  live  hundred  feet  ahovu 
the  sea.     From  the  elevation    could  he  seen   the  open  water  of  Lupton's 
Channel,  which  the  natives  say  never  freezes  over,  in  consequence  of  the 
swiftly  running   tides.     On  the   7th  of  June  they  left  the  island,  and  the 
same  afternoon   arrived    at   the  hasc   of  Jones'   Tower,  latitude   62     3-' 
north,  longitude  64"  34'  west.     From  the  top  of  this  mountain  the  vict 
was  extensive,  but  Frohisher  liay  could  not  he  seen,  although  it  was  not 
thought  to  be  distant  more  than  seven  miles. 

The  following  morning  the  journey  was  resumed,  and  the  shore  of 
the  "dreaded  lan.r'  was  found  to  present  many  interesting  features,  on 
account  of  its  newness  and  associations.  About  six  miles  from  [ones' 
Tower  they  reached  Cape  Daly,  the  termination  of  a  neck  of  land  dis- 
tinguishe.l  by  a  remarkable  gap  in  its  ridge.  Pushing  forward  they 
reached  Cape  Hayes— the  most  northerly  point  of  Hudson's  Islaiul, 
where  tluy  again  prospected.  At  this  time  Hall's  Island  was  less  than 
two  miles  distant,  but  it    was   impossible   to    reach   it  on    account  of  the 


NORTH  Fonnr.ANn. 


871 


ni-recl  ice  with  which  M'Clintock  Channel  was  lim.ly  packcl.  At. 
t'a,H-  ll:,>cswcivf,nnui  circles  ..f  stones,  which  iia.i  heen  ph.ced  there 
years  hciore  hy  the  Innuils  who  Inrmerly  inhahite.i  this  n„w  lorsaiven 
land.  The  next  day  the  party  pursued  its  journey  ihrou-h  Dr.  Kane's 
C'iiannel,  which  connects  Frobishcr  Bay  and  Fiel.l  Hay.  Seals  were 
very  numerous  in  this  locality,  and  hear  tracks  were  also  .liscvered. 
When  they  arrived  at  the  point  from  whence  it  was  expected  to  see  the 
entrance  to  Frohisher  Hay,  there  was  -reat  astonishment  at  discoveriujr 
a  short  distance  olF,  open  water,  witli  numerous  icel)er<rs  driftin,i,s  ii 
heavy  sea  rollini,^  in  and  heatinj^  on  the  edt^e  of  the  Hoe. 

They    had   now   neared   the  land;  and   when    within   half  a   mile   of 
"Mall's  smaller    island"  of  Frohisher,  Capt.    Hall   went   on   l.y   himself. 
Ik-ar  tracks  were  seen  on  all  sides,  and  other  evidences  presented  them- 
selves  sulficient  to   show   that  that  outcast   re-ion  was  one  of  jolcnty  in- 
stead   of  harrenness.     After   a    thorou-h   inspection   the   party    retraced 
their  steps  to  the   encampment,   where    they  arrived   safely   a  day  later. 
From  the  mountain  top  in  the  rear  of  tiie  camp  bearings    were  taken  of 
various  prominent  places.     It  was  determined  to  set  out  on  the  return  to 
the  ship  on  Wednesday,  June  12,  but  before  doing  so  Capt.  Hall  visited 
the  utmost  extreme  of  land— the  "North  Foreland"  of  Frohisher.     The 
chaiuiel   between  the   islands  was  free  from  ice,  save  at  its  west  end,  and 
presented  an  animated  picture  of  life,  fbr  seals  and  aquatic  birds  in  great 
variety  were  sporting  there.     After  a  laborious  walk  he   reached  "North 
Foreland,"  the  goal    of  his  ambition    in   that   trip.      The    view   was  en- 
chanting.    As  far  as  tiie  eye  could  reach,  the  sea  was  open.     North  Fore- 
land presented  a  bold  front.      Its  elevation  was  several  hundred  feet,  and 
the   mighty  waves  were  dashing   in  quick  succession  against  this  rocky 
rampart.     Nearly  south  of  this  point  are  three  islets,  the  nearest  being  a 
(luarlcr   of  a  mile    from   the   shore.      The   largest   is  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
long,  and  the  others  are  very  small.      In  every  direction  were  seen  traces 
of  reindeer  and  rabbits.     After   remaining   an   hour   on   this   interestincr 
spot,  taking  bearings   of  distant  objects,  he  returned  to  the  encampment, 
where  everything  was  found  to  be  in  readiness  for  their  departure. 

The  start  was    made  in    the  Ibrenoon,  and   the   route  selected  was  the 


(»*i«i  ,'.F>m 


573 


A    niSAPPOrNTMBN'r. 


one  traveled  hy  them  tliiee  times  hefoie.  A  j^'ale  sj,ian<(  up  (luriii<r  th.j 
(lay,  ami  tears  were  entertained  liiat  it  would  break  up  the  ice.  Great 
dilViculty  was  experienced  in  ereetin--  tiie  tent,  hut  it  was  accomplished 
at  last,  and  the  crevices  were  lilied  wiih  moss  in  such  a  manner  that  ii 
was  almost  impossible  for  the  tine  snow  to  enter.  They  were  compeild 
to  remain  in  the  tent  until  Friday,  the  i,|lh,  when  tiie  journey  was  re- 
sumed. They  pro<rressed  very  well  until  they  struck  out  on  a  strai-ht 
course  for  the  ship,  when  they  found  the  situation  alarmini;-.  The  ice 
was  broken  into  every  conceivable  form  and  size,  but  it  was  their  only 
chance,  and  they  seized  the  opportunity.  The  distance  was  accomplislK,] 
safely,  thoun^h  with  fear  and  trendtlini;-,  and  they  arrived  at  the  ship  ,hi 
Saturday  morninj^.  As  an  evidence  of  wiiat  can  be  secured  in  llic  polar 
regions  to  sustain  life,  it  may  be  interesting  to  sta'-;  that  during  an  ai). 
sence  of  ten  days  the  party  ol)tained: 

I    Polar  l)car i  ^ooq  pounds. 

I  ookgook  (larjjest  sized  ^eal) i  ,i;oo       " 

y '^i^'i'i-i i,soo     '• 


Total. 


4-3CW 


In  addition  to  this  they  hail   an   abundance  t)f  skin   for  clothing,  and  oil 
for  fuel  and  light. 

A  few  days  were  devoted  to  rest  and  making  preparations  foi-  thf 
long-desired  visit  to  King  William's  Land  About  this  time  another 
heavy  gale  swept  across  the  bay  for  three  days,  but  the  ice  reniaincci 
lirm,  and  the  ship  was  uninjured.  Word  was  received  from  the  whalin<-- 
depot  that  the  otricers  and  crew  stationed  there  w  ere  quite  well,  thouyh 
unsuccessful,  and  soon  after  Capt.  Hall,  accompanied  by  Koojesse,  startal 
to  join  them,  arriving  at  the  destination  early  next  morning.  After  an 
exchange  of  greetings  an  examination  of  the  shore  was  made,  and  every- 
where along  the  beach  fragments  of  limestone  were  found  in  abundance. 

One  of  the  principal  objects  of  the  visit  to  the  tlepot  was  to  make 
preparations  for  the  departure  to  King  William's  Land,  and  to  coiiMik 
with  Capt.  B.  respecting  it.  Great  was  the  sorrow  on  both  sides,  when 
Capt.  Hall  was  assured  by  his  friend  that  the  whaling  lioat  jiromised  liim 


used  nim 


EGG-HUNTING, 


tor  the  expedition 


n78 


VV.' 


1  c-vcry  ro»pea  i„a,lcq„„tc  for  the  work  which  it 
-.s  propose,,  to  impose  „po„  i,.  „„  ,,„,„„,  ,,e,,rly  that  it  co„l„  not 
cry  the  necessary  quantity  of  provision,,  for  tho  n,e,.  reqnired,  whieh 
..npre„e„  the  explorer  with  the  helief  ,ha,  he  wo„,,l    have  to  p,,,.., 

hM.™pose,l  expedition  for  „  year,  or  nntil  he  e ,,    re.nrn  to  the  S  .,te. 

Mil.!  procure  a  suitable  boat. 

The  weather  hein,  „„e,  a„  expedition  was   planned  for  the  explora- 

-.  o     tite  surroundn,,-  coast,  made  fan,o„»   ,,y  Prohisher's  vova-es  in 

.cs,xteenthee„tnry      The  start  was   ,n„de  with  a  yonn,   n„ti;e:„ho 

Lowevcr,  ,.„ved  to  be  a  hindrance.     The  jonrney  was  ..edions  in  thj 

«  re  ne.     The  shore-.ee  was  covered  with  sofl  snow,  and  a  point  of  land 

walk  of     ftee,,  ,n  es,  after  which  a  Ion,  circni.  had  to  he  n.ade   aro.n.d 

....ne   rocks      Nothn,,.  was   acco,„p|i.,hed   on    this    trip ,,  „,,    ,„„, 

returned  to  the  depot.  ^'i^paity 

Much  of  the  tinre  was  ,,ev„,ed  .o  ,lnck  hnntin.  and  e,-,,  .atherin. 
A  party  of  font  sncceeded  ingathering  six  do.en  e,,s  at  ^.^  ^ 
.0..  .nn,„.es  A.  another  place  they  ^ot  sixteen  do^en  and  «ve  in  twen.v 
..»..   cs      The  dnck,  always  replaced  the  e,,s,  which  ,n„de  the  snpply 

"""""'"  "•'"^ •     ^^->-  '--'»    "«^   shot,l.nt   toe  swift   ,i,|c  ''J 

vented   the  hnnters  from  scenrin^  the  game.     lee  hrid^es  were  found  in 

..l.....dance,  an,l  nrany  of  the   islands  in    Mcar   So,„,d  ar „„,  ,      „,^,^ 

curious  provisions  of  nature.  ^ 

Oi.  June  =9,  Captains  II„I|  and  I!,  rctnrne the  Geor-e  Honrv  an  1 

"  " >^^  '•"-■  "-  I'-"""l'  <"■;..>>•  was  celehratcd  hy  a  ..,,1  exls 

;.r  ..  n.».y  «un.harrel.     At  this  time    there  was  a  faif  p^.s  !     t 

rZr"'""""'"'^ —  -P  would   get  away  t: 


!! 


1! 


'ii 


iiii'i 


ciiai'Ti:k  l\i\'. 

Tine    SIIIl'    IKICE A    SEllIKS    t)!'     AI>V  KNTUUKS JHON     I  SLA  N  I)  —  jom,  >,' 

CAPK CAl'K    STKVKNS KUESH    WATERS I'KAI.K    I'OINT    ~    f()i{. 

UAN's    UIVKU — TIIK     ItKTUHN COAL COUNTKSS    OK    WAKWK  k's 

SO'.rNI) IIOMKWAUU    HOUND. 

Ow  July  17,  iS^i,  the  slii[)  wa^  oiicc  more  free  iVoin  the  ice  whiili 
had  hound  iier  for  ei-jfht  uioiitlis,  and  swui);^  her  chains  in  Rescue  ILu 
l)or.  Hut  it  was  only  in  a  pool  that  she  was  free,  for  ice  yet  reniainiil 
hetwecn  the  anchora^'e  and  tiie  main  hay.  The  -greater  portion  of  {h^. 
crew  were  aj^ain  at  the  whahn^r  depot,  when  a  hoat  was  sent  tlieni,  hut 
tliey  were  meetin-^  witii  no  success.  At  this  time  the  heat  was  vcrv 
great,  the  mercury  stamiiiij,'  95  '  in  the  sun,  preventinj^  work  of  all  kinds, 
tnilcss  one  was  clad  in  tlie  li_i(htest  <,'armeuts.  On  the  27th  the  ice  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  vessel  he^i^an  to  move,  and  it  was  with  ;^'reat  difHcult  v  that 
the  crev/  succeeded  in  keepiiijr  it  from  crushing  the  ship.  A  day  latir  the 
men  who  iiad  remained  at  the  wiialinji-  depot  were  smnmoned  to  return 
to  the  ship.  Tile  return  of  the  crew  and  l)reakiiig  up  of  the  ice  were 
the  signal  for  a  departure  to  a.iother  place  in  search  of  whales. 

On  Tuesday,  the  30th,  tiic  (ieorge  Henry  took  her  departure  from 
the  hay,  leaving  Capt.  Hall  to  push  his  explorations  as  hest  he  ini^-ht. 
He  took  up  his  ahode  with  IChii  rhing,  and  was  the  only  white  man  left 
in  that  locality.  The  next  day  it  hlew  a  gale,  and  the  ship  again  sou'^^hl 
shekel-  in  the  l)ay,  where  she  remained  for  some  time. 

At  this  time  Capl.  Hall  was  hnsily  engaged  in  the  selection  of  a 
crew  that  siiould  accompany  him  on  his  expedition.  He  succeeilcd  in 
securing  six  good  natives,  and  everything  being  ready  for  the  start 
on  Friday,  Aug.  9,  on  that  day  he  set  out  from  the  ship.  That 
cMMiing  they  reached  the  entrance  to  Luptoii's  Channel,  and  made  lluir 
Ihsi  ciicainpmcut  in  ;.  small  cove  on   the   southeast  side   of  BachcV   I'c- 

574 


A  ShWe/ES  OF  ADVENTUltBa. 


876 

-n..sul.,  .„.,  opposite  Ellis  Island,  whore  they  found  relies  of  former 
I.uuut  encampments.  The  voya,.e  was  c.ntinue.l  the  following, 
iii'.ninifr.       At    Cape     Tnu-     a     rest    wis     (.k....    f  .•  ■       •   * 

.    ,       ,  ,     .  ^    ^^•"'     ''"^'"    '"1     ;ii>    exannnation 

■'.     l.e  .leserte<l  plaee.     At   (l>at  tinu-  .here  was  mo  i..  ..n  Fn.hisher  May. 
-11.  .he  exception  of  a   few   her^s.       The   second   encau.pn.cnt    was   at 
I  ..pe  Cracn.ft,  h.titn.le  62"  .u  '  30"  north,  Inn^Htude  G^'  7'  west      The 
next  stopping,  ph.ce  was  at  Oopun.M.ewinj,   Island,  where    ,hc   n..,„l,ers 
ol   the  party  were  very  nnuh  annoyed  hy  moscjnitoes.       Q,.   ,!,.  nth  of 
Aa,n.st  three  of  the  crew  were  selecte<l  to  accompany  the   exph.rers   to 
N.onntehk.  which    was   reached    i..  sa.bty,  although  ronj,h  weather  was 
cnconntered.       Searci-    u-as   m.,le   io     fra,.,ents  of  |,,ick  and  relics   hut 
"one  were  found.      Th.  journey  was  continued  around  the  island,  and  at 
la>.    the   rehc    hunter  was   rewarded    hy  nnd=n>;-  pieces  of  sea  coal  which 
iKui  heen  taken  there  hy  Frohisher  in  .578.      No  other  relics  were  found 
■^^^^^\  (lie  parties  returned  to  the  encampn.ent.     The  journey  was  resumed' 
">  the    niorninjr.       The  examination   .nade  of  the  surroundings  was  not 
thorough,  as  it  was  the  intenti,>n  to  continue  the  journey  at  another  time 
and  m  a  more  complete  manner.       However,  a  constant  record  was  kept 
ot  d.stances    nm   and   courses  steered,   and    landin^^s    were    made  as  fre- 
qiK.ntiy    as    possible    to    take  observations    for    latitude,    lon^Mtude,    and 
variations  of  the  comj)ass. 

Iron  Island,  named  so  because  of  the  resemblance  of  its  rocks  to  ox- 
idised iron,  x.as  found  to  be  an  interesting  place.  Innuit  monumental 
marks  were  tound;  also  an  excellent  piece  of  live  oak  timber,  from  some 
wreck. 

Jones'  Cape  was  selected  as  the  next  place  of  encampment.  It  is  in 
'^''"•"l^"  ^^^  '  55'  30"  north,  lonj,ntude  65"  45'  west.  A  snu^^  harb.>r  was 
'""-'.1,  and  the  natives  receive.l  the  parties  kindlv.  Some  remarkable 
."<nniinents  of  stone  were  found  here,  one  bein;^^  about  six  feet  hi<d.,  and 
".  Ihe  form  of  a  cross.  Capt.  Hall  declared  Jones  Cape  to  be  one  of  the 
i'-K'st  places  he  had  seen  in  the  north.  Force's  Sound  is  n-.nlv  sur- 
nnnuied  by  ma-nificent  mountains,  and  is  sheltered  from  winds  and 
iH'Uvyseasln  uuinen.us  island.  On  Au^.  .4  a  mountain  in  the  rear  of  the 
^■■'raiupmeut  was   ascended,  from    the  summit  of  which  could   be  plainly 


Bfil)  ']f ' 


576 


IRON  ISLAND. 


sc-cn  more  than  fifty  miles  of  the  Kingaite  coast,  the  nearest  point  bcin- 
distant  about  thirty  miles.  The  peculiar  variety  of  stone  found  upon 
Iron  Island  was  also  found  there,  and  also  limestone  upon  the  summit, 
about  a  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

The  expedition  next  pushed  westerly  across  the  east  arm  of  the  bay, 
but  had  to  change  its  course  on  account  of  a  heavy  sea,  and  again  landed  on 
the  island,  near  its  center,  after  which  it  proceeded  to  the  southeastern 
extreme  of  Barrow's  Peninsula.      The  next  point  readied  was  Hamlin's 
Bay,  which  had   to  be  crossed.     The  sixth  encampment  was  made  on 
Hlanchard's  Island,  and  the  seventh  at  Tongue  Cape,  near  the  entrance 
of   Waddell   Bay.      A  native  was   here   found  who  had  seen  pieces  of 
iron,  brick  and  ,oal  in  that  locality,  but  who  said   they  had   been  carried 
away  years  before  when  he  was  a  boy.      The   expedition   continued  its 
course   along  the  coast,  closely  examining  its  features,  and  noting  down 
everything  of  importance  which  was  seen.      The    land  was  bold   and 
high,  with  much  of  the  iron  rust  look  about  it.     Scarcely  any  vegetation 
was  to.be  seen.     Numberless  islands  bordered  the  coast,  and  it  looked  as 
though  a  complete  chain  reached  across  the  bay  to  Kingaite. 

Cape  Stevens  was  the  eighth  camping  ground.  On  a  mountain  top 
close  by  were  found  shells  and  fossils,  some  of  which  were  taken  away. 
Tliis  particular  mountain  was  described  as  being  very  grand  and  rugged. 
One  side  was  perpendicular,  and  contained  large  caverns,  with  huge 
projecting  rocks  hangmg  over  them. 

Numerous  small  bergs  were  encountered  during  the  nexi  \q\x  days, 
whicli  had  been  left  high  and  dry  on  the  rocks  near  the  coast  by  the 
ehliing  of  the  low  spring  tide.  Capt.  Hall  went  ashore  on  the  n<.rth 
side  of  the  isiand,  "  Frobisher's  Farthest,"  from  the  summit  of  which 
the  bay  seemed  to  continue  on  between  two  headlands,  one  the  termina- 
tion  of  the  ridge  of  n.iuntains  on  the  Kingaite,  and  the  other  the  tor- 
mination  of  the  ridge  running  on  the  north  side  of  Frobisher's  Bay.  The 
coast  of  Kingaite  was  in  full  view  from  the  "  Great  Gateway  "  down  to 
the  "  President's  Scat,"  a  distance  of  one  hundred  nautical  miles.  A 
line  of  islands— their  number  legion— shoot  down  from  "Frobisher's 
Farthest  "  to  the  Kingaite. 


■i-^-iC/,,    G,„,V.VE,.,.    „,yE,l. 


5,7 


Tho  next  inornins,  Au^    .,  ,  °' 

.'"-  ■:'■  '■-'>  --  -  ^.  co„.„„.:,   ,::;  ;,;;" '";-"  --  -• ■,... 

"- 1'-  waters  wo.  aHv.  „,,,  .:„„:,"" ; ; ""-  "■■•"-■  - «-  .•„,„„, 

'  "'«  -Sio",  and  ,he  ,„„,„b„,  ,„,  ^,      '  '^   '■-"<'-■  als,.  „|, „,„, 

■;-■  w-c  pu,.  „,  „^,,.,„_  „„^,  ^^  ^      ■  ^^    --.      Th.  „„,.„  „,  ,,^. 
'h^-  «.■„  half  „,„,  f,,,,  ,„„         p,.„p,,  ^■":'"  •^'■■"-"  R'vc...    F„, 

^»..ks  ,■„,.  ..„  n,i,..,..„,-,„,,,,:  ,   :;;f-  '-■'"■^•'  1^ Ti. 

»le,-  the  neck,,,-.  ,„,,„  Ji^,,        J"    :—"■■- >ho  so,,,  <„,    u^o  ,« 

^-^-  F-."> .he p..i„.„,... ,•„::;,::;";■■■  t'V""- '" ■■'^■■^-* 

V--V  cv.onsive.     0„  tl,,,  ,„■«   side   .,s   ,  "'   "'""''^    "  "'» 

hail- "dlo  i„  „|d,|,.  '"''•    ""»  M.Iain  of  a  <j„,„„   j,^  ^, 

I'hiirsilay  jnoniiii-,  \,.„  ,„  ,, 

"-  "•-  «--,o.  A,: ,  x:f;  f;"-"  --  ^•■-^"- '-■ ,.. .„ ,,, ,, 

^'-.-  plain,  .as  soon  passod,  p  .r;'';"  '"^'  '-"  "^ -i^.C,  „..„ 

'-•'«  "hiol,  attain  a  sroa.or  ol^-ation'  '.han   J  ",','"    7'""'  "''  "«»"' 
1"-1>' •  "f  I'mbishor  liav.     Tho  l.oach  '       ""'    ^"  "''■  '"-'"'i 

^-1  '-narkablo  tinKMv.n  l,„„,dors.'     72JT'  ""''   """ "'    '^""^ 

'l-'ael,  wltl,  Kingaito  „„    .ho   ,,„ht  , ;""'"■""  ""-T  -norod  ,1,0 

■n-,«  was  stoop,  ,„„  in  ,„:„';    1""    ""^^  W-   ""    .ho   ,0,, 

' ■  •'•'^^-  ™<. ^-e  i»  ab„n,  .;:„  : ,:  t:"  *  '^  ^--  -•>  -.o. 

■l-..e-f  a  ,™,o  tl,o,  ..oaohod  a  H,„.  ,,.  '  ■■","'  """'  '^""-•-l-S  a 


37 


irhor 


not 


'^^"^'^   than    t\ 


and 


w, 


678 


JORDAN'S  RIVER. 


In 


half  miles  in  diameter,  on  the  west  side  of  which  they  encamped. 
Makinjr  his  way  to  the  crest  of  a  high  hill,  Caj)t.  Hall  placed  there  the 
Stars  and  Stripes.  This  encampment  \\as  left  the  following  afternoon, 
some  articles  bein<r  stored  to  be  called  for  on  the  return.  A  landiu" 
\vas  made  on  the  northwest  coi'ner  of  Bishop's  Ishnul.  From  its  top  the 
\',hole  head  of  Frohisher  ]^aA,  from  Svlvia  to  (irinnell  Ri^■er  on  the 
northeast,  to  Aggoun  on  the  west,  was  in  view.  The  width  was  fouitceii 
nautical  miles.  The  termination  is  not  by  deep  bays  or  fiords,  lint  by 
slight  indentations,  the  greatest  not  exceeding  three  miles.  IJishop's 
Island  was  well  covered  with  vegetation.  The  next  <lay  a  point  was 
reached  from  which  it  was  definitely  ascertained  that  Frobisher's  vStrait 
was  a  myth.  The  estuary  of  Jordan's  River  was  fnially  reached.  It 
was  crossed,  and  an  encampment  made  on  the  other  ide.  From  this 
point  were  ^■isible  long  and  wide  })lains,  meadows  of  grass,  smoothl\- 
slojjing  hills,  and  a  range  of  mountains  beyond,  which,  parting  in  one 
particular  spot,  formed,  as  it  were,  a  natural  gateway.  At  the  left,  across 
the  river,  was  Silliman's  Fossil  Mount,  a  ridge  of  white,  and  behind  it 
the  unbroken  front  of  a  line  of  mountains  extending  northwesterly  to 
the  Great  Gateway.  On  the  northern  side  the  mountains  continued 
from  this  singular  opening  on  by  r'robisher  ]?ay  to  the  locality  around 
FieUl  Bav,  far  to  the  southwest  and  eastward.  Jordan's  River  is  not  so 
large  as  the  Sylvia  Grinnell,  but  at  certain  seasons  it  must  discharije 
large  volumes  of  water.  On  accoimt  of  its  singular  beauty  tJie  land  at 
the  head  of  Frobisher  Bay  was  named  "Greenwood's  Land."  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  was  discoveretl  a  mount  of  marine  fossils  in 
limestone,  half  a  mile  long  and  over  a  hundred  feet  high. 

On  the  morning  of  »Sept.  6  the  return  jouiney  was  commenced. 
Two  days  later  it  was  evident  that  winter  had  again  commenced.  There 
was  a  severe  snowstorm  in  the  morning  and  ice  at  night.  On  the  loth 
a  journey  over  the  mountains  westward  was  undertaken,  though 
nothing  was  accomplished.  Next  day  a  start  was  made  for  the  islands, 
and  a  landing  was  made  on  Bishop's  Island.  The  view  from  tl.cii' 
embraced  the  whole  coast  which  terminates  Frobisher  Bay.  On  the 
30th  there  was  some  excitement  when  one  of  the  Innuits  cried  out   from 


encamped. 
il  there  the 
■   afternoon, 

A  hnuhn'^' 
n  its  top  the 
iver  on  the 
k'iis  t'ouiteen 
rds,  l)nt  l)y 
i.  ]>ishop's 
I  point  was 
lier's  vStniit 
cached.     It 

h'rom  this 
s,  snioothh' 
tin<if  in  one 
J  left,  across 
d  heliind  it 
westerly  to 
5  continued 
Hty  around 
er  is  not  so 
;t  discharge 
tile  land  at 
I."  On  tlic 
le  fossils  ill 

:oninienccd. 
Jed.  There 
)n  the  I  nth 
en,  thou^ih 
the  islands, 
from  thiTc 
ly.  On  the 
ed  ont   from 


579 


OPHIUKID  OF  NORTHERN  SBAS. 


r 


I! 


l\ 


'i    ! 


ill 


580 


RELICS    OF  FROBISHER. 


the  sliorc  tliat  he  had  discovered  gold,  and  instantly  a  rush  was  made  for 
tlic  spot,  whcMi  it  was  discovered  that  the  alleged  article  was  spurious. 
Further  along  on  the  island  was  found  a  trench  in  the  rock  which  was 
one  hundred  anil  ten  feet  in  length,  running  from  the  surface  to  a  depth 
of  twenty-five  feet  at  the  water's  edge.  The  Iimuits  said  that  a  shij)  liad 
heen  huilt  tliere  hy  the  white  men. 

On  top  of  the  island  was  fomid  the  ruins  of  a  house,  built  of  stone 
and  cementetl  with  lime.  It  was  about  twelve  feet  in  diameter 
and  lliickly  coated  with  moss.  A  '(^\h  feet  from  it  was  a  sort  of  stone 
breastwork,  such  as  the  natives  erect  for  shelter  when  hunting,  and  also 
a  pile  of  stones,  which  looked  as  tiiough  it  might  have  been  made  hy 
Frobisher's  men  to  cover  some  memorial  left  by  them  when  trviu"--  to 
escape  in  their  ship. 

Leaving  the  island  the  course  was  next  laid  to  the  cape  of  land  called 
Tikkoon.  Landing  there,  one  of  the  Innuits  attracted  the  party  to  where 
he  was  standing,  by  loud  cries.  On  arriving  on  the  spot  there  was  found 
still  anotlier  relic  of  the  Frobisher  Exijedition — of  iron,  and  time-eaten 
with  ragged  teeth.  The  piece  weighed  from  fifteen  to  twenty  pounds 
and  was  on  the  top  of  a  granite  rock,  just  within  reach  of  high  tide  at 
full  and  change  of  the  moon.  The  iron  stain  was  in  the  rock;  otherwise 
its  top  was  cleanly  washed. 

The  next  point  visited  was  Cape  Ood-loo-ong,  where  many  relics 
of  Innuits  wc  found,  and  which  possessed  magnificent  scenery.  Next 
day  a  landing  was  made  at  Ek-ke-le-zhun,  where  more  coal  was  found, 
and  where  a  i)lack  stone  resembling  coal  was  also  found. 

A  snowstorm  detainexl  the  party  on  Nionutelik  Island,  which 
enabled  Capt.  Ilall  to  extend  his  investigations  still  farther.  East  of  the 
spot  where  lie  discovered  some  coal  several  months  before,  he  discovered 
another  deposit,  which  was  nearly  overgrown  with  grasses,  shrubs,  and 
mosses.  Its  location  and  surroundings  led  him  to  believe  that  this  must 
have  been  the  landing  place  of  Frobisher  in  1=578. 

A  start  from  the  island  was  made  on  .Sept.  25,  the  course  being  direct 
to  Kodlunain  Island.  This  second  visit  resulted  in  the  discovery  of 
another    piece    of  iron,    scmi-sphcrical   in   shape,    and   weighing   twcntv 


Am,THER  wmTEn  m  the  akctzc.  .,„, 

pounds.     Fragments  of  tile  and  numerous  other  r  1-        ■    ,■ 

civili^ed  men  „„d   Ws.ted  it,  were    a^:  L:  7    c  :'  -i"      "'"^"  "■"' 

""'''"•  "■;';"- '- «>■ »--  -  .He  U.X  ^;l  ;";;:;:: 

.He,  pressed  on  to  ascert^tLirLn'!       "-;•■"--"--  '- 
ta„.  ..     he  entranee   to  the  harhor  was  roun<led,  and   the  hu  . 

Geo..e  Henr,  loomed  up  before  them.     All  reeeived  a  joyful  wel     m 
.-I  were  soon  on  hoard  reeounting  their  adventures  to     he  oftl      .L' 
men,  who  had  given  them  up  lor  lo«t 

Mueh  of  the  time  ,rf.cr  arriving  .at  the  ship  was  spent  i„  visitin.  the 
l.on,es  o.  the  Innu.ts  on  shore,  and  gaining  what  information  eould  1 
obtantcd  eoneernmg  the  white  n,e„  who  centuries  before  had  visZ   ,1 

anomci    trip   to   the   phices  recently    visitorl     .,„  i 

T       •.     ^         ..  "-^y    ^I'^itccl,    and   accompan  cd   bv   fivn 

.."..  s^Otpt.  I-Ial,  started  for  the  Countess  of  Warwiek.'  Sound     „    , 
,   .  ".  Oc  ober.     The  tnp  was  nearly  a  failure.     The  season  was  too  f 
^..ha„ce.l  for  boat  e.eursions;  snow  storms,  and  eol.l  and  „i„dy  w      h 
.net  .nem  eaeh  day.     The  Innuits  were  wilhng  to  proeeed   but  ,1  i 
■""mated  that  it  would  not  do  to  --o  far-  so  fh^         ,  '  ^' 

1  •         ,  ,  '■^'  a*^  I'll ,   SO   the   party    returned    to  tl-,<. 

sh.l>,  where  they  arrived  after  an  absenee  of  four  days' 

-Ml  now  wishetl  to  eontmence  the  voyage  ],„me.       lee  ha.l  be.,u„  to 
for,n,  an    ,t  was  felt  that  the  time  for  departure  had  arrived.  The  e^ ta 

.       .e  whaler  had  determined  to  leave  on  the  .oth  of  Oetobe ,! 

.«!   -de  up  then,  nnn.ls  aeeordingly.       While  waiting  for  the  day 
•l4K«.,re  Capt.n„U    visite<l  a  high  point  near  Bayard  T.aylor  P.ass  , 
-.!.■  .o  enable  hin,  to  complete  the  trigonometrical  survey- whieh        ; 
-".-need.      From  the  elevation  he  discovered  that  solid  ice  at  the 
;;;';;'<;  '"c-  -ay  ..o.d  the  ship  a  prisoner  there.     Upon  the  return  to      e 
1        K,    eaptan.    was  ntformed  of  ,:,e  tliscovery  of  pack  ice   in  Davis- 
«-...       a  was  soon  after  announce,     that  the  winter  must  be  spent  in 
tn^'  l)ohir  rco-ions        Thn   K.>,r  i     -  '■ 

..     ■,      ,  ';     ■  .  '   ^'*'^    commenced    freezing  oyer,   and   on    Oct. 

O,   ms tcad    of    bemg    homeward    bound,  the    ship    was    i„    iee    seyen 
-'-  ^-1<  -I  rapidly  increasing,  causing  i.-nediltepreparatioir;: 


582 


i% 


it!    „ 


i!  ji  J  I 


I 


GRIN  NELL    GLACIER 

On   Nov.    33  the    Innuits    ;()mmcncc(l   to  l)uil(l 


into    wniter  quarters 
their  winter  houses. 

When  it  was  fairly  decided  that  the  Geor<ifo  Henry  would  remain  all 
winter  in  the  ice,  Capt.  Hall  tleclareil  his  intention  of  making  sledge 
journey  up  Frobisher  Bay,  for  the  purpose  of  eflecting-  a  complete  ex- 
ploration  of  every  bay  and  iidet  in  those  waters,  and  also  of  investigat- 
ing still  more  closely  the  matters  connected  with  the  Countess  of 
Warwick's  Sound,  and  on  Dec.  15  \\v  started  for  Jones'  Cape,  accom- 
panied by  two  Innuits.  No  new  discoveries  were  made,  and  after  an  ab- 
sence of  four  ilays  they  again  arrived  at  the  ship. 

Shortness  of  provisions  caused  the  ship's  company  to  divide  them- 
selves among  the  Innuits  and  try  their  mode  of  living.  The  privations 
of  Innuit  life  were  too  severe  for  them,  and  they  now  and  then  returned 
to  the  ship.  Indeed,  the  experience  of  the  men  was  anything  but  pleas- 
ant, and  it  often  looked  as  though  they  would  die  of  starvation. 

The   exploring   sledge   trip   up  Frobisher's  Bay  was  renewed  on  the 
1st  of  April,  the  party  consisting  of  Capt.  Hall,  four  of  the   ship's  com- 
pany, and  four  Innuits.     They  lirst  visited  Oopungnewing,  but  nothing 
new  was  discovered.     The  journey  was  continued    without  any  event  of 
note   occurring,    until    May    ist,  when   the   course    was  changed  to  the 
Kingaitc  coast.      The  Grinnell  Glacier  was  visited,  which  was  estimated 
to   be   fully   one   hundred    miles  long.       Its  height  at    tiie    highest   point 
reached    is    3,500    feet.       From     this     point    various    other    bays    wore 
visited.        Thence     they    proceeded    among    many    islands,    and    came 
to  a   channel    where   they   found   a    space  of  open    water   aboundiii<'-  in 
ducks  and  other  acpiatic  birds  and  seals.     This  raised  the  siege  of  huno-cr 
which  had  been  endured   almost  since   the   time   they  had   left  the  ship. 
The  jourtic)'  was  continued  down  the  bay,  passing   rapidly  on   the   ri^ht 
Cajje    Poillon   and    NewcU's  Sound,   and    on  the  Icll,  Pike's  Island;  the 
course  being  along  near  the  Kingaitc  coast,  and  direct  for  Cape  Vander- 
bilt.     In  leaving  the  latter  point  the  course  was  almost  in  line  with  Cape 
Hill,  the  soulli  termination  of  Chase  Island.      The  return  journey  to  the 
ship  was  commenceil  on  the  20th  of  May,  which  was  reached  early  next 
morning. 


remain  all 
v^  sledge 
nplete  ex- 
nvestigat- 
iuntess  of 
»e,  accom- 
:er  an  ah- 


'^mu^,(\^ 


aUIKKBINe,  TOOKOOLITO,  AND  CHILD. 


583 


1 

1 

I 

1 

^3u^3SBS 

1 

084 


CAPE   TRUE. 


A  short  time  .■ifu-r  the-  n-tnni  to  the  ship  Capt.  Hall  secumi  the  con- 
sent of  his  l.uimt  o.nip.iuions,  I<:hicrl)in-  and  his  wife  Tookoolito,  to  ,v- 
ti.n.  with  hi.n  to  the  Unite.!  States,  in  ..nler  tiiat  he  mi-ht  learn  more 
of  the  lan-ua-e,  manners  a.hl  enstoms  of  their  rare,  and  liave  them  retnrn 
with  him  at  a  tntnre  time  ..n  his  expedition  to  Kin.i,'  William's  [.and. 

Earlv  in  jnne  tvv,,  more  relies  ..f  l'^„hisher's  Expedition  were  pro- 
cured from  one  of  the  l-:s(p.imanx_a  piece  of  hriek  and  a  musket  hail, 
the  latter  of  which  tlie  -iver  said  had  heen  found  l.efore  his  race  knew 
anything-  of  ^nnis. 

The   ship  was  left  June  n    for  a  visit  to  the    whalin^r  depot  at   Cape 
True,  which    was  reached   in  safety,  and  the   captain    and  iiis  men    were 
found   to   he   fat   an<l    healthy.      After    remainin-  a   few    days   with    the 
whalers,   Capt.    Hail    and   an    Imnu-t   companion    started  once    more   f,,r 
Cornelius  (Jrimieil    Hay,    for  tlie   purpose  of  survcyin-    it.     Durin-  the 
trip  they  encountered  xcvy  severe  weather.      The  ice  threatened  to  hreak 
up  and  crush  them,  and  the    wind  hlew  a  hurricane.      It   was    the    intiu- 
tion  to  -o  to  tile  extreme  of  the  hay,  hut  tlie  season  was  so  far  advanced  as 
to  rondcr  ice-travelin-  very  <lan-en.us;  therefore  the  party  advanced  no 
farther    han  AHen^    Island,  of  which  a  renewed  examination  was  com- 
menced.    The  discoveries   made  were  of  minor   imiwrtance,  and  the  re- 
turn  j(mrney  to  the  ship  was  commenced  on   the  36th  of  June.      On  the 
way  hack  tlie  time    was  improx.d    in  niakin-  ohservations    for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  chart.      On  the  day  followin-  the  ship  was  reached,  when 
matters  were  found  to  Iv  proceeding  i,i  the  usual  course. 

Another  expedition  was  commenced  June  30.  Cape  True  was 
readied  hy  sled,  fr..m  wiience  a  party  of  eleven  was  secured  to  proceed 
further  hy  h..al.  Tlie  islands  which  had  heen  visited  hefore  were  visited 
a-ain.  Relics  were  sou-ht  and  a  few  secured,  hut  thin-s  which  il  was 
particularly  desirous  to  (,htain  couhl  not  he  found.  The  journey  was 
continued  until  July  19,  when  they  a-ain  started  for  the  ship.  As  they 
proceeded  alon-  the  coast,  ohservations  were  renewc.l,  and  so  far  as  it 
could  he  done  the  link  of  hearings  and  sextant  angles  which  now  ex- 
tended all  around  Frohi.her  Bay,  was  completed.  The  next  point  for 
which  the  party  started  was  the  southeast  extreme— Hall's  Island  of  Fro- 


liETURN  OF   THE  GEORaE   IlENHr. 


685 

--  ■■'"■"-">• -.sine.  „,..„  „o  ,„.,,,  :^'':-^-' "''" 

«■■'■■''•      ''-■  I^ ■!  was  a,,„  visited,  a„„  a  ,  ,  "  Z'^"  "  '^ 

-Hair.  l,,la„,l  „f  l.-r„,,i»h„_„„,  ,.,,„,        '      '"  ""■■  "''J^'^""'  I'""" 

"'^■^  -^«  -<ii-y  n,a,U.,  an,,   ,  .,;2'  Xr,'"  ''"IT  ''- 

.•..,>,..-.a„.  place,  wc.  c„,„.c.e.,  „,  ...,„„  ,:'"",,  7:7"'^'  -'■"■ 

Cape  True  was  speedily  a„,l  safel^ade.  ■■"  "'''  '" 

0„   Friday,  A„s.  S,  ,vv„  .lays  alter   their  return    Can.    I,         •      , 

i"  a  Imat  .lirccl  from  Geor-e  Ilenrv  I!  •.,     ,      """'    ^''l"-    "•■"'■'Ved 

,  "'•'"-<•  "i-nry  Iky,  will,  the  aiuioimceineiil  Ih.f  ,1, 

sh,„„as    nearly  free,  that    the    iee  In  FieUI    fiay  was  .,,1  I, 
tl-  .n..ch  .,r  it  had  drifted  ont  .„  sea.     ,I„  ..rderej  d,  "'"  ■' 

™  l"«''l   i"..ne.liately.       The  men    were  ""V  "  '"  '"■'"■■'•■'•■'' 

-'"•      7'^-  --  were  strnc.  .p.ieldy,  and  .veiy  hi  :     ;         r::" 

'"''  "".'     ""'^"   - "^-  ""^^-1.  was  plaeed'in  .1,:  |„       '  ^^^2 

were  pa,d  „.  many  fa.niliar  spots  as  they  were  passe,l        The  shi 
s^edily  reached,  an.l  the  men  were  -dad  again  t^  tre       I  ,      '    "'" 

kn..u.|ed,e  that  she  was  „„ce  m„re  f™  '"'""   '"  "'^' 

On   Saturday,  An,.  3,  ,he  weather  was  calm    an.l   clear.       The  ice 

*■■•'■■':"  ;'7'-^'  »'■"  ««  »'"P  wa»  .swinging  la.ily  at  her  anchors    Th 

was  n„  wn,d,  h„t  i,  was  no  time  .0  hold  on,  and,  findin.  It  uscle    '.o  t  r ' 
lon-cr,   the  captain  jjavc   the   si<nv.l    .„  i   ..  ,  ^  "^cicss  to  tan y 

-'  -  .'-ci!.  plac:  on   h:r  I."     T       ship  ::''"''  "T^'  ""-  '""- 

'"'-  ™'. »-«  were  manned  ,0  tow  l:  i::,;"-';:;''  -^."' 

^■■';"';-'^"  >-■  -.'  -.n.  words  .,f  ,i„d  re.re.  wcre^    '  h.,,.;^:  ':Z 
parted  company.     .Soon  a  fresh  hrce.e  was  welcomed,  and  the  Ge     ! 
Henry  was  once  n,ore  honreward  honnd.     Nothin.  worth'.    ^ 
--'  .■;-n«  the  voyage.   St.  Johns,  Newfonndland,  I        a        i:!;: 
o.     ace,  en.  on  Aug.    .,s,,  when  the  ship  again  sailed  for  NeLd' 
vhc,,.  she  a,,..ved  on  Sntnrtlay  morning,  Sep..   ,3,  ,S6..     T  ,^  ' 

::ri:i:irr"""  ^--■-*' ■'--'"- ----: 


(I  I 


1  '. 


rm 


END   OF  FRANK  UN  SEAFCU. 


With  Hall's  first  voy:igf  closes  the  connected  series  of  elTorts  to  dis- 
cover the  particulars  of  the  Franklin  tragedy,  lastinj^  from  their  incep- 
tion in  iS.}S-9,  till  the  termination  of  the  enterprise  just  descrihed.  A 
later  endeavor  of  Hall  rcsultinj^  in  partial  success,  will  be  described  in 
connection  with  his  third  and  last  voya<je.  We  next  turn  to  the  Icn;;- 
list  of  recent  explorers,  who,  from  iS6o  to  .SSi,  have  made  voyaj^es  for 
independent  Arctic  discv)very. 


PART    V. 


RECENT  PDLflH  EXPEniTinNS. 


11 


mi 


"  llic  summer  went,  the  winter  came^ 
Wc  eould  not  rule  the  year  ; 

But  summer  ivill  me/t  the  iee  a<^ain. 
And  open  a  path  to  the  sunny  main. 
Whereon  our  ships  shall  steer. 


."  7'he  winter  went,  the  summer  went., 
The  winter  came  arottnd; 

Jhtt  the  hard  or  ecu  iee  was  strouif  us  death. 
And  l„c  voice  of  Hope  sank  to  a  breath, 
Tet  caught  at  every  sound.'''' 


C'HAI'TI'.K     l.W 

">'"IK-sn,AV,.K     »C„V,.:S--c,V,.K    VOKK        V    ..,, 

:  ?  ^""' "";'  j"«' «-"- .i>y.icia„,  „„,„  „„ j„„„„  ,„.'' ,:  '  „ 

.s.i-lir.  Isaac  Israd  Have,  hoca,,,.  ,,„ssos,c.,l  „r  c|  .  ,|,,  ,„.„   I 

V    ,,    ,.  ,                             '■'"*'"■'""■'' l'l'y«i'-'i«l«  that  the  sea  alMuttho 
N.mh  I  .„..„„„..  I,.  ,v,„„„  ,„,, „^.„  ^,^^,^  „^  " 

' , '  "■;""■;  .";'■  ^-'""  "'■"'■ '« " - .-  :..v.,.  L  ■".,„::,: 

W .  ,n.dl,  a,„,  ,.a:,v,  .i„  la..,-  ,,,  ,„ .  Kane',  E.„o,litio„."  '' 

llavcs  submitted  his  i.kas  i.iKl   Dlaiis   („  tl„.     \ 

,,,,..     ,  ■    '"^  ^"  '■'*-    American   Geocn-anliicil 

an    Ma.,,.,ca,  .Soei.,,  i„  a  pa,.,-  ..a.,  ,..,„..  ,„„„   ,„„„;,    ,„;,       " 

.^.7,wh,c„a.„act.U„,„.an.n,i ,„    ApHI,    ,S„S,   ,,„   l„,„,„„  .J 

.  ScK.„c.,  a,  „.  annual  „K«in,,  which   app„h,u,l  .!«„„  ..f  i„  ,„,,; 

'..  Il..,c,  ,,avc  »cvc,-al  IcCuvs  N,  fanhorancc  ,.r  .he  project;  a,„l   ah.,„. 

....  pn,n,„K.n.   .cntlcntcn   hnsinc.s   hot.c.    of  Philadelphia,    Xc„ 

,1.  an,  an,!    ,„.„„. .hscihe.,  to  the   Arctic    E.pio  Jion   Fnnt,. 

1  lie    Smithsonian    Institut  on  made   a    tcndn.-    »f  fi 

tcnclei    of  the    necessary     nstrn- 

.        .  .1.     Hayes   now  enrtaile.l    his  „,,,i„al   plan,   which  embruccl  a 

""'  •^•"■'"-— '-•''  -- ...U.  the  vova,e  nn.le,.  sail,   reservi,,,  it. 

58!> 


»    ■' 


I 


1           ■•'    1 
li  ill'  !     ■'     ! 

-r- 

iili!  'i'  ' 
ii 

.:i 

1/ 

H 


nn 


ir 


liiifii 


500 


T//E    UNITED  STATES. 


steam-power  for  boring  through  the  ice-and  a  sailing  vessel    to    -.ct  ■^ 
tender  or  store-ship.     A  stauneh  merchant  sehooner  in   the   West  Inciic! 
trade,  of  only  1,^3  tons  burden,    but  an  A,    register,  and   drawn,.,  onlv 
e.ght  feet  of  water,  was  purehased  for  the  voyage.      It  was  already    l-.t'e 
in  the  season,   in   view   of  the    distance    that    intervened,    for   su  ^v  ssful 
exploration  beyond  latitude  So^  where  Hayes  proposed  to   be-dn      The 
necessary    improvements   to    adapt   the   ship   to   her    new    sphere    w.re 
hurnedly  pushed  forward;  and   the   stowage  of  supplies  and  provisions 
a<  dec    further  delay.     It  was  the  ych  of  July  betbre  the  snug  little  craft 
wh,ch  had  been  named  the  United  States,  was  towed  out  from  the  harho^ 
of  Boston,  and  the  9th  before  she  left   Nantasket  Roads  for  the   vovi.a> 
to  the  north.     Her  company  consisted  of  fourteen   persons,  officers^uKl 
men,  besides  the  commander  and   owner,   Dr.   Hayes.     The   vessel   -uul 
outfit  had  been  presented  to  him  on  the  eve  of  his  departure. 

On  the  secon.l  day  they  ran  into  a  fog-bank  which  enveloped  then.  . 
whole  week,  and  in  which  they  finally  ran  on  the   rocks  off  the   New 
to.ndland  coast,  but  had  the  good   fortune  to  get   away   without   ini.u.- 
though   Hayes  says  it  seemecl  as  if  they  could  touch  the  beetlin-.  dilfs 
with  their  hands.      With  favorable  winds  and  weather  thev  now    Lshcd 
rapKlly  to  the  west,  seeing  the  first   iceberg  on  the   .^.X^,  an.l  entering 
w.thn,  the  Arctic  circle  on  the  evening  of  the   30th.     Thus   thev    Ivul 
made   an  average  of  nearly   100  miles  a   <lay   from    Nantasket    Ro..<K 
havmg  reached  the  region  of  "the  midnight  sun"  in  twentv  days     ^xZ 
in  Davis'  Strait  they  had  a  narrow  escape  fron.  a  serious  disaster  in  . 
squall;    the  cabin  was  flooded  at  least  a  dozen  times  a  day  the   skvli-dit 
knocked  to  pieces  and  the  table,  standing  directly  under  it,  n.or;  thn, 
once  cleared  of  crockery  and  eatables  without  the  aid  of  the  stewu-d 

They  made  the  southern  extremity  of  Disco  Island  on  the  l.st  d.v 
of  July,  and  the  Nord  Fiord  of  the  san.e,  in  latitude  70%  on  the  ist".- 
August.  Speeding  past  Waigat  Strait,  and  Omenak  Fiord  or  Tu-oh\ 
B.ght,  they  arrived  off  Svarte  Hook  on  the  3,1,  when  the  wind,'  ^vhic.h 
had  so  long  favored  them,  died  completely  awa^•.  The  foo-  urtcd  nul 
'■'iceberg  after  iceberg  btu'st  into  view,  like  castles  in  a  fairv  tale  The  so. 
was  smooth  as  glass;  not  a  ripple  broke  its  dead  surface;  not  a  breath  of 


'h  to   ;)ct  as 
West  Indies 
■awing  onlv 
alreadj'   l;,te 
1-   su.r<ssful 
^^gin.     The 
[jhcre    wei-e 
1  provisions 
;•  liftlc  craft, 
1  tlie  iiarbor 
the   voyage 
afficcrs   and 
vessel   and 

ped  them  a 
"  the   Xew- 
out    injiuy, 
etling  dills 
^vv   pushed 
1(1  entering- 
lliey    iiad 
:ct    Roads, 
y^.    While 
iaster  in  a 
e   skylij,dit 
more  than 
cvvard. 
c  last  day 
the    1st  of 
)r  Jaeoh's 
nd,  which 
lifted,  and 
.  The  sea 
breath  of 


7V/£:   KATAK. 

■■«'  «.inc.l  ThcdaH.  headlands  s.„„.,  boldly  „„.„„„!„»,,„.  »„.,  „,, 
"-K  -I  -»,  a.Kl  berg.,  „„d  „,ou„.»i„.  were  baehed  in  „„  „.„„,;„„, 
«.  e,-,m,„„,  and  .old,  and  pnrplc,  ,„o,„  .singularly  boa„,if„l.  TIne  air  „■.„ 
-;''™  ^"-.«t  -  a  s„n,n,er-s  nigh,  at  h„,.e;  an.l  ye,  Ihcre  were  ,he  ic. 
^.ugsand  .l,e  bleak  n,„nn.ai„.„  with  which  the  fancy  in  ,„„- land  of -reen 

Mis  an      „.a,.„,g  ,„,,,,,  ,„„  „„,.^,,,^.  „„,,  .,_^  ,^__^  ^^ .epnlsiven^ess." 

N...w..hs.„ndn,g  .he    „oe.ie  hean.y  of  ,ho  scene,  .he  prosv  reaii.v  of  an 
'""""  ''""^'  •"  '•  ■""'  '"'V  -  "-  •".>"-»..  o.„iged  .hJn ,;,„  ,„ 


DK.    I.   I.    HAVES. 

|--  -  haul  Ihe  vessel  on,  of  danger.     On  ,he  6,h  ,hey  n.adc  the  h.r- 
:"   "    ■■.■.••■von,  ,„„,  n,i,es  so„,h  of  UpernaviU,  convoyed  by  a  „e       f 

(M-eenland  kayaks.  ^    "  "Lct  ot 

"  The    k.ayak  of  ,bc  Greonl.-.nder."  say,  H.aycs,  Hs  ,he  IVailes,  speci 

".'7    "'  '"■■'■•■™-    »-"■■'-""-    'h-    "-•    carried    „nn   frei„h,  ." 

-..  I.en  lec.  long,  and  .,  n,a„y  inches  wide   a,  its  ndddle,  .:nd'  ,.,pers 
"■■'"' >"-"'    ™-i".  '^-,  ,o  a  poin.  a,    ci,her Th^kei::;. 


i 

M 

Pm 

1 

H 

u  1 1:| 

1 

1 

'         ii            ' 

1 

iiil.i  f 

i 

HHJti;''  't  i  'fti 

f 

>W"fH'* 

■■  '  '■  f 

\-m 


■ 


I J I 


593 


A'J    PROVEN. 


the    i.,at   is    made   of   light   woo.l;    the  cvering   is   of   tanned   sealskin 
sewed   to,<.ether  by    the    tuitive    women    with   sinew  thread,  a.ul    with    a' 
stren-lh  and  dexterity  cinite    astonishin-       Not  a  drop   of  water  fnuls  its 
way   throt.gh    their  seanrs,   and    the  skin    itself  is   perfeetly   waterproof 
The  boat  is  abont  nine    inehes  deep,  and  tiie  top  is  eovered  like  the  bot- 
tom.     There  is  no  openin-  into  it,  exeept    a    ronnd    hole    in    the    center 
whieh  admits  the  hunter  as  fn-  as  his  hips.     This  hole  is  stuToundc-d  with 
a    wooden    rim,   over  which    the    kayaker    laces    the    lower   ed-c   of  his 
water-ti-ht  jacket,  and    thns  fastens  himself  in  and  keeps  the  w^ater  out 
He  propels  himself  with  a   sin,s,de   oar  abont  six   feet  lon-^^  which  termi- 
nates in  a  blade  or  paddle  at  eitlier  end.      This  instrument  of  locomotion 
IS  -rasped   in  the  center,  and  is  dipped  in  the  water  alternatelv    to    ri-dit 
and  left.      The  boat  is  <,n-aceful  as  a  duck,  and  lio-ht  as  a  feather.      It  Ivts 
no  ballast  and    no  keel,  and   it  rides  almost   on   the  surthce  of  the   water 
It  IS   therefore  necessarily  top-heavy.      Lon- practice  is  require.l  to  n)au- 
a-e  .t,  and  no  tight-rope  dancer  ever  needed   more  steadv  nerve  and  skill 
of  balance   than   this    same   savage  kayaker.      Yet   in   this  frail   crall   he 
does   not  hesitate  to  ride  seas  winch   would  swamp   an  onlinarv   boat,  or 
to  break   thro,:gh  surf  which  may  sweep   completelv  over  him'.      Hut'  he 
IS  used  to  hard  battles,  and  i,i  spite  of  every  fortune  he  keeps  himself  up- 
right."     Six  days  were  here  spent  in  the  elTort  to  secure  dogs,  but  only 
half  a  doxen  old  ones  and  a  l.ss  ntnnber  of  yotmg  ones  were  all  tiial  thev 
were   able  to    procure,  an    epidemic  among  them  having  left  many  hu::;"- 
ers  without    any,  an<I  none  with  their  usual  number.      To  part  wi'th  (luir 
dogs   was  to  nm  the    risk  of  starvation ;  an.l  though    Haves  odered  a  lih- 
eral  equivalent  in  pork,  beet;  and  canned    meats,  they  prefbrre,!   to   ,e,:,in 
the    means    of  bunting    the    sed    an<l    wah-us.      The    chief  trader,  a    Mr. 
Hansen,  with    great    courtesy  ph.:ed    his  own  team    at  the  service  of  the 
explorer,  but  did  not  feel  at  liberty  either  to  a.lvise  or  comn.and  the  na- 
tives  to  ])art  with  tiieirs. 

A  government  house,  one  story  high,  and  plastered  over  with  pitch 
and  tar,  is  the  most  conspicuous  house  in  I'r.iven,  A  shop  an,l  a  lod-- 
ing  house  for  a  few  Danish  employes  stan.I  next  in  im|>ortance.  Two 
or  three    less  in.po.ing  structures  of  the  pilch  and  tar  description,  in!,;,l>. 


DEATH  OP  CMiUTllERS 

503 
ilul  l.y  D,mo,wh„  have  mnrricl   „mivo  w,„„..„.       ,■       , 
-1  ""••;  .oofed  with  boa,,l»,  a,„,  over..!  ,   '  "    '""  '"'  "'""' 

»'-  "f  "^«  c'o»cHp,o„,„„.  wM,o„: : ,  .: 7' :  T "" "'"'" 

>kin  .e„.,  al,   p,e„..,  abo,.e  p,.„,„i„cuou,s„  a,  ,  ' \  '""'- 

'>-  '»->.  Thc-o  i.  a  blubbchou.  .,o„.„  ;  ,,  ,  ^  r'  '"""  "" 
fl».-».aff  „„  ehe  hm,  fro,„  which  .he  D  :„  V  .  ,  :";  i'""  ^'  »"■"'=<' 
.he  wi,Kl,  gave  .he  place  a  show  „f  di.,,;.,      t    .'  T  ^  "■"""'   '" 

wa.  ranhe.  p.esc^d  by  a„  old   ca„„:     Ch  J     .    T  ,:       ^"'''""™ 

.!..■  n„,.  whose  ™».y  ,h,,,a.  ™ade  the  weikh,      „  T"   """" 

the  Greenland  rocks.  "  •"  ""''  ""'^'""-  '<"":hed 

Leaving  Proven,  thai   is,  "  E^ivMi,„„„,  ..         ., 
Uperaavik,  .ha.  is  .  Upper  Harb     ^      :  '     ""     I  "*' *=^  --'-" 
.1.^  ^-e  day.     Here  .hey  ,„,„,d        D  .ri       v  l.^,  ...'k""  ^■^°'""^^'  "' 

oil  and  skins  for  Copenhagen,  which   ...v        ,  '""  "  ""'"  '" 

.;-»  -e.  .  avik  wasVonnd  ^ZJIJ^Z  "'^:^ 
a  lew  hat,  n>ore  and  al,„„.  .wo  l,„n.lred  inhabi.an.s  Danes  h.in  7 
and  E,quin,a„x,  besides  a  cht.rch  an.l  parsona  J  G  "r,',  c  7  "' 
-he  b„a.swai„  and  carpen.er  of  .he  schooner,  i,;  'n.  b  e,  ou^T  " 
P-i.y  dead  in  his  berth,  .he  e,„n„,.. er  had  occa. -on       v'  i.l  "r 

tappc.l   at  the  door,  and   was  ushered   into  a  cosv  lift!..    .       . 

'■- -»  •— s  ot-wWch  Icf.  no  d„a„t  as  to  .1  ,/.'"""'"'" 

..■  .he  oddes.  specimen  of  womankind   that  ev:      ^  T^rr 

-:  a  ...li.biown  Esq„i,nau..,  with  coppery  co.npic.ion  k  ^ 

w  .ch  w.as  .w,s.ed  in.o  a  kno.  on   the  .„p  of  her  head.     Sh  1:: 
.laeke   wh.c     tended  .„  her  waist,  sealskin  pantaloons,  and  boo  ;         ,, 
"..  a,„ve.he  knees,  dyed  scarle.,  and  cnbroidcrcd  in  a   ,„an  e  ." 

>vo.„d  a,.o„,sh  .he  girls  of  Dresden.     The   .-oo™  was  redol  f 

agran,  rose  and    ,„ig„„nct.e  and   he.io.ropc,  which  nes.,ed   in    h    s 
in  „„dcr  .he  snow  whi.e  cnrtains.    A  canary  chirped  on  its  p  r   , 

-e  ,„e  door,  a  ca.  was  pnrring  on  .he  l,car.h.rag, I  an  a„n,i  Lka 

e  gen.le,.an  p,,.  „„.  a  soft  white  hand  to  give  n,e  welco.nc.     Tl 
Ihe   Rev.   .Mr.   Anton,   missionary   of   .l,e   olace       M,.      x    . 

emerged  from  a  s.ntg  lit.ic  chamber  adioi    n        Uer      ^^  "   '°°" 

38  "ujuium^.     iiei  Mstcr  came   in  im- 


,f,. 


1 ,  J  1  I 
tj'    ' 


h  I 


mmm 


594 


A    CLUSTER   OF  BERGS. 


mediately  afterward,  and  we  were  so„n  j,n-ouped  about  a  homelike  table." 
They  were  detained  four  days  at  Upernavik  by  the  burial  of  Carufh- 
ers,  and  procurin-'the  last  Arctic  supplies,  includin-  five  men,  an  inter- 
preter with  his  dog  team,  and  the  forementioned  team  of  the  trader 
Hansen.  Leaving  this  limit  of  safe  navigation  and  civilized  existence' 
l>ehmd,  they  soon  encountered  a  heavy  line  of  icebergs,  some  of  which 
were  judged  to  be  two  hundred  feet  high  and  a  mile  long,  and  spent 
four  <lays-"  now  at  anchor,  then  moored  to  a  berg,  and  again  keepi„. 
tree  from  danger  through  a  hard  struggle  with  the  oars"_in  threading 
tlicir  dangerous  Avay  through  this  labyrinth. 

I  "  The  ice  was  here, 

The  ice  was  there, 

The  ice  was  all  around; 
It  creaked  and  growled , 
And  roared  and  howled 

Like  demons  in  a  swound." 

At  one  time  they  were  in  nnminent  danger  of  being  crushed  l.y  the 
l.reaking  up    of  one  of  the  bergs,  and  only    escaped  by    anchoru",-.   to 
another  at  a  little  distance  and  hauling  on  a  rope,  getting  only  twenty 
yards  away,  when  a  huge  mass  tumbled  into  the  sea.     As  it  was,  ihoy 
lost  the  mainboom,  and  small  fragments  of  the  ice  were  showered 'upon 
the  deck.     Hayes  counted  500  separate  bergs  without  exhausting  the  list 
"Birds  and  beasts  and  human  forms  and  architectural  designs  took  shape 
ill    the    distant  masses  of   blue  and    white.     The  dome   of    St.  Peter's 
loomed  above  the  spire  of  Old  Trinity;  and   u.uler  the  shadow  „f  the 
Pyramids  nestled  a  Byzantine  tower  and  a  Grecian  temple.     To  the  east- 
ward the  sea  was  dotted  with  little  islets-dark  specks  upon  a  hrillianl 
surface.     Icebergs  great  and  small  crowded  through  the  channels  which 
divided  them,  until  in  the  far  distance  they  appeared  massed  together, 
terminating  against  a  snow-covered  plain  that  sloped  upward  untirii  was 
lost  in  a  dim  line  of  bluish  whiteness.     Tt  was  the  mer-dcglacc,  ..r  sea 
of  ice,  which  covers  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Greewland  Continent. 
The  snow-covered  slope  was  a  glacier  descending  therefrom— tlie  parent 


HANS,    THE  MARR2ED. 


595 
stem  from  which  had  been  discharcrr.I    ..<  • 

i.x*crgs  which  trchlecl  u»  .^Z:^  "'  """ '  "■'"'■^"'»'  ■"->  <"*e 

They  an-ivcl  at  Tessiiissak,  or  IS.v  pi,,,,        ,  ■  , 

^-^ "-^  --  »."•  P^™.-,...;  h„„7„  :•;:  r:.:.:""r'  ^'  '^^ 

some  exchanges  with  the  ,v„l,.  '  ^    ""=>'   '"•"1'^ 

.1.0  eveni,,,  :,■  .^e     ,  "'•  ^ "  ""''  ''•=' =''  H  ".ift-ice  „„tn 

^V•"co.  Point,  w  t     ."h    Do  .      "t,  ""T  .""-'''"■'"•  ""-,,  Head,  a,„, 

n^.  <-..  ...e .;,,  ,..h  :o.": :  J :::  ::r.;;;'r  r-  ""•'"= 

less  billows  "-a   piece  of    r.r.  ,   .  "^welhng  nnd   limit- 

1-iit-cc  or    laie  good  fortune      T^i.f  ., 
came  on  and  after  ten  hon.-.     f        -,  l^"t  a  snowstorm    soon 

--.a.,a.J:h,e:;::;:f::::::;™^^^^^^^^^ 

;;..;;  ".""Cape  V„.  .a.  .en  "aa™.;;':^',:^  1 1'' :: 

On  the  25th  they   encountered  the  first  fielr!   of  •  i 

«;-.  ':•■•  -<>;  -.. ..«..  nnaer  :;r  I'r; :  :;r  ^eri: 

"--  -  -  - »"----"- ':"r„';;  !::;;:'"■■"'■" 

l.ro.egeo|-  Dr.  Kane,  who  ha,l  ,leserte,    ,h  „  °  i-^imnianx 

l.e.b,c.  ,„  nurry  a  y„„„„  woman  .f  °"'°''  """"=  ""  ^"'"''^ 

;-»  w:.,  MerUn.,  then-  hahy,  „„,:,^^,C^       "t^^^     -^  ^    ^^'^ 

...c     D  .  Ihues  now  took  l,nn,  his  wifc  an,l  ehil.l,  leavin.-  the  wife's 
■;'■-■  -"  ->i,cr  ,,e,n-n.,,  ,vi.hont  any  regret  on  hi»  part.     T  ^  , 
:"■. ■'•^■'■V''''-^-''»"'  '-"•>•  '-i<'-  ""•  -anniy  of  Hans.  V, 

:;  '"V:""  T'-"  """ """'-"    "l"'".v    ...    the    north,    towr. 

»    .».onh„h„e  Son,,,.,  sailing  at  one  tin.e  he,«ee„  two  see.i.  ,s  of 
.oel,e,-g  eonnecte,!  nn.ler  water,  the  ,sel„,o„er  twice  .„-„in..  tl,e    ■ 

Ww..,her,,ee,.On,hee.e g  of  the  .th  ^C^ -::;; 

J>a\,  tile  comm.iivh'r'u   ,.r  .,f 


commantler's  winter  quart 


ers  in  his   Ix 


on  the  next  day  arrived  oiY  ILtkluyt  I.land  m  Wh 


>at-|()urnev  of  iS 


54;  and 


lie  Sound.     Here  thcv 


S06 


CHEAT  DANGER  IN   THE  ICE. 


f\' 


cncoiinteml  an  ice-pack,  which  they  passed  throu<rh  in  safety,  though  not 
without  danger;  and  on  tiie  morning  of  the  2Sth,  saw  Cape  Alexander 
at  the  entrance  to  Smith  Sound,  twenty  miles  ahead.     In  the  afternoon, 
after  having  actually  got  within  the  Sound,  they  fell  in  with  another  ice- 
pack.    While  menaced  by  this  danger,  a  greater  one  arose.     A   terrific 
northern  gale  sprang  up;  the  spray  flew  over  the  deck,  sheathing  deck, 
spars  and   rigging,  as  well  as  men,   in   coats  of  ice.     They   found   partial 
shelter  from   the  hurricane  under   the  clifTs,    or   they   would   have  been 
driven    possibly   beyond   Cape   York,  or  upon   the  ice-pack.     Off  Cape 
Alexander  it  was  one  mass  of  seething  foam,  whirled  upward  ever  and 
anon  by  the  ever-changing  wind  gusts. 

Thus  detained  until  the  30th,  the  direction  of  the  gale  then  changed, 
driving  them  before  it  and  threatening  to  carry  them  into  mid-channel  from 
the  protection  of  the  eastern   cliffs,  but  they  succeeded  in  casting  anchor 
near  tlie  shore.       Tlie   next  day   the   \essel  dragged   her  anchors,  losing 
one;   and  was   driven  on   some   bergs,  crushing   the   stern-boat  and  bul- 
warks,  and    veering  round,  lost  her  jib-boom  and  had   her   bowsprit   and 
foremast  sprung.       Scudding   before  the  wind,  with   mainsail  spread  to 
get  away   from   the  icebergs,  the  sail   was  torn  to  pieces,   but  they  had 
been  driven  once  more  within  the  Sound.       An  effort  was  now  made  to 
pass  to  the  west  side,  toward  Cape  Isabella,  but   encountering  the  solid 
pack  for  the  seccMul  time,  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  hug  the  Green- 
land    co:rst,  in   an  effort   to   gain    Fog    Inlet,    twenty    miles  above  C  ipe 
Alexander.       The   gale,   after  a   temj^orary    lull,   set   in  again  from  the 
north,  and  drove  them  once  more  south  of  Cape  Alexander,  on  the  istof 
September.  Another  fight  was  made  tor  the  Sound,  during  the  next  two 
days,  but  only   to  cripple   the  vessel  more  severely.      "  I  ler  rudder  was 
split,  and  two  of  its  pintles  were  broken  off,  leaving  only  one   uniniiircd; 
the  stern-post  was  startetl,  fragments  of  the  cut-water  and  keel  were  lloat- 
ing  alongside  her  in  the  sea;  and  she  was  apparently  in   a  sinking  coiuli- 
tion.       As  tile   ice  touched  the  schooner,  she  groaned  like  a  conscious 
thing  in   pain,   and  writhed    and  twisted   as   if  to  escape  her  adversary, 
trembling  in  every  timber  from  truck  to  keelson."     Soon  she  was  lifted 
up  by  the  pressure   of  the  ice  under   her    keel,  and  cradled  like  Hach's 


CApe  hatiierton. 


, .    .     „  ow 

sh,p,  ,„  ,837,  f„,-  oighe  h„„,,  ,„„ 

rtK.„  .he  .o™_H,  .He  ,n„ve,„e„.  J^^^  th^T  f  ""  '""'  """ 
"-«  «l-  was  f,„„„l  ,„   leak  cnsiHen,  „      L  ,"  "'  *"''"-•" 

It  was,  however,  becomincr  c\c-,v  f,>  ,v. 

"•-  '"-  »-^  *'  no.  Become  iZ^^:^:'!^,  T  ""•    '''°™"™' 
sm.ggle,,  „„.l  lived.      „„,„  ,,.„,  ,  '        '"""''  »"=''  •■'  -™»  "I-  <lc»per.,,e 

."■ice  failed  .„pe,K..r  r.r  '  "■ ""'"''''  ''-^^"«-     "-in,, 

c,.e  Ma.„en„!„  i,:  r  -  rr';'"  '"r  '"-'""•• '-  --0  to  ,„ak: 

lH)th   endeavors  by   the   wind        ,    •  ^'      '  "^""^'-     ^"'■•^•''  in 

•-"-.  ..^o.  ..o„  eU:;:;.:' ,::;:  c--"- ';--  -  .-.■ 

»-  -iie„  .„  .,e  nonlK-a,.  of  Cape  A,  J   .     " '  ^     ""r'T'^' -'«> 

'■""t™t  to  Sivo  „p  the  »,r„„„|e  for   a    h     I  " '       ^"'  ■"'' 

"-'"- "--'.  "-ye,,  .;;„.  :::;„"""•";  '•'■'■-^'  -^'-'  '- 

.1-  G,.ee„,a„„  ,ho,„,  ,,„,„  ,„„   .^^  »'"■"  '"  'I-  no,,, „„ 

llK'  lan,i  ice  a,„l  ,he  iee-paek.  "'"-■"  "'"''■'•  '«>"-'" 

Leaving  Ihe  sailing  master  to  make  such  ro„  • 
""<'-■  .IK.  elrc„mstanee»,  Hayes  went  „„  the  ,"  ""  """  "■■■■'"'""■'^■ 

U..et„„  ,sla„.,,  i..  7S-  .0',  /nglefiel  .  :";;*:   ^'  ";":"^'  '■-"  '" 

■•^"'   f^odffe,  shot  a  reindeer  fht       ,      •       ,  '^^5^,  where  h,s  compan- 

■''"'»  "■»  .H^-  only  ...is;  :;;,::,;':;''■'-'  ".'^ "-'--  '»'•■ • 

--  -■••'  •■»  ^■"pa»-..o  for  L  set::  ^  :i'r:/-  "^^'  r--'' 

".•o.-prcter  an.l  Ilans  ha.i  also   Uilld  ,„„  .leerl,. """"■"'■     '"'" 
•..i<liti"..  to  their  provisions.  """"'""  "  '-"'""''I.-- 

'loth  parties  having  re.urne.l  t„  .1, 
'"  "-ork  .o  the  „or.hwar.l    I   o  „  "T''  """  """'-■  '"""  "^  '-"^■ 

"-"-  "PP'i-ces.      Gainin        cTe   .      .if    ■,:",'  "T'^  """  ""'-'■'  -'"" 

l"-.^'i.l.y.l.edrif.of.hcee.       ;l  ?.        ''''    ^■"'""'    "'"""™ 

.cc,occas,onallyah„of„pcn„,„er,  and  then 


Kiilii 


Will 


598 


HARTSTENE  BAr. 


a.squec/c  or  nip  ,-,,„„  ,hc  ice,  they  worked  .nanfullv  l.i.t  hopelessly  on 
until  they  were  hemme.l  in  hy  the  pack,  with  new  ice  forming,,  .roumi 
au.I  threatci,,^.  ,o  inclose  then,  permanently  in  its  emhrace.  A  favor 
able  wnul  arisin,^^  they  put  hack  into  Hartstenc  Bay,  reaching;  a  s.fc 
harbor  behin.l  a  cluster  of  islets  near  its  hea.l,  and  Hayes  announced  that 
they  w..nld  there  establish  their  winter  (|uarters. 


loimced  th;it 


CHAPTER    LWr. 


IIAYKS    IN    WrXTIi 


It    QUAUTF.US  — MANIFOLD 


I'UEPARATIOKS— AX    ICK- 


^  l-VS      I  UK     GLACIER A     WFLI  -Kri  t  i^t, 

WLLL-MLLEn  LAKDKr^a.V      ARCT.r 

JOURXAI KNORR's    sPKECII-uvir^rrAr 

.-.,.  '-■'<-"— UNUSUAL  WEATHER v    SERIOI;^ 

I'oiilkc,  in  honor  of  one  of  MiP  ,'I-,wa'       .  .  "-"ncd    i  oit 

i'a.-ker  Foul,.,  of  Phi,.,    p  '^"'""^  ?'^'  ^"•^''^^''^'""'  ^^'"- 

,       iniudclphM.    It  was  exposed  to  tlie  southwest   Inu  in 
<'thc.r  (In-cct.ons  we,,  she,tere(l,  an,,    ,itt,e   tronhl..  •  • 

■>■  cioul)Je  was  antic  naforl    -i^  fi-,^ 

J^.cva,,ni,<,^  wine,  was  from  the  nort,ieast     Yet  th      .     ,     ""^'''''^''  '''  ^'^^ 

lia.  bor,,ecameenth-ely  closed   for  t,ie  season      Th  '   ^^^^'^  the 

1        .1  I  season.      1  hey  now   proceedofl  tn, 

.l»r  ,l,o  «ci,oo„er,  conveying  her  «tore,  .n<i  ri^gij  ,„  .  ,.ln.  ■ 

nuntni^^    party  was  ororanized  under  the   leadershin  nf  T 

;;;■ ;  i:;-';- • '-'  ■-"■ '■■■  »—":::„ 

:-rrrcr=r;::"~::-r;::: 


Imvc  weeks   liavincr   h 


icn   thus   busily  occupied 


699 


iipicd  in  manifold   prepara- 


1 


in 


w 


n. 


I 


111  • 


h  :: 


lli:i 


■  1 


r  I  J 


00(1 


niioTiii-ii  yoi/.vs  ai.Arinn. 


,    ,l,oy  ,„,,,<     „„,„ ,„,i ,.  .,^,.,    ^^.^,^^^.    ^^^.^  

o„„..  „„  „u.    „,  „r  o...„„e,..     T.K.  ,..,„.,,„„,,  „„„,  ,„„„    ,„    ,; 

—  v.. ,..„„., „o  ;„..„,.,,■, ,....,„„. , ,„,., ;^^,; 

voro  .,„»,  ,.„„.,,„„  ,„.  „„  .v,,:,io  „i«h,  „r  r,,,,,-  „„„.„.,  ,.„.  .i,    „.„, 

;:::'•"'';'-'!•"'•">■• " -'■■• >-....■ .»: .,,, 

'■'; ;  ■","""^-;  '"-■ "-- ^-  i"-'  I"".- .„  ,.,„„  „ ,:  ; 

ll-".»  .-nv  ,,„„l....l  l,y  „n.  whip  a,„l  ..i...  ,.f  ,„,  ,,„,„,  ,,„„,  ,,^,  „,"  ; 

-wo  .»...,.„„,. „,„„„„, „„,,,„„„.,  ,,^ 

■'■";"^' ""=  ■"■  ""-■'■  -"-'.  wi-l,  ,„ey  vo,.y  „a.„n,„v  .U.;,,.  , 

P.H--0  .i.rcc,  ro,,ar,llcs.  ofall  hi,„s  „.  ,,„...  .  ,„„„,„,  „„„,^    ' 

1"   Cln»  oxc.,„-si„„,  ,lK.  :,.,ai  >,f  which  was   Ka,,.',  ,,,,,i„,,  ,„„„„,  ,,, 

.lac...         c.  al,„  h.,1   ,„  „„h  „|„„„  .„„   ,„„„|,.^.,,  ,.^..  ,^| 

covere,,  ...ve..,    Ks„.i,„a„.  „....,  „„.„.„.,..„   wi, .pecia, . 

po,.,.  .„  U...  oo,„pa..     0„  .h.  .5...   Sonnta,  ..vevc.  U,o  „aci     ■  „ 

.  c  h„,„  .ho  so,,o„„o,..  Tho  p,.,.p„-  ..f  this  vi»i.  was  .„  p,aoo;,ai«, 
■".<i  .n;.ko  ,„oa,M„.o,„o„ts  „r  a„.,Hos  f„nno,l  with  l,ilh„p,„,.  „,hor  s,a,i„„- 
-y  ohjocs,  „l,ioh  wo,.o  „.  1,0  ,.o.,™,,.„-o,l  „,o  „o..  yoa,-.,„  asoortai,,  ,ho 


^McilCO     (Ml      (In. 

V  s;iiil<  to  lo' 
i'<''i  '^n\r  tluMii 
ml  i-.-isy  .icx'CHs 
'>  IIh!  Iiimliiij^r 
<>l)er,  .•111(1  liu'v 
t  ^lill  liad  iiiiif 
<■  trip  with  his 

tfst  (.■xcuisioii 
from  (lie  head 
or  foiii-  miles, 
ilfs  ill  twenty. 

"h-  slioiildci-s 
'(■  liic  sk'di^rc. 
.'iiid  the  whip 
lly  tiirowii  on 
>  '<>  I'.e  taken, 
e  used  oil  tile 
'L'  mitnaiiaL,'c- 
raeted  hy  the 
ally  desire  to 

■'",  named  hv 
d  and  ii;ime(i 
iord   and  the 
>f'  whieli  I  he 
■seamen  dis- 
ccial  cliaiac- 
►'minctr\-  or 
glacier;  and 
1  forty  mill- 
place  stakes 
her  statioii- 
■seertaiii  the 


yi  xrrniT  you n net 


movcmont  of  the  .rl  ,,•!,.,•      t».,.-       <• 

-'■-> -.:::,„::  ::,::::t";-v-'« ■ 

:';:!r::r^r:.:;::'-; •-'■-^^..::r:r:;:i'::;;: 

-'■'■'-- :;:n;::::r  :::,;.,:■::.,::%--;"■ - 

l'..""l  1V.„„  Tl„.  II,,,,.     •,,„„.,  f„„,„  "":"■'•  '-I  l-n  ..,,- 


"    '      J 


HKOTIIKH    lOMN's   (;r.A(  IF.R 


occasions   for   (hem 
inandei,  who  s.iw 


">v.sl„,,  a„,„„j;  ,h,-  ,n,-,nl„.,s  „r  i|„.  |,,„.„,  "  '"'■ 

'•>  ii"  It   was  liLiht  enoii'di  (o  tv,..,.!  i.,.       -p. 

•■""}•       1  "*    innijose   of  ihic 


inirpose   ot'  this 


l\ 


A   FULL    l.AlilUili. 

new  oxpc«Iition   was    ,.,  oxplo..  the  .|acic.-,  a„.l   .,..  n,s,    .....,„,.,„.,.. 
was  at  ..s  r.,<,t,  with  the.  tlu-nnometer  at    ,,'    hcl.nv    .ero.     Th.  ..,....., I 
<I^.y  v.as  spent    i„  scah„«  the  tV.,„t,  an.l    progressing  upwanl    sonu-   (iv. 
.n.les,  wi>en  they  encamped,  with  the  thermometer  several  .ie.rees  L.ver 
"an  on  the  previous  ni,.ht,  h„t  so   tire.l  that    after  a    hear, v  supper   ihev 
slc-p.   so..n.ily.     On  tne  third  .lay  , hey   ma.ie   thirty   .uiles/on  ,he   fo,.r,i, 
.wen,y-,.ve   the   aseent   hein,   ..r  those   two  .lays  .p.i.e   gradual,  an.,   H.e 
eh.et  .h  heuhy  arising  ,Von.  .he  .leep  layer  of  snow  thr.,„.h  the  erust  of 
wluch  the  toot   sank  at  every  step.      The  .en,pera,ure  ha.l  now    fallen  ,o 
30  -an.l   ,0  ,4     ,„,in.  ,h,  „„,,;„.   „i.H,_,,,,„  ,^  ,,,,  j,.,,^^,,  ^^.^^^^ 
l^lc-  to  return.      They  were  live  th..usand   feet  ai..,ve  the   le^el  ..f  ,|,.,    ,, 
-...  seventy    n.iles  ,Von,  the  ship,  »;„  ^.e  nn.Ist   ..f  a   vast  tro.cu  Sah.n 
-...asurahle  to  the    Innnan    eye,"    with   a    lieree  wind  l.lowin.  ..ver' iu 
su.1ace,an.l   threatening  to   chill  the  adventurers  int..    helpless   inaetlvi.v 
;'■"     ''-"^-      I^".'....ately    t.r    th..,    hy    tun.in,    ti^ir   taces  t..war.l   ,1. 

'-••'-•  the  wn„l  was  in  their  hacks,  an n^h  eol.l  .u.l  .ierce,  :•  h..|,..,, 

tl-m  to  make  rapi.l  progress  .iown  the  sli^iulv  uu-lined  plane  of  ,1,. 
^-K-r.  AlU-rarun  of  torty  n.iles  they  encan.pe.l  tor  the  ni.lu,  .,,.1 
the  next  evenn,,.  reache.l  the  schooner,  where  they  learne.l  the  thern..n>- 
|-ter  ha.1  sunk  at  no  time  .lurinj,  their  ahsence  ..f  tive  .lays  l.nver  than  ,-' 
l)clow  zer.),  showing' a  dilFerence  of  33". 

Meanwhile  Sonntaj,^  had  ascertained  the  distance  from  the  western 
.n.^t  of  the  three  islets-^they  ha.l  been  alrea.lv  nanu.l  Ra.lclide,  K„,„, 
and  St.arr  in  honor  of  three  ..iHcers  of  the  expe.lition-t.,  Cape  Mex' 
-ulcr,  e.sht  nautical  n.iles;  Cape  Isabella,  thirty-..ne;  an.l  Cap..  S:.!.,,. 
the  easternmost  p.>int  of  Ellesmere  Lan.l  t.,  the  northwest,  in  l,..,i„.,lJ 
7S  45',  iorty-tw.,  miles.  0„  the  .Sth,  the  .lay  alter  their  return  lV,.,„ 
the  excursion  on  the  ^l^c-ier,  their  st.,ck  .>f  ^anu.  was  ioun.l  t..  1..-, 
re.ndver,.,  foxes,  ,.  hares,  ,  seal,  .,  ci.ler-.lucks,  S  .L.vekies,  .  ^ 
ami  ,  ptarmigan,  besides  some  tw.,  .I...en  rein.I.er  .leposited  in  caches 
where  killcl,  awaitinjr  transport  to  the  vessel. 

On  the  3.1  ..f  November,  with  the  mo.>n-.-.vhose  li.^du  was  now  ,he 
ch,ef  rehance  in  travelin^_fi>ur  .>r  Hve  .lays  past  the  lull,  S..nnta.^  .e, 
out  on  a  sledge-journey  to  Van  Rensselaer  IIarb..r,  but  was  ..niv  all  ,.. 


SPEECH  or  KNOliii 

:-:i;;;;::;:-rf::;r::r'-:ir-- 

'■.•c„„„.>..r.,l  „ „.,„„.,.,|   „,^,,.  ,,   .         '"\'-     ""  ""■■   ■•-'"■■"   trip  ,h.y 

-«".."-..,„: J:;:;  ;:^:;:, :::;;:-; - -- 

(3th.      Four  days  liter  .h..»,  •  ^'""  '''•''"<>"c'r  <„,  tl,c 

v»l..al,l.   c,.„,„„„lily    w.s     howcv.  .     -l  """^  '"   "* 

'...•> a„..„c  .hL,.:::-,;:,,;'t:^^  ;"'"•■-  ^"'"*"'" ^-^ 

n Lh.  ..A......  „      ; "  ";r """  '""^■^"'  '■■  »'*  ■■■  -^-^t 

<i„ii,i,ai)iL>  i(>  ii<ii. oiia    iisairi.  "  .,  ,,,,,   »• 
..Ilv  ..n-aui/cl    w.th    ,  .•     •  .  '     '""'"-'""^' ^^'''^'-•^•"^••J  ami  form- 

"  I'  m-^ow-CrnzKNs:— Called  hv  ili,.  , 

;t:;::r-,;:;r;,: r -'■"'""-:-::; 

•  u  tllo  cost  ()     muc  1  t  inc      -il^-^..  1  n<iv(,, 

"".    I'c-ciKclt    l.y  the  people  of  Port   Fo„i,,^,      yVe   nv    f  II 

•">  i.'n.cr  without  that  inalienable    hirthri...     r    I  ,      ;        :"-'^':^^''^' 
—a   free    nn-s^    •„,  l  '"^"^ ''^  ^^^''v  Amcncan  dti;.en 

.^nvit       r  ;""',-^l— t  of   public   opinion.      Overcon.e   witl,    the 

gravity  ot   n,y  situation,  I  feel  myself  unabl,-  fo         . 

fllcnrv  W   Dnrl.r     .i  ".\slu  ami  m>    Bohemian  brother 

^iitniy  W.Dod-e,  the   mate  and    editor-in-chief^    th.f   ;.      i 

='  <I'no-honored  custom   vve  will  i-o  ^       ^'  '       "'''^'''^^"^■^'  "<' 

•.tom,  we  will  keep  our  opinions  for  ourselves  nnrl    o,,,- 

ai-,t,niments  f,,r  the  nnl)Iir       TJ,  •    i     i  •  "--^ives  and    oni 

piiDiic.      ihe  mhabitants  of  Port    F,,i,ll-,.    i     • 


s 

o     i' 


p." 


H^;,; 


604 


PATRIOTIC  SENTIMENTS. 


light;  we  will   address  ourschx's   t<i  the  celestial   orbs  and    point  out   the 
opportunities  for  reciprocitv.         =!•***#*:!: 

"  Fellow-citizens,  this  is  a  memorable  epocii  in  the  history  c)f  Port 
Foulke.  We  are  informed  that  its  abori<^inal  name  is  jhinyeiqucipah- 
laiiah,  which  means — after  it  is  pronounced — '  Thi  Place  of  the  Howl- 
ing Winds,'  *  *  *  on  the  remotest  confines  of  our  wide- 
spread country — a  country,  fellow-citizens,  whose  vast  sides  are  l)athe(l 
by  the   illimitable  oci   in.  *  *  *  Jt    now  ilevolves   upon 


TUB   It  I  ILK    Al  Iv. 


us  to  bring  the  vexed  question  (jf  national  boundaries  to  a  point— to  a 
point,  sirs!  We  must  carry  it  to  tlie  Pole  itself,  and  there,  sirs,  we  will 
nail  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  our  llag-stafF  will  become  the  spindle  of 
the  world,  and  the  universal  Yaidice  nation  will  go  whirling  round  it 
like  a  top. 

"  Fellow-citizens  and  friends: — In   conclusion,  allow  me  to  propose  a 
sentiment  befitting  the  occasion — a  free  press,  anil  the    universal  Yankee 


UT/L/rr  OF  THE  MOON. 


605 


nation!  May  the  former  continue  in  time  to  come,  as  in  times  gone  by, 
ihe  handmaiden  of  liberty,  and  the  emblem  of  progress;  and  may  the 
latter  absorb  'all  creation,'  and  become  the  grand  celestial  \vhirli<ri,r i" 

The  paper  comprised  sixteen  pages  .,f  closely  written  matter,  with  a 
picture  of  Port  Foulke,  a  portrait  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  and  a  likeness 
of  "  General,"  the  commander's  Newfoundland  dog.  Enigmas,  original 
jokes,  items  of  domestic  and  fcjreign  intelligence  from  "  relial^le  corres- 
pondents," an  editorial  department,  telegraphic  summary,  (jriginal  poems, 
personals  and  atlvertisemcnts,  filled  its  columns.  The  enterprise  had  been 
started  at  the  suggestion  of  the  commander,  and  received  his  ofKcial  sanc- 
tion as  a  useful  contribution  to  the  amusement  of  the  company  during 
the  dark  period.      A  school  (jf  navigation  was  also  opened. 

On  the  1 2th  of  November  the  temperature  had  gone  down  only  to  4° 
above  zero,  and  the  snowfall  to  date  had  been  fifteen  and  one-fourth 
inches.  The  ice  at  its  surface  under  the  snow  showed  a  temperature  of 
19%  and  two  inches  lower  down  20'' ;  while  the  snow  in  contact  with  the 
ice,  was  iS°.  Ordinary  print  could  still  be  read  at  noon,  though  not  with- 
out dilHculty,  and  only  tor  a  brief  interval.  The  moon  and  stars  were  the 
main  reliance  out  doors.  The  latter  siione  at  all  hours  with  almost  equal 
brightness.  "  The  moon,  from  its  rising  to  its  setting,  shines  continually, 
circling  around  the  horizon,  never  setting  until  it  has  run  its  ten  days  of 
brightness;  and  it  shines  with  a  brilliancy  which  one  will  hardly  observe 
elsewhere.  The  uniform  whiteness  of  the  landscape,  and  the  general 
clearness  of  the  atmosphere,  add  to  the  illumination  of  its  rays,  and  one 
may  see  to  read  by  its  light  with  ease.  The  natives  often  use  it  as  they 
do  the  sun,  to  guide  their  nomadic  life,  and  to  lead  them  to  their  huntin<'- 


'TO 


uncb 


n 


On  the  17th  tlie  temperature  fell  to  10  below  zero,  for 
which  the  commander  expresses  himself  duly  thankfid,  fnnling  an  im- 
nuarally  high  range  conducive  neither  to  health  nor  comfort  in  high  lati- 
tudes. On  the  2Sth  and  29th  they  could  use  no  lire  except  for  cookin"- 
and  the  snowfall  about  this  time  was  thirty-two  inches,  nineteen  of 
which  were  precipitated  in  a  single  day,  making  the  aggregate  tor  the  sea- 
son forty-seven  and  a  half  inches.  This  fall  of  snow  was  followed  bv  a 
shower — also  unusual  in  those  latitudes  at  that  season  of  the  year. 


m 


II 


-.i 


60« 


MID-WINTER. 


A  serious  calamity  now  befell  the  expedition   in   the   loss  of  twenty- 
seven  out  of  thirty-six  ilo^rs,  .iurin<j:  the    lirst   three   weeks  of  December, 
by  the  same  epidemic  which  had    committed  such    havoc    in   Greenland 
and    had   mad-'    it  so  dilFicult   to  secure   the    necessary   supply,  none  too 
lari,re  from  the  lirst.       On  the   3ist— liy   the  light  of  the  new  moon  for 
which  he  had  waited,  but  in  the  very  middle  of  tiie  Arctic  night— Sonn- 
tag,  with  Hans  as  driver,  set   out    with    a  sledge  drawn  by  the  nine  sur- 
vivors of  the  pack,  and  laden  with  the  two  men  and  provisions  for  twelve 
days,  in  an    effort   to   reach   some    native   villages  to  procure  more  dogs. 
The  water  in   the  harbor  had   now  frozen  to  a  depth   of  six  and  a  half 
feet,  thus  forming  a  continuous   encasement   for   the   lightened    schooner. 
Christmas   was   duly  celebrated   with  a  big    dinner    and    such   festivities 
as    their  circumstances   would    permit— all  the  more  necessary  now  that 
the  Arctic  night  had  grown  monotonous  and  wearisome,  having   lost  all 
of  its  novelty,  and  given  rise  to  no  diversity  of  experience.    The  "Weekly 
News  "  made  its  appearance  regularly,  now  with  one  editor,  and  then  an- 
other.      New    Year's   of  iS6i    had   come   and  gone,   and  had  been  duly 
observed.       The  old  year  had  been  rung  out,  and  the  new  rung  in,  after 
the  stereotyped  formula,  amid  cannonading  from  their  solitary  little  swivel 
gun,  and  the  fitful  glare  of  their  rockets,  but  no  answering  gun  or  li<.ht 
relieved  the  dreariness;  and  their   efforts   could   only   serve  to  render  the 
sense  of  isolation   more   intense— Knorr's  "  Universal    Yankee   Nation, 
brought  to  a  point,"  indeed. 

On  the  6th  of  January  they  witnessed  two  displays  of  the  Aiu-ora 
IJorealis,  the  only  ones  hitherto  observed ;  and  a  week  later  the  snowfall 
for  the  season  had  increased  to  535^  inches— an  addition  of  614  since 
previous  comiDutation.  Another  week  passed,  and  at  noon  "a  faint  twi- 
light flush  mountetl  the  southern  sky"— the  welcome  harbinger  of  the 
Arctic  day.  It  suggested  to  the  commander  as  a  text  for  the  day,— 
"  Truly  the  light  is  sweet,  and  a  pleasant  thing  it  is  for  the  eye  to  be- 
hold the  sun."  "And  yet,"  says  Hayes,  "there  is  in  the  Arctic  night 
much  that  is  attractive  to  the  lover  of  Nature.  There  is  in  the  flashinf-- 
Aurora,  in  the  play  of  tlie  moonlight  upon  the  hills  and  icebergs,  in  the 
wonderful  clearness  of  the  starlight,  in   the  broad  expanse  of  the  ice- 


THE  LOSS  OF   SON  NT  AG. 


607 


Iclds,  in  the  lofty  grandeur  of  th( 


mountains  and  glaciers,  in  the  naked 
llerceness  of  the  storms,  mueli  tliat  is  sublime  and  beautiful.  But  they 
speak  a  language  of  their  own_a  language  rough,  rugged,  and  severe." 
ni.t  the  stillness  of  Arctic  scenery,  away  from  the  local  turmoil  and 
small  activities  of  the  vessel,  was  found  oppressive.  The  heavens  above 
and  the  earth  beneath  revealed  only  an  endless  and  fathomless  quiet  No 
loottall  of  living  thing  reaches  the  ear;  no  wild  beasts  howl  throu<.h  the 
solitude;  no  cry  of  bird  enlivens  the  scene;  there  is  no  tree  amon-  whose 
branches  the  winds  can  sigh  and  moan.  Silence  ceases  to  be  ne-^ative- 
U  becomes  endowed  with  positive  attributes;  one  seems  to  hear,  ai^d  feel' 
and  see  it.  It  stands  forth  a  frightful  specter,  filling  the  mind  with  the' 
overpowermg  consciousness  of  universal  death.  '*  I  have  seen,"  con- 
tinues Hayes,  "  no  expression  on  the  face  of  Nature  so  filled  with  terror 
as  the  silence  of  the  Arctic  night." 

Five  weeks  had  now  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  Sonntag   for  the 
Esquimaux  encampments  to  the  south,  and  no  tidings  had  bee.rreceived. 
Preparations  were  made  by  the  commander  to  go  in  search  of  him,   and 
some  preliminary  examinations  had  been  effected  to  ascertain  whether  lie 
had  gone  round  Cape  Alexander,   or   had    been  compelled  to   cross  the 
glacier.     Two  days'  detention  from  high  winds  had  lengthened  the   ab- 
sence to  thirty-nine  days,  when,  on  the  29th  of  January,  as  the  party  was 
about  to  begin  the  journey  on  foot,  two  Esquimaux  arrived  fn.m   Iteplik 
ill  the  region  of  Whale  Sound,  with   the   sad   intelligence   that   Sonntag 
was  lost,     Hans  had  reached  their  village,  and  was  now  coming  behind 
with  his  worn-out  dogs.     They  had  made  the  run  without   a  halt,  with 
live  dogs.     On  the  last  day  of  the  month  Hans  arrived   at  the  schooner 
without  dogs  or  sled,  but  accompanied  by  his  wife's  brother.     They  had 
left  fatiier  and  mother,  with  five  broken-down  dogs-all  that   remained 
ot  the  team_at  the  glacier,  and  come  on  afoot.     By  the  death  of  Sonn- 
tag Hans  had  become  master  of  the  expedition,  and  utilized  its  resources 
■n  bringing  his  wife's  fomily   from    Cape   York,  four  dogs  having  died 
tinder  the  strain,  and  the  other  five  being  utterly  exhausted.     His  account 
of  the  disaster  to  Sonntag  was,  that  after  having  passed  Cape  Alexander 
in  safety,  and  having  made  two  fruitless  attempts  to   lind   natives   at  the 


'    mm 

wX 

III 

il ' 

\  1 

w-  mm 


G08 


A   CLOSE  BOND. 


U' 


MU 


nearest  fishing-stations  beyond,  they   struck   across  for   Northumberland 
Island.     Five  or  six  mik-   from    Sorlalik,  on   the    eastern   shore,   where 
they  had  constructed  a  hul,  Sonntag  dismounted  to   warm   himself  by  ■, 
run  alongside.     Not  noticing  the   weak   spot,   he   broke   through   hito   a 
small  ice-crevice,  while  the  driver  was  a  little  way  behind  adjusting  some 
straps.     Coming  up  almost  im.uediately,  Hans  rescued  him,  apparently 
uninjured,  an.l  .nade  all  speed  hack  to  the  hut  which   they  had   so  lately 
left.     On  arriving,  Sonntag  was  stiff  and  speechless.     Hans  now  hurried 
hun  under  cover,  changed  his  clothing,  applied  such  restoratives  as    were 
accessible,  but  his  efforts  proved   unavailing;   and  after   lingering  about 
twenty-four    hours  in   unbroken  unconsciousness,  Sonntag  died!     Hans 
closed  up  the  hut  to  save  the  body  from   wild  beasts,  and  proceeded  on- 
ward to  fulfill  the  objects  of  the  mission. 

He  finally  fell  in  with  the  Esquimaux  at  Iteplik,  and  was  only  three 
days' journey  from  the  schooner;  but  the  dead  were  dead,  thought  Hans 
and   he   proceeded  to    look  out  for  the  living_the   family  of  his  wife  -is 
stated-very  much  to  the  chagrhi  of  the   commander,  and  jeopardy  to 
the  mterests  of  the  expedition.     How  much  was  conscious  wrong-doin-^ 
and  how  much  was  perverse  ignorance,  it  was  rather  difficult   t">  (IcIct' 
mine.      Hayes  had  lost  his  most  valued  assistant,  and  ha<l   only  five  do-s 
left.     With  the   period   for  active  exploration   fast  approaching,  "  Somi- 
tag's  familiar  acquaintance,"  says  Hayes,  »  with  the  physical  sciences,  a.ul 
his  earnest  enthusiasm   in  everythi.ig  that   appertained   to  physical   re- 
search, both  in  the  field  and  study,  made  him  an  invaluable  aid,  while  his 
genial   disposition  and   manly  qualities  gave  him  a  deep   hold    upon  my 
affections.     Similarity  of  taste  and  disposition,  equal  age,  a  comnion  ol,"- 
ject,  and   a   mutual  dependence  for  companionship,  had  cemented   more 
and   more  closely  a   bond  of  friendship  which  had   its  origin  in  the  dan- 
gers and   fortunes  of  travel." 

Early  in  February  the  twilight  began  to  grow  perceptiblv,  day  by 
day;  on  the  loth  it  was  almost  broad  daylight  at  noon,  and  as  late  Js 
3  o'clock  one  could  read  ordinary  print;  and  on  the  the  1 8th,  they  re- 
joiced to  see  the  sun  from  the  hill-tops,  after  an  absence  of  126  days;  but 
its  light  would  not  directly  strike  the  harbor  for  12  days  yet.     With'  the 


I 


,    ■#*■ 


GRA  VE  OF  SONNTAG.  ^qj, 

incrcasino.  li^ht,  huntin,o:  received  a  fresh  i.npetus;  and  Hans  and  his 
lather-m-haw  killed  the  Hrst  walrus  early  in  Febrnary.  Reindeer, 
evolves,  and  hares  were  killed  i„  sufficient  ahnndance  by  the  me,i  and 
ihronghont  the  whole  winter  there  had  been  no  symptoms  of  scnrv'y  or 
other  disease.  The  general  health  was  equal  to  the  average  in  more 
lavored  climates;  and,  except  the  <lreariness  of  the  Arctic  night,  an,I  the 
monotony  of  existence,  there  was  but  little  to  complain  of. 

In  the  latter  part  of  February,  some    Esquimaux  from    Iteplik,  150 
.n.lcs  to   the  south,  arrived   at   Port   Foulke,  and    Hayes,  by  barter  and 
presents,  adde.l  six  dogs  to  his   pack,  and  secured  the  use  of  six   more 
w,th  the  services  of  their  owner,  Kalutunah.     There  were   now  at  the' 
w.nter    quarters  of   the    expedition    seventeen     natives-six     men    four 
women,  and  seven  children.     Early  in  March,  with  the  help  of  Kajutu- 
nah  and  Hans,  the  mate.  Dodge,  ],rought  back  the  remains  of  Sonnta- 
which  were  interred  on  the  terrace  near  the  observatory  which  he  l.ve^d' 
s..  well.     Over  his  grave  was  raised  a  mound  of  stones,  and  at  its  head  a 
ch.seled  slab  bearing  his  name,  age-28  years,--and  date  of  death_De- 
comber,  1S60. 


39 


m-n?r 


V, 


CHAPTER    LXVII. 

HAYKS'      SLEDGE-JOUUNEYS  IIUMHOLDT       (iLACIEH        SKHITEn  ini: 

HOPE THE    l-KKSEVERANCE  A         '■  'OUSK  — OKI'    FOR    (ilUN- 

NELL  LAND — A   PICTURE SLOW   PRv'  ,     .  ^S HIGH    TEMPEUATUKK 

UNSAFE    ICE HIGH     LATITUDE A    PRUDENT    RETURN THE 

SHIP     INJURED ATTACKED     BY     WALRUSES CAPE     ISABELLA- 
WHALE    SOUND THE    RETURN    HOME STARTLING  NEWS DEATH 

OB'    HAYES. 

The  first  of  these  sledge-journeys  began   with   the    i6th   of  March, 
and  its  object  was  io  determine  the  best  route  for  his  later  efforts.     He 
set  out  with  two  sledges  drawn  by  nine  and  six  dogs,  and  driven  by  Jen- 
sen  and  Kalutunah,  respc     .\^ely.     After  a  misadventure  five  miles  away, 
in  which  Jensen  and   his  whole  team   were  precipitated  into  a  crevice, 
and  a  return  to  the  ship  for  readjustment,  which  took  only  an  hour,  they 
set  out  for  the  north,  and  encamped  the   first  night  at   Cape  Hathcrtoii, 
with  the   temperature   at  40°   below  zero.     At  Fog  Inlet,  the  next  day, 
they  noticed  Hartstene's  cairn  and  record  of  search,  dated  Aug.  16,  1855, 
and  named  the  headland  thus  marked  Cairn  Point.     Here  also  was  made 
a   deposit  of  surplus  provisions,   consuming  the   remainder  of  the  day. 
They  retained  only  enough  for  six   days'  consumption.     With  lightened 
sledges  the  prospect   for  good    headway   was  promising,  but  they  soon 
encountered    hummocks,  and  after   nine    hours    had   only    made   twenty 
miles,  when  they  went  into  camp  for  the  third  night,  with  the  thermom- 
eter at  31°  below  zero    within    the   snow    hut,  and   6S]/,''    outside.     The 
scene  through  which  they  now  traveled  northward  "was  like  the  Rocky 
Mountains  on  a  small  scale;  peak  after  peak,  ridge  after  ridge,  spur  after 
spur,  separated    by  deep  valleys  into  which  we   descended  over  a  rough 
declivity,  and  then  again  ascended  on  the  other  side,  to  cross  an  elevated 

crest,  and   repeat  the  observation.     The  traveling  was  very  laborious;  it 

fllO 


mui. 


HUMBOLDT  GLACIER  SEEN. 


'■■  liv-lay.  ,r,„n  Cain,  P„i„.  ihey  si,.h,.,l  U„,„l,„l,„  o,,,,,.,  „„| 
,,  ococ  „U..  «„„,,  „„,e»  „ei,„  .,.;»„„,  ,hat  ehi»  „„,»„  .„.  ,„:,:'' 
l.lc,  a,„l  ,ha,  ho  ,ho,ot„,v  h ,„  alternative  h,„  ,„  ,„.  „,„  w.  ■ 

"::;:'•  ^-^ "--  ^"  cai,.„ ,„,. .  .;rr:t : :;: 

.o,.to  tllence  across  tl,o  west,  ami    wl,ile  there   [e„se„  l-iM    I  ■    , 

^"  "■"  »  ■'-'-•'■"  ■"l.iitio..  .,.  their   s„p,>,ies:       I,      :     "  ^r,"- 

r,.M.„rt  r„„.,e.„..,era    Iti,,,,,...,.,   Ji!,,.    with  ti:  rl,^:;,: 
..below  .ero,  they  n.a.le  the  thirty  ,„iles  to  the  seh„.,„er  i„  three  .,„. 
hai,  h,.,,rs       The  last  days  of  Mareh  were  u.ili.e eo,.eevin,  ' 

" '  7  '  """  ™""'"^'  "-  — "•>•  .'-Parations  Tor  the  w   rk  of  Z 

--..  T  e  tentperature  was  stil,  aa.„ero„s,y  ,„w,  „„t  havi.,,  .„« 
a.  ..  .ot^ewhat  ,.,  the  tirst  .lays  of  April,  the  party  took  fi„a>  leave  of  the 
seh  ,ner-leav„.,  Ra.lcliffe  alone  o,  .he  „ri,ina,  contpany,  in  ehar.e- 
-a  he  evenn,,  of  the  3.I  of  April.  The  eavalea.le  e.„.pri  ed  the  H^e 
^le.l,ew,th  e„ht  ,l„gs,  anti  Jensen  as  .Iriver;  the  I'leveranee  v  th 
>.»...«  ^norr  as  driver;  and  hri„,in«  np  .he  rear,  : a.ned     le^e 

""".;-    r*-":"-'^-    •"■  "-»"=!'•»   -,„pany,with   n.as.er I   n.a.e   ,n 

-hersKle     0  dneet  and    help d  laden    with  the  twen.v-foo.  n,et 

■■-""»    -.th  w  ,eh    it  was    hoped  .0  navigate  .he   .Open'  Polar  S.^^ 
>vhen   they  reached    i..     The  co.nntander  descended  front  .he  schconer 
™  hred  off  the  eanno,.,  and    .he  con.pany   se ...,.  ^j; 

The  inexperience.1  ,„e„  soon  .ave  ,r„„,,|,,  „„,   ,„,„  „,^  , 

a>v  ..ered  then.selves  .0  he  fro.e .,„    „„„  ,„,^,  ,„„  „^, 

.  e.ert,„,.  I,y  .h.  watchfulness  of  ,he  con.n. er.      Thev  s.ai,.  ei-h.: 

"""■^  :  "'^-  '"".  ^"™-- ---  'hese    snllerers,  who  for,: 

s  ,.ed  ser.ons    ,„.,nry.     <,n  .he  ,. .,   ,.„,„„,,„,  ^„  J 

y  ";  '""'. ^■"'■'-  "■""    ^ -  ^-l-orfnl  spiri,s,  .nuler  the  infln. 

,  '•':'""    '-"1-ra.nre   and    increasing    experience.     On    ,he  6.h 

"'^:~  ■^■""^■"  ^■"■■"    '•"-•■ '">-  -1.    .he  Ihs.   opporttntity   a.     . 

SOn,g  ,n.o  c„,np  .„   reconnoiter  the  soun tich  he  proposed  .,  or 

'.on,  ,h,s  po,nt.     The  view  was  anything  hn,  enconra.L.^was  in  fac 


ri  1 


612 


OFF   TO  GRIN  NELL   LAND. 


1i 


"the  iioflicst  scene  his  eye  liad  ever  chanced  to  rest  upon."  He  had 
found  it  l)ad  in  1S54,  and  now  it  appeared  to  he  much  worse;  and  unfor- 
tiniately  its  appearance  did  not  deceive  him.  It  proved  to  be  even  worse 
tlian  it  looked. 

They  were  detained  some  days  at  Cairn  I'oint  imprisoned  hy  a  ^t;ale, 
"  in  which,"  says  Hayes,  "  my  people  could  no  more  live  than  in  a  fiery 
furnace."  The  den  in  the  snowbank  which  they  occupied — a  type  ol 
similar  constructions — is  thus  described:  "  It  is  a  pit  ei^J^hteen  feet  lou;^' 
liy  eitjht  wid(!  and  foiu"  deep.  Over  the  top  of  said  pit  are  placed  the 
boat  oars,  to  support  the  sled<re,  which  is  laid  across  th.em,  and  over 
llie  sledij^e  is  tln'o\vn  the  boat  sail,  and  over  the  sail  is  thrown  loose 
snow.  Over  the  floor  there  is  spread  a  strip  of  India-rubber  cloth; 
over  tliis  clotii  a  strip  of  InifFalo  skins,  which  are  all  sipiared  and 
sewed  together;  and  over  this  attain  anotiier  just  like  it.  When  wo 
want  to  sleej5  we  draw  ourselves  inulerneath  tlie  upper  one  of 
these  bulfalo  strips,  and  accommodate  ourselves  to  the  very  motlcrate 
allowance  of  space  assii^ned  to  each  jjerson,  as  best  we  can.  We  5^0  to 
bed  vvitiiout  chanj^ff  of  costume  exccj.t  our  boots  and  stockin<^s,  whicli  we 
tuck  luider  our  heads  to  help  out  a  pillow,  while  what  we  call  reindeer 
sleeping-stockiuLi^s  take  their  place  on  our  feet."  In  this  snow-hut  wciu 
crowded  Haves  and  his  twelvi-  companions.  Some  stores  were  brou-j^lit 
forward  from  Cape  Hathertou  despite  the  storm,  and  everything  that 
was  to  be  left  at  the  central  depot,  including  the  life-boat,  was  secmvlv 
covered. 

All  things  being  now  in  readiness,  and  the  wind  having  veered  to 
the  south,  they  set  out  again  on  the  loth  of  April,  with  three  sledges  ;is 
before,  except  that  the  third  was  lightened  of  the  boat — diagonally  across 
Smith's  Sound  for  Grinnell  Land,  away  to  the  northwest.  The  journey 
soon  lay  over  a  surface  as  rugged  as  that  previously  traversed  in  the 
experiment  trip  on  tiie  (rreenland  side.  "The  interstices,"  says  Ilaycs, 
"between  these  closely  accumulated  ice  masses  are  fdled  up,  to  some 
extent,  with  drifted  snow.  The  reader  will  readily  imagine  the  rest. 
He  will  see  the  sledges  winding  through  the  tangled  wilderness  of 
broken  ice-tables,  the  men  and  dogs  pulling  and  pushing  up  their  respcc- 


A   PICTURE. 


«ia 


live  loads,  as    Napol 
<li;i\vin<r  their  artill 


poleon's   soldiers  may  he 


sii 


He    \vi 


sue 


cry  throii<rli  \\^^.  ^^^.^ 
tiiein  claiuheriii< 


pposeil    to  have  (lone  when 


over    th 


;p  and  riiiro-fd  passes  of  the  Alps 


through  which  ther 


e   vei 


V    IS  no    () 


■y  Miinniit  of  l,,lty   rid. res 


Sl( 


le,  the  sle(lj,re  often  pi 


pcning,  and   a^-ain  descend 


unj'in'r  over  a 


iiiL,^   on   the  other 


re()nently    breakii 


A- 


recipi 


ce,  sometimes  cai^sizi 


am 


10   will    sec    tl 


attempt  to   cross  or  Ihid  a    pass,  break 


sj)ike,  or  aL,rain,  unable   eve 


psizin,;:,',  and 
10    party,    ballled    in    their 
illy;  a  track  with    shovel  and    iiand- 
o  accomplish    their 


11    with    these   appliances   t 


-  ,  t   ey  retre..  to  seek  a  better  track;  a.td   they  n.ay  be   Inckv  enon^h 
to  InHl    a  sort  of  .ap  or  ^ateway,  npon   the  winding  and   nnev.t  surn^e 
..^  whtch  they  will  make  a  nnle  or  so  with  comparative  ease.    The  snow- 
.Inf.s  are   son,etin.es  a    help,  and   son.ethnes  a   hindrance.     At  the  very 
moment  when   all    looks   promising,  down  sinks  one  man  to    his  mid<lj 
another  to  the  neck,  another  is  bnried  ont  of  si^ht,  the  sle<l,e  -nves  w.v' 
-1   toe^ttncatethe   whole  tVom  this   unhappy  predicament  i:  probabi; 
the   labor  of^honrs;  especially  it;  as   oRen   hap,  .ns,  the  sled.e    .nnst    1. 
unloa   ed       Not   intre.nently  it  is  necessary  to  carry  the  car.o  in  two  or 
11.-OC  1..U1S.      It  wonld  be  dilKcult  to  in.a.ine  any  kind  of  labor  more  dis- 
licartenm^,  or  which  would  sooner  sap  the  energies  of  both  tnen  and  ani- 
nials.      Ihe  ^tren^th  ^ave  way  gradually,  but  when,  as  often    happened, 
altera  Ion.  and  hard  day's  work,  we  could  look  back  trom   an  endnence 
a.Hl  .dn.ost  tire  a  rifle-ball  into  our  last  snow-hut,  it  was  truly  discoura... 
ni^T.      Atnon^  the  distinguishable  tnasses  enconntcre<l  was  an  old  ice-field 
al-m  s,x  by  fbur   .niles  in  extent,  and   twenty  fbet  hi^h  above  the  water 
level,  w>th   hummocks  risino-  to  a  height  somethnes  of  ei-^hty  feet       Its 
depth   under   water   was   probably    140   feet,   a.ul   Haves  "esthnated    the 
vve,,rht  of  tts  solid  contents  at  6,000,000,000  tons!     This  thev  reached  on 
the  24th  of  April,  with   the   thermometer  at    I9'>  below   zem;  and   thev 
wore  otdy  thirty  n.iles  fron.  Cairn  Point,  and  sixtv-six  from  Port  Foulke 
an  average  of  just  three  miles  a  day,  though  they  had  probably  traveled' 
aliout  two  hundred  miles  since  leaving  the  schooner. 

"My  party,"  says  Hayes,  under  date  of  the  3Sth,  "are  in  a  very  sorry 
condttton.     One  of  the  men  has  sprained  his  back   fron.    lifting;   another 


as  a  spranied  aidde;  another  has  <rast 


ritis;  another  a  frosted  toe: 


and  a 


11 


lif 


(til 


iiEMA//VS   i,r  A^  /iS^U/AfAl/X  CAMP. 


ml' 


'"V  ;l...n,u.,l.lv  ..vnsviu-lMU..i  with  .;.,i.,u,      Tlu-  ,„.■.  .1.,  „...  .,.,,,1    i,   ,, 

wHI  a.  ,lu-  .lo^.s."      llayc-s  l.ej,. ,.„1..  wl.otlu.,-  lu-  sh..,.M  ,,,,  ,,,^:,, 

^'••"'-'"-"-'-"'>-'-l>--.v.      Tlu.   MK.U.    nHnp.,-nl    .heir  un.l.r.aki,.. 
•-'-"—1"    '"••    -OSS    N.w    Vo,i.    ovvMhc    h,.us.  ,..ps,"  a„.l    llavc^ 
couUl  „.„  hdp  hi„u-ly  cxclain.in^-^^  Smith  So„n.l  has  ;,ivcn  nu-  h...  .^.e 
success,.,,,   .„•  ha.lli,,,-  „hslacic.s."     ()„   Uu-   .,s.h,   aho„,    .ni.lwav    ..f  .h, 
sound,   he   se.U    had.    ,he    ,ne„,   except    K„o,-,-,  Je„se,.,   au.l    Joh.,    \,, 
Dounhl,  a  sea,„a.,.      With  .lu-se  <o,„pa„i,.„s,  ,w..  sle.l.cs,  fburteeu   .1.,,." 
an.l  Son  po.nuls  ..f  p,ovisio„s,  h.  w.h,I.|    s.ill    „.,,,,   „.  ,„;,,  ,„  ^^,.  ,    ,;_; 
v.ct.„v-.      I„  ,on,U-e„  .lays  ,.,o,-e,  aHe.-  eueouuteriu-,    as    ..-eat    cli<lie„hi,s 
asa,a,^vsta^eor,he  joun.ey,    .hey    (n.allv    .eaehe.l    ,he    west    coast    •,. 
C.peIIawks-ei^hty,„ilesi,.thi,-,y-o„e   .lays;    ln,t    prohnhly    siv    tiuu. 
an:hty  actually  tn.vcrse.l  ,.p  au.l  .l.,w„,  ,i^ht  au.l  le.t,  hackwanl  au.l   ,;„. 
ward,  as  descni)ed. 

Resting  a  lew  iu.u.s,  they  p..she.l  ..>  the  ,u,rth,  crossing  t.,  the  ,>pp,.i„ 
heacllaud,  ua.ne.l  ,o,-  Nap.,le.>u  111.  a  Ibvv  years  i.efbre;  a,ul   .„.    .Ih    ,,,, 
sullced  a  se,i..„s  .hawhack  i„  the  .lisahli,,^  .T  J.,s.„.      „  hecauu  n.^^ 
-y  that  he  sh.,ul.l  ri.le  hecau.e  ..f  a  iVesh    i,.i.  .-y   ,<,   „.   ,,,,,j^,    j,,.,,,^; 
lcg;a,unh,s„ecessitate.lthe„-a„s.er..,-s.une   ,„    his   sle.l^e    l.>a.l    ,„   ,He 
other  sledge.      Hayes  au.l  his  two  u,.i.,iu.ed  e.unp...i.„.s  ,;....  huckle.l.,,, 
he,r  ha,-uess  ...  l-lp  the  .ea,u  ..f  , he  ..verladeu  sledge;  au.l  thus  equipp., 
';'^^'  r^'^'    '''"    '^^y    '-^--'    ^'-'    P-.s   ,ueuti.„.e.l.      Passi,,,   CapJ 
Napoleou  with  .l.nica.hy,  the  ,.ext  .lay  tlu-y  ar,-ive.I   at   the  farthe;t   p..i,u 
roachcxlhv  Hayes  i„   .S54,  l>ey..,..,  Cape  F.-a.e,,  ..„    .he   thi.-d   .lav    ,V,„„ 
Cape  Hawks,  au.l  were  u.,w  withiu  Ke.u.e.ly  Chauuei.     Crossiu.:  iMl 
Hay  to  Cape  Leidy,  they  tbll  i,.  with   traces   ..f  a,>    Esqui,naux   euea.un- 
ment,  au.l  sufTcv.!  .V.„„  au  uuseas.>„ahly  hij,h  tempe.a.ure  .>f  3.  ■    ,,,„„ 
occas,.,„e.l  s.„ne  app,-ehension  of  au  early  ]>reakiuc,.  up  .,f  the"  ice      The 
spnu.    was    last    approachiu^      The     cast     preseuted   a   Ii„e   ..f   l.Hv 
s.lur.an  rocks,  .nuch  hrokeu  hy  wi.tter  frosts  ..nd  su,n,ner  thaws      In!.,,;! 
could  be  sect  lofty  peaks  clothe.l  i,.  att  uubrokct  coveriu,.   .>f  su.nv    inu 
no  ..laoers.     Here   a^^alu    were  eucountered   .-emaius   of  au    Esc,ui,nauv 
camp,  a,ul  on  this  f.nu-th  .lay  fro.n  Cape  Hawks,  May  .5,  while  helpi,,... 
has  teau.  at  a  pa,-ticularly  ditHcult  point,  Jeuseu  aj^aiu    hurt   his   le>-    „.d 


staiid    it   iis 

I   I-'VIM-    ll'.lcll 

iiiulcTtakiiii^r 
■■"1(1    Hayes 

"K-   l)|||    oi,^. 

•vay    ()(■  the 
John    Mr- 

fteeii  (loirs 

l<)  will   i1k> 
(lillit-iillic's 

■"^t    coast   al 
^ix   tiiiu's 

■<l  and   In,-. 


ic  opposite 
1  t  lie  way 
;unc  iicros- 
ly  l)roiv(.Mi 
)a(i  to  the 
)iicklcil  oil 
equipped, 
'iii.q-  Cape 

icst     poilll 

day    iVniii 
n^^  (Joiilil 

t-'iicamp- 
J",  which 
CO.     'I'ho 

of  IdiM' 
.  Inhiiid 
low,  hut 
qiiimaiix 

lK'h)iii<>- 


sJ.aino.l  his  hack,  ,n,.,vo>,np|.tc.|v.hsaI,li„,,hi,n      Th  .   . 

McI)o„al,l  hdnnd   with  Jensen     Uavcs    .    .  "     '^'''''  '"^'"'''^ 

--■'••'•^'•'i.'-.atitu;;.nain:h^;h:.':^ 

-■';'^''.>^Cons,i,..io,x,,,,.,,,,„;y         -''^-^^ 

"'"'^'   '''-'^  -  -nil-  in  nine    hours     ami.l    s-  /  ''"^   ''^^•>' 

""'    ''-"v   dc.soh.,i.>n      .  Vs  th  "   •"  '"•"■""^•■'^^  ^^-i"ty 

-'-'p-<<.n. .onnta :  t :::  :r -^'''V^'- "''-^^ 

■•'-"•Ponthedatk. h-ost-de  J  ',     ^/''^''nr '^    ^^^    -' 

-'■'""' -<l  "verlookcl  the  sea    and  "'  "'"'    •''""^    "- 

■■••-....v..>v..onth.n.:r^:::;:r^^^^^^ 

'"*  Oil  ui\   i.,..,,u-y,,it.s,  an(    saw  nothin.r  l,„f  ,        r    ,, 
"nr  strn.r.din..  do-.    ;,  ,       .      ,        "''"'"-  ''"'  ^W"  '^^'chle  ine.i  and 

",-,^,iin„  (lonr-s,  i(  sjeeniec    inc  eec     -is   iCd-i,.     m     •    i 

upon  the  hills  a.Hl  seas/'  '"'^''^'^    '^"'    '''•"^■•-' 

Altera  ten  hours' march  on  the  i7ih  •.,.,!  f 

»-- — , '^»a,:;;,:   z;^::-:;-';-'- 

i-t,,l.    .>  The  „„e,-rins  instiuc,  ,„■  „,,  ,1,...,  "         'T  "^  ^'  "'" 

---'  -'-■■ :c., ,  J,;:; .::::':::::' '-  °: 

.greater  coin-ao-e        I    hi,!    ,,   .  .    ,  "•■■^pueu  vvitn 

"'•i«i.       1    ha.l   not   P'-oceeded  far  when  1  found  the  In,.  „•   • 
way   nn.ler  the   stalF  with     vhi -h    i  >    ,   ■  '•*""^' the  ice  g.vuicr 

wnn    ,vni^h    1    sonnde(      ts  .stren<rtli    .,n,l   .      • 

;;  -  '-;■  ■;'- '-;  •<>  ^oa,  a,..,  „..„  .„.  .L, .;,  j„S  L    '.": 

Ih'-  l"y  to  be  perliaps  ivvctv  miles  avvav  ei.rht  h„„ri  J 
.!>.■  vain  erron  .o  ,i,K,  „  .,fe  p,„,,,„  ,„•;;'"'"  '""''  «"=-  "—'  "■ 
On  ehe  ,„„r„i„,  „f  .,,„  ,,.„,  .„■,„,  „  ,„„,,      _,^__,,___, 

"■  rne  ,ce,    he  s.y,,  .  was  everywhere  i„  the  ,a,„e  con.liHon  as  i„ 

"-  "-.'..h  or  the  hay  aeross  whieh  [  i,ac,  endeavored  .o  pass.     A  W  d 

Clack,  startin.v   from   fho   ,v,.M.n.,    .^,-  .,      ,  '  ^^  "'^"''^ 


luiiting  with  oth 


from   the   middle   of  the  hay,  stretch 


ler 


cracks  as  it  meandered  tu 


cd  over  the  sea,  and 
Uie  eastward,  it  expanded 


tilft 


/i/i./ZliS/'   LATIT 


UDE  OF  //a2-L\S. 


>* 


as  tlu>  (lc«lt.i  of  s,,„u-  ini.ri 


ity   rivi-i   (list'h 


"•.1,'iii-  iiilu  the  ..Lvaii,  aii.l  uiuK 


>~,,  .hi,,, ,,,,,,, ,,, , ..,.,.,„,„„; ,, 

: ':"';: -  '-^ '"•-^^•^ •i.^iw.M,, .,,„  : 

:,::; ; ;" ""■  wi,i,.  .,„„:„, „..„.,„„.„; 

,;:';:' ■■" ■ ■ ^' ■  ^..1..,;,, „,,„, 

-  ■" ;  '"■ ''" ""'-  '■"■"•  ""^  N„„i,  1. N.,„,,.  „„„„,..,.  |„ 

:;""7' ""■■'"' ^ —.ill  .lu.  „.„„.,„,  .■„,.„.;„,,   ,. , 

ZT  "■■ "■  • '  '•""'"  ■--.-'-":- ,t.K....,: 

""■\^'   ■"■'■'"-"■»  ■" ■— •       Th...  was  1,  h,„,  J 

: '  "'»'--•' "'.-■k  pau-hcMh...  ,„.,..  hei„.ci, »,„■,,,,,„: 

:;:r'7;;"" ' '-'-'> ^■'.-'.•»M n.„.;.h.., ' 

,:"  ■;  '■■" ; ■  "-""^ '■> '.  L'^'i-  i;u..„ic. ,„r,y  ,„.,,. ,,  ■ 

^..  y     ,„  ho,„„.  ,„■  UK.  ,,..,.  A,v,ic  „avi,:..„,.  ..f  U,a,  „a,„..     •,;.,  „ 

D  ■  "^■■" '  7- '— ^'^ "■■■'*-H^-i<  v,>,  i„ „..  „,  ,„,,::; 

Dcaunark,  a,„l   "  Iho    „,„»,    ,„„.,hon-l.,„w„    ,a,„l  ,„„„.  ih.   ..„h..",. 

-vcl  ,h.  „a,n.nic  .,csi«„a.i„ Ca,.  L, ,,  h,  h„ ,„■  ;,■„,„,„„„,.■ 

:■ r,"'V"  ""■  """""""■"■  ■■•■  l'i«  -."U.-,,  ,hc.„  accallv  i„jc,,„a,,U. 

h^c»  ,„  UK.  ,,....  C,vi,  ^Va...       The  ha,  heu...,  U..  h,:..,,..,   i, 
.  .0.   wa»  cL,  cat.,  „.  Uk-   nan,.  „r  \V.„„,.„;  ,„,    u,.  .„„  ,„,,,.,„, 
■  clcncU  a„c    L„«.„ic,  ,„  .h.  ..o^apha-  Pcto^an,,;  „hilo  e„„  ,„„.,. 
ow„  t,nva.,,    Cap.  Hawks,  wuc   „a,„„,  h,   ho„„..  of  CaH  Ri...,-  .,„, 

VVilliain  Scorcshy, 

I%cs  now  planted  the  fla.  of  the  United   States,  an.I  several  s.nall 

fla^^s  of  chlFerent    patn.ns  .f  the  enterprise,  erected   the   usual   cairn    nul 

ccpos.ted   the  toHovvin,  record:     .This  point,  the  .nost   northern 'l,;,„, 

that   h..s  ever   been   reached,  was  visited    by   the  undc..si<,ned,   Mav   uS 

9,  KS6.     accompanied     by   George    F.    Knorr,  traveling  with  a"  ,1,... 

slcd^e.     Wc  arrived  here,  alter  a  toilson.e  n.arch  of  Ibrtv-six  davs  tn^n 


m 


CA/^h   IIATUERTON 

«17 
my  vvititcr  harbor,  near  C-in,.  A  i,.^      i 

>■> ^™, ..t':'r:;:";'r; :;■:'"""" '• 

l-lu.,„.l  appears  ,„  ,xpan,l  i,„„  llu-  p„l  „  I,,  i  """'>■ 

."V«al,l.,a,l.a»t  ,l„,  „  „',"";  ^ •»'""■'■«-■''    "-'  "  i' 

s...iH.  s„ ,  „,„  ,„^ _^, '^j ■  ^^'-^ : ■  "• :--  .1.-,,,,, 

.."  '..    lunhc,    achifvomunt.       The  „„„  ,  r  ,"'"-    l.-.^l'™,,,,;; 

:::::iu:!i;::::;:;:j;-::-r'r-"-"';^^^ 

"H^  ve,.,  ev„  ,„■  ,a,„H,„  „..y  „„,..  „,,„„.,„   „„  „    „;^  '"•     "" 

»-  »....a  n„:„„,  ,„„,,,„,,,,  ,„,  -.  »l-l'.  »w-c.,, 

I.aslc-acl   aslH,ro.     Fanhor  „„   •„  <  ■ ,  ',"'-""•'■'".'-'.■■'■. '^'I"-'"  Hioy 

Millets,  ihL  ICC  hav.iiK  l.c-cc,inc  to..  l.n.Ucii    n„l  fi,,;  i    ,i 

'"-.  ^ -->•■".."  .v..n.  .he  ..^ont  I  I  "::,::;'r  ';;-■;  '"^■ 

....  .1.0  3.1  «rju„e,  ..  having  ..-avCe.!  ,..,   ,,,  !  Zl  \  ^""T'" 

■l™.  .,6oo  since  flrs,  sel.ins  .....  i..  March  »  '        '""  '"" 

'..  ca,e,al  c.a,„n,a.ion,  i,  l,a,l  l,cen  clca,-lv  ascc,.tai„c.r  ,,,  ,„e  „„-.,. 
™"  ""^'  '"■"-^■'-"".Ho«.a.  .he ,rU,ec...„nnan.e;  .,';::;: 


618 


FINE    WEATHER. 


\l 


avocations.    X^L^ ^2     ^  ""'"''  "^™-'- -i'"  ™rio„s 

eventful  ,non.h,  had  passed  ove,-  since  t„  1'  '  '"°°'"""™'--'-  «- 
j  ..oon„  and  now  .c  „ad  .eacHed  he  A«  J  l;,:.'"^'^  f :""'  "^ 
day  was  a  day  of  wonderful  brightness      Thl  t  '  '"'''• 

Hi«he.  than  a.  any  previous  .i.^  ^  inj^  r!::";  ^^^  "" 
sun    the    thermometer    showe,]   „•       Th      I  ^^  '  '"  ""' 

3^o..a.amo.ca.mand,o:^;aiJ':::— r;-:: 

scape,  -bnng,„<.  to  .„ind  the  Scriptural  sayin^.:     "  The  vvi„^ 

and   o-onp-  f-Kr.   rt  •'"'o-         i'le  winter   is   nast 

W  ^one,  the   flowers  appear  on  the  earth;  the   time  of  th.     •      • 
birds   is  come."      The  lu.-    -.^   l      .   ,     ,  sinj,'")- of 

Hyes  witnessed  the  catchin.  of  a  hundred  in  .  n^    1,^  ^  '/""' 

httle  while.  '     -    i-^akitunah,  in  a 

On  the  3d  of  July  their  occupi.tions  were  varied   U 
'n  which   two  a„in,a,s    were  selred,   ten  oth    r     ,       i:::. """'; 
many  woundcl.     The  iK-rd  attacked   the  bo.t  of  th     ,  '  " 

useless  slaughter  of  so  many   animals  was     h^       s  r^^T  '"' 

Fourth"  was  duly  eeiehrated,  though  the  weather   as  m  I  ,,  """"^ 
-eure   of  hail,  snow,  and  rain,  and   the  thermo.nete     a        :     ^7' 
'lays   later,  a  memorial   cairn  was  erected  on   ,i,  ,  ' 

rou,l.e,a„darecordof  thecpeditiorrpoi:        "°""   ""''  "''"■"" 
On  the  i2th  the  schooner  was  free  -ifter  ■.  lifH 

depth  of  ice,  the  coat  already  formed  se      ,     ',;     w  7"  '"  '"" 

J  u   serving,  as  IS  well  Known,  to  j)io- 


the  ice-pack, 
ly  confirmed 
mc  a  matter 
n^S  i-efit,  add 
isourccs,  and 
ites  was  still 
■vith  various 
ation  on  the 
immer.    Six 
hrouded   us 
cl   this  mid- 
^tl   gone  up 
Ahile  in  the 
way  up  to 
rctic  huid- 
^'^^'   is   past 
singin,:^'-  of" 
lance;  and 
unah,  in  a 


Si'us  hunt, 


sunk,  and 
s,  and  the 
"Glorious 
orahle— a 
.  A  lew 
t  of  Port 


11  monlhs 
I'ozen  ill, 
i  formed 
1  an  ice- 
L's  to  the 
to  ])ro- 


CAJ-E  ISABELLA 

619 

teel  water  as  well  as  land  from   hein^  frozen   to  n      •       ,     . 
"I  Have  never  seen  an  ice-table,"  says  H  "     4o  ^  T"^^^   ^'^P^^' 
.Hat   exceeded   eighteen   feet."      Oif  he      ;;  t      T    .^^^^ '"^^ 
•iuiniaux;  and  on  the  i^th  set  sail    f.      (  7  """  "'  ^'^  ^- 

Haffled  Hin.in.S6.as;i.ad  ,:^^:,17:;^"^^''^^^-  ^^^  ^-P-^ 
^letention,  they  were  only  ah.e  to  ^^,^' T  '"'"  '''"''  ^'"" 
tH.  cape  itself  could  not  bepassed,  "T  e  o  Id'  '  ""^  '"i'^'^  '^'"^^''  '- 
-^-■•^egnlarcnrvenpthesonndtoa;::::™;;- 


POINI    ISAHKLI.A. 

well  use  a  Hudson  River  steain[,oat  for  a  batterim^-ram  .s  thi  ■  s  1 

with   her  weakened    h.,w.    .  ^^""«  'am  as  this  schooner, 

I-  .,c,,.«,  „„,...„..  ,,..,„.  .„.  ,,„,„„„  ,„„,  ,  „^„„  ,,,^^„„^,,^_     


Ill 


f 

■:    I'   a 

'f    ' 

[] 

11 

i 

vij 

1 

mu 


1 

1 

'1 

j 

■  1  . 

Mi 

lU    ) 


620 


»  I 


STARTLING  NEWS. 

621 

tl>erc    was  not   the  remotest   trace  of  vec.efUion     .,-     . 

;■-  -•    Ave,.no."      At   Gale   Point    we.e   Z:.^;^'^  "''- 

I-qu.ma„x   encampment,  g,vin..  the   imnro    •       T  '    '""'""' 

1  'o'vui,^  tnc   impression  that  the  rm«i-  1-10,1    .--n 

>nme  remnants  of  native  trihes.  "^  '*'" 

Some   days  later  they   anchored  in  Hanlen    Bav  off  H.  • 

-■■'^  <>t-  NetHk,  on  ^^rhale   Sound       Here  H  "       '^  ""^" 

-V,   namin..    islands     c.nes        7,        "'  "^^^'^^  '^'^^'-^'^ -tensive  sur- 

••-''M.nL.on;t:r;^;;^::::::;^---    - 

I'onlKc,    he   ^nnd    nine   families,  nnL:  ^   ,r  ^'^   "    '"" 

T.>ey   next  set  sail  through    Melville  Hay  t  th^  e' t'^T'^'  '""'""^• 

,      '':•  "^"  ^^^"•'''^''  ">'  "^'-  --  ^--  i-me;'  u^,!:!  , 

llu-  lirst  arrival  .-.hoard,  "deSont'  Sf-if..-    I  •  ' 

.I..V»  plo,„j.  fi,|,,.     Th.  Mi  ■■  '°  "■"'"  ''^'  ^■""'  "'"'«■  ™' 

"■ -  -'''^  .1-'.^  ™pi.i  ..«.,.„„ :.;,:;:::  "'^-  '""■;:"''"^^'  "■^- 

\     1         II  -^  '^^'-"ts,  were  sti      a    )l-iiil- 

iiiiliN  wi.lc,  which  di^clwp.os   ;,«„.,  fi„,,i  ,     .    ,         "'•":""    ""K 

'■.•"v,„llo.  ,■,.,„„,„„„..     ;„„,,'■'  '""     '".'""'    ■•^'■'^P»-'>«ol<,  ah,„,t 

^vu,        ^  "^"i  ''ays  after  leav  no- UneniM'il-    fK  . 

,,i-,.,i  ..(^  /-^       II  *'".->  '-'l-'ci  na\  Ik   tnev  .'uich- 

-  1  at  Goodhavcn    on   Disco  Island;    and  in    a   few   days   iJtt  tlvU    s 
i'^"'--  l'>r  Davis'  Strait.      Thnm-h  this  th.  ■  • 

.       ,.   ,  '    "-'^  '^"'■''  t'l'-T  were<lriven  hy  ua  rc.nil-ir 

"""'";'■-"• "■■"•«>-sc c.H*. ,h. ,,„'„_  : 

"■^ ':;--'-vh:„,..vc.,.«.e„.     Th.  ..ho,.,,,.,.  »hiv„..,,  .„   n,.,:  a.    , 

',::,::~-  '■'  '"  "  ';■"'■ '•>■ "-  '"■•"<-"  Th,„  *.  ,.v ,,,  ,H,,.,.  J 

^  "■;■'  ;; : "^ "'"  ■" "-  -""-  '^ '- »--™  ^"-u- 

:"':'■""■.  "^""•^- ^^•"■■' ■^' ^'.  "•'.-. ho,  ,vo.:vo,i  ,h.. ,.,,.. 

"-     "•■„-.   h„,„     h„„K.,"  .,„Ii.i.,„    ,„    ,„..  ,,..,,  ,h.   h,.,,„h,  „„,   „„,  ,,^,. 

™- .n,p,UK.,„  ,„  ,.o.d,  UK-i,- r,u.,„k.    inr,„„.,,„,»,™„il.i;,;„-,h.v 


■'  Hi 


M 


tn^lHwfl  '' 

'.''.  ■.** 

iil'ii        h 

:,■•'  ii ,     : 

j'jl    :; 

whPbIPt  ''' 

1  - ;  ii 

1  ff  * '^ ' 

1      i      • 

fil.^ 

■ ' ,'  ',■ 

li' 


*"'il: 


633 


DEATH  OF  HATES. 


reached  Boston,  Oct.  3i,  z86r,  havin^  been  absent  fifteen  months  and  four- 
teen days.     Hayes  at  once  tendered   his  services  and  his  schooner  to  the 
government ;  and  he  entered  the  United  States'  service  as  an  army  sun^eon 
takmg  charge  of  the  hospital  at  West  Phihxdelphia,  which  he  built  ^'^  He' 
made  another  voyac^e  to  Greenland  in  1869,  chiefly  in  the  interest  of  Brad- 
ford s  photographic  enterprise,  but  not  without  adding  something  to  his 
previous  explorations  and  surveys.     He  afterward   spent  five  years  in 
poh.cal  life  as  member  of  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania;  and  also  won 
chstu.ct,on  as  a  lecturer  on  his  favorite  topics-the  Open  Polar  Sea  and 
Arctic  Exploration.     He  died  Dec.  17,  1881,  in  hi.  fiftieth  year 


If 


CHAPTER   LXVIII. 

-  WRECK    OP    THE    HANSA  _  THE    COA,  '"''""  °''  "''^°'=«^ 

--  --A.  -ah._„a.oe:  pLrs^::::-^'-  ■"-"  ™ 

™BDER,chsTAHL_at  home.  ^TARVAT,ON-ARRn.E  AT 

Among  the  nations  that  in  recent  time,  hnve  HI,, 
•■■  reach  the  Pole  and  solve  its  mystericrhe  O  T  '"  *"  '"'""^ 

p.  eminently  persistent.    It  is  true  thT    ^   ^-       ™""  ^'"P"'^^"  boon 
-I"  ■•'»  nnspiceshave  „ m  7°""°"' "^="-'^-' -^ -t  out 

'"• ="->' executed  from  time.:      n  rXt^B  r""°"""'°- 

I'"' 'l-y  l..ve  evinced  a  thorou^hncZof  „!  """  •■'"'' A™-ica, 
"f  conduct,  second  to  none-  and  h  f,  "'^'^P"''""'"  »■■<'  »  '^kiUf'-lness 
■  —CCS  Where  •jrr:^^^^^^^^^^  ^  ^'^  -d  „n. 

wcaknes.s  or  inefficiency  '^''^'■'''-""   "^'^   '"^  «ign  of 

.-":.:r^l:'oS::.r;!-^'-"-""--- 

'•-•k,  .hon,h  without  results  of  Ic'at^n  or™"""    "'  """  "^■'^°'"'='' 

»™  of  its  formal  reception  that    h    "7""' "'"'"' °"""=°-a- 

l-.l-e  was  nrst  conceived     p''  "  "'°""  ™^'-==  *■-  ■'  "<"= 

Capt.  Koldcwey,  DrPcttm  n""»  "'"''"'""  '°°'  '"^"=^-  ^"-- 

"«ch  was  ..,atl    Is  T;;     •     ""f^'^'""  '"'■™'  "^  -"  "' 

"  "-.>•»  -d  means,     ^r  „  1        11^      I"  '"•'^"™  ""'^  '  '-''"^ 

XM»p.an  provided  that  the  e.;diti:r  h     ,      rsiriVr  '""'  '""""- 

'-.earner  should  land   „„    ,he  cast  coast  '',!"""■  "V""  P"*:    That 

*<-'.>  push  forward  into  the  cent  ^    L    ,"     "'  '    "■"'"  "'""^^  "' 

»■'-  «l-ld  from  any  point  boZ:^-^:Z::V"''  ""'  ""■ 

»*"„  .l,e  highest  latitude  possible      This^  r    H        ''P"''^'''"'  '^^k  to 

eas  hwever,  provet)  too  ex- 


|i 


hM 


Til 


I 


Ah 


\ 


G24 


PLAN  AND  CREW. 


tended  f,„-  the  limitd  ,„c,,„,,  „f  ,h„„.  ,pee,„||„  i„,„^,,^j        „^ 

attemion  directeil  t„  East  Greenland. 

A  eo,„,„u„ica,b„  ,l„ee,l  ,he  Sth  of  Mareh,  ,869,  brought  the  prncecl 
.ngs  10  the  knowledge  of  the  friends  of  the  expedition    tL  ' 

nearly  as  follow,  •  "  That  the  ov      I'.-  "P""'"™-  ^^e  plan  was  „„„. 

ws.      Xhat  the  expedition  should  consist  of  a  newly  hnilt 
»erew.s.ea.er,a„d  of  the  sailing  ,acht   Greenland,  a  ship  of  T  e  p 
neerjonrncy  of  a  year  preyious ;  that  the  end  and  ai™  of  the  san,    sh      d 
he  chseoyery  and  exploration  in  the  Central  Aretie  re.^ion  from  I"  '„ 
at,tude  upward,  the  East  Greenland  coast  being  thrh.!     TheV 
l.-nd,  acting  as  consort  and  transport  ship,  shouM  re.!™  ij,,;      T' 
of  the  same  year;  b„,  the  return  of  the  chief  shin  I       ,  """ 

.-n  late  in  the  autumn  of  ..,0.  after  thrintd      ^  tl::"  tl 
heaun  of  the  expedition  should  be  scientific  as  well  a        u^ical    tl 
a.terdepa,.ment  being  „„der  the  command  of  Capt.  Koldew  "   w t 
the  year  before  had  proyed  himself  so  able  in  eyery  respect      .^      , 
Character  ten  courage,  perseverance,  and  self-sacrifice  in  the  cause   c.ll 
for  unhesitating  confidence."  '''  ''"""' 

;;-al,  to  the  call  for  funds.     The  new  s.:::  ^ IZ rr,:;' 
,    n<l  w,as  a  mo,.,  in  si.e  and   strength  for  the  purpose  for  whicit 

:  ,r :    °'^'"""  "^■"^'  -^-'^  '<> "« «-"''-  -^  hem  t^^ 

small,  a  Larger  sh,p,  the  Hansa,  was  chosen,  and  like  the  Gern:.,nr 
proyisione<l  for  two  years.  "erm.ini.i, 

The  scientific  members  of  the  expclitiou  to  ship  in  the  f V,       ■ 
were  the  following,     Or,  Kar,  norge,'.  Dr.  K.  Copel.    d      „   r,:: 
man,  educated  in  Germany,  and  an  associate  of  Dr.  Borge,  in  ^, 
.nves.,ga..on;  Lient,  Julius  Payer,  who.n  we  shall  here.afL  know 
cmmander  of  a  separate  expedition,  ,md  Dr.  Pansch,  surgeo.r. 

D     G  St    '"t^'^''""'-'"""°«^-"  «'>"'>'o.y,  an.l  he  was  joine.. 
Dy  Ui.  (justavus  Laube,  of  Vienna. 

The  plan  of  the  construction  of  other  Arctic  ships  has  been  given 


By  common 
>ncd,  and  the 

he  proceed, 
an  was  now 
newly-built 
of  the  25  io- 
ame  should 
1  74°  north 
'he   Green- 
he  autumn 
take  place 
ig.       That 
utical;   the 
wey,   who 
nd    whose 
use,  called 

ng  the  ex- 
responded 
ic  Genna- 
I"  which  it 
bein<r  too 
Tcrniania, 

jcrmania 
En<,dish- 
scientiiic 
w  as  the 
1  to  the 
uted  the 
joined 

n  t,nven 


I 


i  <i 


630 


/^V  YV/E  LATITUDE  OF  ICEBERGS. 


'-■■-- "..»"=«- ;:;::. rcr;:r'':r  ^';^''■^■"'■'- 

"-'  ■■"  ™ech,„uc„l  skill  „.,,  ,,„,,,,  i„      '         ,,  '  -  »'"hc:.c„,  „.  .,,. 

■ly  ..f  oven-  urticlf.  ''^'  -'""'  'I"-''- 

The  linal    ,|„p„„„,,.  ,„.  „,^,    ^,       ._,.,._^^    ^_ 
have,,,  „„  .,K.   ,5,,,  „f  J„„„,  ,3,      ,,,  ,„^.  '-     «-m.,- 

tcml  the  "  ice  circle"  nC  r         ,      ,  -^     -  ^^'ennanu,  cn- 

■t-c  ciiclc    ()(   Greenland,  and  he-an  to  lo,.!-  f,,,-  fi      1       • 
which  she  had  eome   hither  to  defy       -Vt  l"      ,  '     "''■"■" 

^^ave  heard  a  subcU.ed   roar,  .rowt    i  T      \  ''^'''''''  '''  "'^"' 

Ion.itnde  heean.  .ore  a.i  iZ^^:;^'    "'  '''''''    ^  ^'^  ^''^^'^ 

"  ^^'''''-■''  a"^'   "^'^"-e'-,"  says    Koldevvey's  accoinit    » 
noise.    Everv  man  i.  nn    )     T         ,  '•^count,     comes  the  rushing. 

K.-a.ui  pa„„ra,na;    i,  „a,  ,  „  '°   '  "'    '  ""'"''"™'  ""  ""^ 

,     I  w.i^  a  gloiuni^    hut  serious    moment   stirnvl     , 

--  ,,.,.„.  .,„„„,.  „,„uu.,i.,,, ,,v  hop.  a,u,  .„ ';  l,;,;; 

iar-reaclmio-  expectations."  '     '  ■""' 

fc,.  i!:,.7r""°"  '■'■"'"  "^-  "™^"-  "'-'^ "- '--  ■'  »."-o  or ,. ,, 

o    sevcal  ,  ,ys,  lon„,„.,tc,l  o„  .he  ,S.h,  wh™  ,1,.    ,„coU„..  o,'  ,h,  ,,. 

::t.',r';; '*'■■'- ''™»-'« -" -'^^  <^.™.nia  t; 

■'i-.  "-'  'hoy  ha,l  .aKcn  .h.  .„„.  course  ,„  U,e  ice,  a.ul   .,.,.  „„„.. 


TUB  J/A.VSA   BESET. 

'■"»  '""  ""■■  'hick  ,.i»,  which  ha,l  nrev„ilo,l  h-,  I  "" 

"•S  the  other.     I„  case  of  „„olherl  '"■""""'  '""■•  ''■■'""  '"X^- 

» .'  place  of  .■nde.vou,  ;t '::  ::r: '""'"-  '»""■"  --pp"-c„ 

■he  o,fice,s  as  to  .heir  future  elurr     e    C     '^  ""r',"""""  ""  ''"  '-'  "' 
way  tOKcther  lo  the  westward.     Ti;r„u..h         '"  '""  ""''■"*''  '""'^ 

"-  .-  ship.  heea„,e  once  „„re  sen      t",        "■""■"'-''""l.n.'  -r signals, 

-;.  -  foHow  the  fortu::\:;r„;:'; :;, ;;— -» -  -p..  ko,. 

Wcetur.  with  i,„passahle  ice  to  .he  west     h" 

-"■•I  out  of  .he  ice,  and  he«a„  afresh.     Z^,    .     T'  T"''   '"  ™"- 
secon,!  attempt  was  made  at  penetralin.,  ,„  „     °  "'"•'"    "■'"^^'-  " 

-pondin,  with  the  instrucilns.     U        .  J  ir!  T  ""'  '""■""'^'  ^"■■• 
experienced  good  weather,  a„,i  „i,h  ,  ,,         u  °""   ""^   """■'■' 

c<l.coftheieei.,a„ot,he„di         on         tT  ^  "'"' '^■"   ^"""»    "'e 

'■■Jc,  it  was  once  more  thou,'      hT'       '     '""'""^'  ""'  '^"^^   ''"■- 
-«-PPOm.ment  ag.ain  met  th^e  crew      '^'"'^   ""'  ""^■^"'  -«•     ""' 
•hey  found  them,se,ves  on  .he  morui'n.  o    .h    ;2  T^'"'  ""'  '"''«•     ' 
a"  »i'lcs.  fresh  ice  formed  between  .h:  fl  es  h ej^  J'r"'  '"  "^'"'"   "" 
asje,  so  that  the  Hansa  was  fast  ■„    •  ,  '=  "''  "'"y  ?»»«- 

'hccomp,e.eb,oc„n.,rp     ';;";":""'"  '"^^  ■'-  f-ward  un.i, 

^ciesof  tro„hies,da;:ra„rr:::::i"'° '"'"""''  '°-^-<  -■-'-. 

for  a  long  time  it  wa.s  lioned  tint  fho  n 

•"— ■  -aft  to  make  tow  ,:^     ,:  ^^"^  r""  '^  ™"  ^'"^  '"e 

■'-a-cc  or  no. , note  than  thirty-five  mle.;,.,  "."'"  '"  ■^^■°"  "'  " 

'"  -"  through  such  channels   as   T^-^^'  ''"'"''  °""  ""-■ 

^--<.  .0  confirm  for  a  time  that  ..2:^JrZ  '"'"'""''" 
...easures  were  taken  to  abandon  the  ship  if  .        7  ',  "  '""'""""• 

The  sailors-  win.er  clothing  was  disr  In."  "   ■"'""'■^■• 

a-'  'hen.  respec.ive  crews   ol<,  J^T'    7  """^  '""'=  ™''>'' 

was  discussed  in  view  of  ,l,e  1  '  '     "  '"""•■"•  '""'cr  l,o„se 

view  o.  the  possibihty  of  being  ohli.rod  t„  r,.„„-,  , 
Then-  worst  fears  were  soon  realize.l      On  H,       "  ,  "'"• 

pressure  of  .he  ice  upon  .he  H.,n     ,  '»  '  '"  "'■'"her  the 

^'"Cics  forced  themse  ves      dfr" Z   br "  ']  T  '™"™"""'-    ""-  ^"■ 
«'  'he  iron  sheetin.  thev  ^         '  "         °"'''  ''''"  ^'"'  '"■"»tel 

°'  ""^  ™""'  *"  '—-'I  pa.'  of  the  ship  seventeen 


088 


THE  11  ANSA   AHANDONBD. 


' 


1! 


Ik/ 


iWioM.  .,(•  water,  or  rather,.,,!  ..fits  f.„-mfr  position  in  the  ice.  Tin. 
r..iuictiou  >o,.n  scm/c.I  the  >ni,„ls  ,>C  the  cew  th;„  tine  Ilansa  ,nust  l)real< 
"IN  ^">.i  I'u.  dothlMo,  ,K,„tic-ai  -nnents  jo,„-„als,  a„.|  canis,  wct  in  all 

liaste  lai<cii  ovei-  the  laiidint^-luiclMe. 

Tlie  ship  soon  hc-an  to  leal;,  an.!  it  was  plain  that  it  ,n,.st  he  aha,,. 
<i...,e,i.  Ail  the  p,-ovisi(,ns  that  conld  he  secure,!  fn„n  the  w.'eck,  to-ether 
vv.th  fnel,  niclicine,  ci-a,-s,  an.l  wiiatever  conlcl  he  easily  moved  in"  theii- 
j.ivsent  inipoitnnity,  xvas  ch-a<,-ed  ever  the  ice  to  a  safe'distmice  t,-o,n  the 
s.nkin,^.  vessel.  A  ho,,se  had  al.-eady  heen  constrncted  fVo.n  pieces  o| 
coal,  and  to  this,  their  only  lesoi't,  they  weie  (.hlij-ed  to  ,-epai,-. 

In  the  >neanti,ne  ihe  tloe  o,i  wliich  their  ,-esidence  was  l)nilt  ^vas  d,-iii. 
in,^^  steadily  to  the  sonth.  The  n.ntine  in  the  hlack  honse  soon  heca,Tie  es- 
tahlishe.1,  and  as  it  closely  i-ese,nhled  that  on  hoanl  ship,  the  lonely  sailoix 
readily  adapted  the.nselves  to  it.  Ca,-c  was  take,i  to  niake  the  little 
settlement  as  conspicuous  as  possihle  in  o,-der  that  it  micrht  he  seen  hy  any 
Esqniniaux  who  should  happen  on  the  coast.  The  food  was  lengthened 
out  In-  the  shooting  of  an  occasional  walrus,  and  tree  use  of  this  anicle 
of  diet  was  efTcctual  in  preventing  scu'vy,  fro,n  which  the  pa,-ty  continued 
remarkably  exempt. 

The  first  days  of  Januai-y  were  desti,ied  to  bring  sad  cl.anges  for  the 
exiles  on  the  ice.     "  On  the  .  ith,"  says  the  .mrrato.-,  -  there  we.-e  heavy 
storms  from  the  northeast,  with  driving  snow.      At  six  in  the  mornin,^^ 
Ilildebi-andt,  who  happcied  to  have  the  watch,  bu,-st  in  with  the   alarn", 
'  All  hands  turn  out!'    An  indcsci-ibable  tumult  was  heaixl  outside.    With' 
fn,-s  an.l  knapsacks  all  rushed  out.       But    the  <niter  entrance  was  snowe.l 
up,  so  to  gain  the  outside  quickly  we  b,-oke  thi-ough  the  snow  ,oof  of  the 
lV<),it  hall.     The  tu,nult  of  the  elements  which  ,net  us  there  was  beyond 
a,iything  we  had  ah-eady  experienced.       Scarcely  able  to  leave  the"sp„t, 
we  stood  huddled  together  for  protection  trom  the  bad  weathei".      Sud- 
denly we  hcanl,  '  Water  on  the  floe  close  by!'     The   lloe  surn,unding  u. 
split  up;  a  heavy  sea  arose.  Our  field  began  again  tobi'cak  up  on  all  sides. 
On  the  spot    between  our   house  and  the  piled  up  store  of  wood,  which 
was  about  twenty-five  paces  distant,  there  suddeidy  opened   a    lai-ge  gap. 
Washed  hy  the  powerful  waves,  it  seemed  as  if  the  piece  just  bioken  off 


ILLUIDLEK. 


089 


was  about  to  fall  upon  us.     *     *     *     ^,, 

two  parts.       Wolv.,1  I       ■  ^"^'  ^'"'"'"""'ty  wa.   ,livi,|,-.|  into 

"■as  .  ,„i,,,,|,  „„,  ■  '  »'"'•  '1"'«.  l...t  .k-spen„o.    I, 

from  ,-,»  ,„„,„,„,,,,  ,„„j  ,„,,^,,;_^,.  „       ""    "-■  ""  """-^l.  >vc.  ,„„„,  «„„,„j 

I'HOuac  in  ,1,,  l,„.,s  had  „,  ho  ..pe,i.„cc,l        \  "  "'  '"      ''  '""'l""'">- 

*"-.i  '■...  ..np,,,.., .,.,  ,„.  hi,.   •,,::;:: * ';"" ""'- '■'■'■• 

ll"^^  llo...,  a,„l  all  cxigccie,  ,„  far  ,»  ,       •,  ,  '   ""'   '"''''"^-  '"' 

"."".h»  elK.  .Inrt  .„  .he     ;„^  . '    T     '•  '"■""•'"'  '■'"■    •'^"  '"'  -"'-I 

'-i-.lc.  »ho.„.,  „pe„  a  ,ha„„o,  l„  .i;     ,  n    ::^  "■"  ■ «■  »""'"- 

1 1.e  ,n,.„th  .,(  May  a.  las.  arrivo,!,  I,,,.  .„  .he  „ 

';:"  '■■•7"^-.  ■•■■  7. "  ...,-ih  iau.„„  •  .h., ;:, : j;::;':'-^'  •";"-- 

"'  "^'arly  700  rail..,.      Thoy  wcto  ,.a,H„l  ,    ,•    ,    ,  """  ''"""'"^'^ 

starvation.  -       ""-    ^"    ^''"P    ^'vvay    from 

A  small  island   calleci   Illiii,!l,.i-    i 
'!>-' was  ,l...en.i„.,    !,"'-•     '^^  t"' ""=  ""^  "™>-- -'  '<> 
■™.l  -iooUC  r,„.cha„  .n:;""r  '"^-  :'™""  '— ■  ^-.u.lia.e 

; >■  «'"i'p^'.-,  ■hey:„c..e.i:; ;  „:,':':;:;; ":"'  t  "■■■' " 

II0.V  .„.y,sp™.  s.,™e  ,ay.s    look iT    ^    ^         '^  """  :™'">- *■■-• 

"^">i'^""-  "f  tlu-  Bs,,ui,„a„.  „,,„„:  .    .  ,  '"""  "■'  '■•■^'  ""'■  "- 

'■^■■■•-  ■=-^'-..-.  _.„„, „,  „.:  ;  ;  ;;--«^''-.  «■■-'.  '.a,  ,„.,„u 

'-■™   .ho  animals,  ho.h  „„  ,.„„,  ,      ^  ,  ""  ""   '"f  "™'-«-'   L--.!. 

"-"' '" »"'™.  =-a,..,„  in  .1,: ::.:  ;:::;:::';";;™-  ™^- 

'"'  "■»  '"'  '"".o  torriblo  than  slow  ,.•„■>•  .i„n  "'""'  ""■' 

Acco,<li„,,y,  on  .he  0.1,  of  ,„„,  IXT       "T"  "  '"'■  '  ''■"""  '-'«• 

-«- Of  a.  I..S.  La^,,  ::z ::::;  ™:;;;:-'"  - 

■  "\  I    liiCil    iiVC'.S. 


I 


(i;H) 


A  T  FREDEniClIS TA HL. 


Their  aim  was  Frederichstalil,  the  nearest  colony  on  the  soutlnvest 
coast  of  (Irccnland,  but  they  hoped  soon  to  meet  one  or  tlie  other  of  tlu- 
Esciuiniaux  scal-hoats  searchin}^  the  Fiord.  No  such  fortune,  however 
awaited  them,  thoujjfh  the  increasing,'  warmth  and  si«,'ns  of  vcifctatiou 
aloDf?  the  coast  as  tiiey  sailed  by,  fjfave  promise  of  comfort  and  plenty  in 
the  near  future. 

Roundiufif  Cape  Farewell  they  came  in  sij^'lit  of  the  lon<r  wishcd-for 
Hay  of  Fredericlistahl  on  the  13th  of  June.  The  little  settlement  situ- 
ated on  this  bay  was  the  seat  of  the  most  southerly  of  the  Moravian 
missions  of  (Greenland.  In  this  far-away  place,  self-sacrirtcin;j;  men  from 
the  Fatherland  had  settled  for  a  life  of  isolation  and  toil  amon<r  the  if'no. 
rant  and  almost  sava.i,'e  natives  of  this  frozen  continent.  How  the  sij^^lit 
of  their  iiomely  red  houses  cheered  our  band  of  weary  voyaj^ers,  and 
how  sweet  to  tiicm  souniled  their  own  motlier-tonj^aie,  spoken  by  warm- 
hearted countrymen! 

From  this  point  the  troubles  v>f  our  voyajjc'-s  ceased.  They  were 
soon  able  to  procure  passaj^e  in  a  Danisli  vessel  to  Copenha<,aMi.  From 
this  city  they  sjjcd  homeward  by  rail,  and  once  more  trod  German  soil 
on  tile  3(1  of  September. 


....'-  ■  ai-»8!tnt>iinnaiJi|UM 

Tt^W^ 

• 

ClIAl'TKU    I. XIX. 

IKK  <;KRMAXrA  IS  KAsr  (iUICKNLAND— Tin:  llfKXKNKOIUI— ri.AVKR. 
rN(i  ISI.AVD—silANNON  ISLAND  -A  dUKSTIo.V— A  SI.RDOK-JOUH- 
VICY— KI.KJKI-Y  KIOUD  — KUIIN-  ISLA VD--TIIK  (WCIIMANIA  MOOKKI) 
KOI?  \Vr\TKK  —  KKI.tCS  OK  A  DKCAYKI)  COMMUNITY  -A  PTACKKD 
IIY  A  lllCAIt  —  WIDI.:  liXIMiUIKNCK  \VI!II  AVIMAl,  MKE  — AN  KN- 
COITNTKII  WITH  \V  AI.RUSK :,  —  Tit  K  (IKKMANIA  MKCOMKS  KKKK — 
KKTUKN     I()    (ilCUMANIA. 

I.ut  US  now  retrace  our  steps  to  the  iionliward,  where  we  left  the 
(ieruiania  stru--lhijr  witli  the  ice  ol"  Kasi  (irecnlaml,  an.l  compare  her 
experience  with  that  of  lier  unhappy  consort. 

To  l)e  separated  for  a  short  time  iVom  the  sister  shij)  under  existing 
circumstances,  caused  no  uneasiness;  so  that  at  noon  of  the  day  tlial  the 
Ilansa  disappeared  in  the  th<^,  tiie  Germania  set  all  sail,  l)ut  soon  strikin<j 
upon  ice,  was  ol)li.,red  to  turn.  The  hori/on  was  ea,<rerly  scanned  for  the 
liansa,  hut  without  success.  A  whalin-  vessel,  however,  was  discovered, 
and  this  last  opportunity  of  sending  letters  home  was  ea<,rerly  emhraced. 
riieship  was  four.d  to  be  the  iiieneidvorh  of  IJremerhavim. 

"On  her  deck,'"  says  the  narrative,  "conllned  in  a  larije  ca^je,  was  a 
iicai'  and  her  two  cuhs;  fortunately  for  them,  on  hoard  a  whaler  ihev 
were  not  likely  to  want  for  food.  One  would  think  that  a  creature  so 
powerful  and  active  could  never  he  taken  alive,  hut  on  its  hunting-  expe- 
ditions amon-j  the  drift-ice,  it  frcHpieully  trusts  itself  to  the  water,  and 
liere,  in  spite  of  its  endurance,  man  is  more  active  and  clever,  and  with  a 
well-mana-cd  boat,  a  lucky  cast  of  the  noose  j^enerally  falls  on  the  neck 
of  the  swimmin,<r  bear,  when,  half-dra-rijfcd  and  half.swiinmin<,s  lie  is 
hoisted  on  deck  like  any  other  animal,  the  noose  roiuid  its  neck  hein--  a 
-uarantee  for  its  •jrood  behavior.  On  their  return  they  are  jicnerally 
sold  to  sfMue  mena<>^erie  or  zoolo,<?ical  jrarden,  the  price  of  a  full-<rrown 
lu-ar  beinj,'  loo  thalers  (75  American  dollars)." 

6151 


"wrT' 


If 


(;:$•> 


THE  PENDULUM   ISLANDS. 


P;iniiiL;  company  witli  the  niciienkoil),  the  Gcrmania  now  souj,Hil  to 
reach  the  coast  of  Grecnhuid.  Her  path  was  a  tortuous  one,  and  fuU  of 
danger.  The  day-l)ook  of  the  captain  shows  that  at  the  heginnin^r  of 
the  journey,  after  leavin^-  the  Ilansa,  stron;j^  northwesterly  winds  pre- 
vailed, wliich  of  course  delayed  the  vessel's  proj^'ress  toward  the  coast. 
The  easterly  winds,  on  the  other  hand,  drove  the  ice  toward  the  shore 
which  thus  hecame  so  packetl  that  it  was  impossible  to  reacli  the  main- 
land. Several  weeks  were  sjient  in  meetiui^  these  obstacles,  but  the 
elForts  of  <he  shi[)'>  company  were  at  last  rewarded,  and  on  the  5th  of 
Auj^mst  they  jjlanled  their  lla^-  on  (Greenland  soil. 

The  group  of  islands  which  tiiey  hatl  now  reached,  known  as  the 
Pendulum  Islands,  were  tirst  discovered  and  appropriated  bv  Claverin^-, 
in  iS_'3.  [See  voyage  of  Clavering.]  Far  to  the  north  was  seen  Shan- 
non  Island,  tlie  largest  of  the  coast  islands  of  (Ireenland,  while  soudi- 
ward  lay  Sabine  Island,  only  a  few  miles  from  the  mainland.  Along 
these  islands  the  expedition  hoped  to  make  its  wav  northward,  aftei- 
having,  according  to  tlieir  instructions,  sought  for  and  marked  the  posi- 
tion of  Sabine's  observatory. 

The  condition  of  the  ice  was  here  lirst  distinctly  seen.  The  straits 
between  Sabine  Island  anil  the  maiidand,  and  also  between  the  several 
islands,  were  completely  blocked  \vith  what  appeared  to  be  all  land  ice. 
Further  on,  between  Shannon  Island  and  the  mainland,  as  fir  as  the  eve 
could  I'cach,  the  land  \"as  linn,  and  tlie  conclusion  was  soon  reached  tliat 
tiiere  would  be  no  breaking  u])  tliat  year.  Along  the  coast,  then,  ad- 
vance was  impossible,  and  thi;  only  ])raclicable  way  remaming  was  aloii"- 
the  eastern  side  of  Shamion  Island. 

"Tlie  ([uestion,"  says  Koldewey, '•  has  been  raised  se\eral  times,  ts- 
l)ecially  among  inland  people,  as  to  why,  being  nnatile  to  advance  aloii^- 
the  land-ice,  I  did  not  re-entei-  the  pack  and  work  m\'  way  through  it 
northward,  and.  In  a  higher  latitude,  again  try  to  reach  the  coast.  This 
is  o])pose(I  to  all  o\]X'rience;  it  has  long  bei'u  i^nown  that  in  a  stivani  of 
lieav}'  ice,  in  fu'l,  in  the  so-called  pack,  never,  nor  at  any  i)lace,  with  the 
strongest  and  best  steamer,  has  any  considerabk'  ])rogress  been  in;i(ie 
witliout  the  supi)oi  t  of  the  coast,  or  tiie  I'oast  islands.      Had    I   wished  In 


SLEDliE-yoURIVE  ) 'S. 


6;i!J 


liave  reached   tli 


peiietralc  the   ice-h;irrler. 


c  coast  at  a  more  lu.rtheiiy  point,  I  sli„ul,|    have    ha.l 


a.^-aiii  to  steer  aloi 


force    my  \vay    into    t 
would    certainlv  never 


i,LC    tile    northern    horder,  and 


le    pack    once    ni 


oi-e    ni  7,S 


S 


lia\e    been  lol 


w'oidd    ha\e   1 


)een    unjustifiahle  to  'mv 


trouhle,  to  iollow  a  i)hantom.'" 


ucli  a  proceedinL;' 
lowed  hy  i|-,e  desired  result,  and  it 
V  uj)  A    liasis  reached  with  so  much 


H 


tmics,  es- 
ice  aloii;^' 
irou;4h   it 


A    VI1.I..\(,1..    I.N    .SiJl  TUl.ASl'   l.UM'.NI.A.NlJ. 

After  some  iVuiliess  attempts  t,,  make  tlieir  wav  al,,n-  the  coast  in 
die  (iermania,  the  party  returned  and  found  wiiUer  q. utters  on  Sal.inc 
Maud,  a  few  miles  t,,  the  s,,inh  and  wcM  of  l»cn,liihm)  Maud,  the  laiul 
which  they  had  at  first  reached.  It  v,a.  u..w  planned  to  devote  (he  winter 
lo  sU,l.,c'-journeys.  Tlie  thst  of  these  was  oi-ani/ed  at  once,  and  was 
readvt,.starl   on   the    i  ph   of  September.      As   on   the   departure   from 


■ill'-'- 


i 


>  i 


1 


f   '1  J 


684 


/'X/r,7i/,r  F/()Rn—h'UIl\  /, 


hoini-  tlic-  tifciKM-al  cxpccl.'Dioii  was  lliat  tlic  <,n-catcst  and 


AND. 
itcst 


most   sill 


islaiitial 


(lisfoM-rirs  inusl  I)L'  madi'  witli  tlu-  sh 


P'- 


>l)al)l 


ip,  tlic'ir  iiistnic-tions  spoke    only 


(-•  j^iacRT  excursions    to    tlu-    inlc>ri()r 


.1"  ll 


K'    comnrN-     and    not 


cxtcnsixo  slc'dj^r-o-jonrnt'vs  alon"-   tl 


<>l 


<i| 


K'   roasi    and    llu'    liani 


For  tlu-  particular  n 


'jcessiiics   ot'  Ihcsc  journcvs,    tlu-rcfon 


was  made  at  the  outtittino:  in  IJremen,   and    tl 


I 'I"  tile    I'^ionl. 
no    pro\-isi(iii 


le    sledge    a])paralus    (  leu 


coverings,  and  so  on)  \-as  not  (piile  wlial  was  needed. 


Tl 


ley  liad  learned  from  experience  durin;^-  the  summer  tliat  ih 
tent  with  a  pole  in  the  ceuttr,  which    they    had    hrou^-ht    Ironi     H 
was  not  practically  useful;  it  was,  iheref 
one,  and  pro\ided  with  a  roof.      At 
pendicnlarly,  and  fastened 


c  round 


reiiicn 


ore,  ciiauLred  into  a  foiir- 


conier( 


eacli  cornel"  a 


pole    Avas    placed 


ly  ropes,    lieh 


'Yh 


th 


I.   and 
eir     further    ajiparalus   consisted    of  necessar 
ey  had  not  yet  taken  to  furs),  provision 


per- 


l)ropped    up    with    stoiu 


\    woolen    c()\-ei-iu< 


lor 


s  lor  eii^-ht  days,  of  iiistruin 


otablv  the  I 


leodolite,  that    essential    in    all    coast   sin-ye 


ys,    and    11. c 


Clli-. 


cus- 


tomary harometer  and    thermometer. 


The  sled 


t^es,  which  carried  about  si 


X  inuulreil  \vei<r 


hi 


six  men,  the  Ca])tain,  I'^irsf  Lieut 


,  were  drawn  hy 


i  a 


yer,  Trauwit/,  Krauscl 


iner,  Ki 


i-iii/- 


ner,  and  Ellin<fer,  traveling-  wil 


\  com|)aratiye  ease  over  the  almost 


.iiii\\  ■ 


less  ice.      Fli<,relv  Fiord  and  Kuhn  Island 


were   to    constitute   the    ol 


.f  tl- 


Meet-- 


eir  investii^'-ations,  and  these  points'  were   lirst 


SOU''!  It 


I' 


111'      S|l(l|-, 


of  the  Fiord, 


says   Copela 


11(1,  '•'■  w;j> 


ded  1 


s   surrouiuled   iiy  heaulihil    innuut; 


chains — to  the  north 


nr-iieiss— and  s^raniti'  cli 


a;  at 


the  foot  of  which    wcii 


slopes  covered  with  soft  ,i,n-assy  veq-etatiou ;  to  tlie  south  i 
rocks,  the  hi^•hest    of  which    (we    will    call    it    Doml 


ose  ici'-crow'in 


)er: 


■) 


was   ccrtaiiih 


more  than   V)""  l"i--'l  hi>''h.      K^eind 


eer  came  troiu    all    sides    o|'  the   strand 


m  a  stale  ol    wonder;  hut  this  lime  .ve  withstood    ll 


ie    d;.-,ire    t. 


>     ilUlll,     111 


order  to    lose    no    time.      Onl 


\'    o 


nee    was    the    journey    iiil 


erruptc<l 


n    :i 


sli^rht  topo^-rapliical  incidenl.      A  hear  wl 

away  hy  shoulinj^-,  after   which    Kleut/.iu'f   Icll   tlu 

pulled  out,  and  had  to  cross  a  loii"-  hroad 


ucli  came  near  us  we  I 


riLihtciK 


OU'Ml    tl 


ice;   lie   w,i> 


urcach 


i'lii,ady    I'iord    was    explored    and    survexed    up    1 


o    wheiv    lis   inlan, 


boundary   becomes  a  ])art    of  ihe    rui^^ed    i 
Island  Lieut.  Payer  noUced  a  st 


nainland 


nex'oud 


() 


n     Kiiltii 


one  ol   e\ceedin^-l\'  li'dil  color.  \ 


^•IliCll     (111 


C'l 

ill 


A  DECAYED   COMMUNITT 

tlu-  south  side  of  the  islan.l  lonncd  s.lul  ..v.rhan^iu^  crystals  t,.  .t 
least  3000  feet  high.  Leaving  the  slcd<,e,  to  his  .,.at  astonish..cnt  he 
stumble.!  up<.u  a  h.ye,-  of  coal,  its  strata  alternating  with  sandstone. 
I'urther  uu-estic^ations  proved  tlie  existence  of  the  carboniferous  deposit 
n.  lar^^e  quantlties-possihly  a  useful  factor  in  the  future,  development 
or  sub,u<,ation,  of  ICast  (ireenlan.l.  The  party  soon  returned  to  .heship' 
iiavnig  wdked  a  distance  of  133  uiiies.  '  ' 

The  months  of  September  and  October  were  spent  in  inakin-  prep, 
ara.ions  lor  .he  coming  winter.  The  (iennania  was  released  tVoin  the 
KV  hands  which  the  early  Hdl  ha.l  cast  about  her,  and  was  drawn  closer 
...the  body  of  Sabine's  Island,  where,  moore.l  in  a  convenient  bav  she 
could  fearlessly  withstan.l  the  shocks  common  to  vessels  winterin.-'with- 
tl,c  Arctic  circle.  On  the  .  .th  of  October  the  ship  was  surrounde.I 
.-.th  a  wall  made  of  blocks  of  ice  iVozeu  together,  and  a  sort  of  break- 
water ,u-  boundary  to  the  little  harbor  was  constructed  of  the  same 
material. 

The  winters  spent  by  most  American   and  liritish  explorers  in  Arctic 
reoumshave  been  somewhat  ameliorated  by  companionship  with  natives 
The  consciousness  that  other  luunan  beings  can    and  do  ],ve  in  these  des- 
olated regions  is  a  great  source  of  comtbrl  to  sojourners    in  the  north,  es- 
pecially when  this  knowledge  is  .^^aine.l  by    actual  contact  with  the  .leni- 
zcns  of  the    ice.      Up    to  this  point,  however,  our  explorers  had  seen   no 
trace  of   natives,  nor  in.leed  any  signs  of  their  having  f  .rmerly  occupied 
tins  portion  of  (iree^dan.l.      The    conclusion,  therelbre,  was    that  the  l-s- 
M.ninaux  had    either  deserted  their  former  abodes,  ..■  ha<l  become  extinct 
Clavcring,in  .S>3,had    lound    an    Ks.p.iinaux    settlement    on  the    Island 
bearing  his  name,  but   both  natives  and    tiieir  habitations  had  now   disap- 
peared.     A  few  skeletons  and  rude  implements  alone  remaine.l  to  tell  the 
story  of  the  deiayed   conimunitv. 

l"alb  ui.iter,  and  spring  tbun.l  the  voyagers  useh.llv  employed  in  ex- 
ploring and  surveying  the  liords  and  gultV  of  ICast  Greenland^  in  taking 
magnetic  readings,  ..^.^X  i„  compiling  tabulated  statements  of  their  scien"^ 
tilic  discoveries.  The  absence  of  .logs  and  reindeer  ma.le  their  labors 
verv   severe.     Supplies,   tents,    instruments,  all   the   paraphernalia    ..fan 


Ul 


■f^^^... 


'ill  :■     ! 


680 


ATTACKED  13 T  A    HEAR. 


I' 


fi 


Arctic  slc(l<,'e-)()iiriicy  had  to  I)c  (lra.t,'<^C(l  throuLfli  tliu  snow  hy  llic  nun 
themselves,  the  ollicers  i)articipatin>4-  in  this  lahor  wilii  appropriate  en- 
thusiasm. In  this  way  several  det^rces  of  the  eastern  wall  of  tiie  conti- 
nent of  (Jreenlanil  were  accurately   exjilored  and  laid  down. 

It  is  prohahle  that  no  expedition  has  had  so  varied  and  thrillin<,r  an  ex- 
perience with  Ihe  animal  life  of  liie  north  as  the  party  of  our  preseni  ' 
narration.  Almost  no  journey  was  undertaken  without  more  or  less 
dan,i4er  from  the  immense  hears  which  inhahit  tiiese  regions,  and  some- 
times the  creatures  approached  the  vessel  itself  with  ,t,n-eat  l)oldness.  An 
incident  occurred  on  the  6th  of  March,  in  which  a  valued  memher  .,| 
the  expedition  nearly  lost  his  life  from  the  holdness  of  one  of  these 
heasts. 

^'  We  were  sittinj;,"  writes    l.ieut.    I'ayer, ''fortunately   silent    ni   ihe 
cahin,  when  Koldcwcy  suildenly  lieard  a  faint  cry  for  helj).      We  all  hur- 
riedly tumhled  up  the  companion-ladder  to  the  deck,  when    an    exclauia- 
tion  from  Horj^en,  'A  l)ear  is  carry in,^-  me  oil','  struck  painfully  on  our  ear^. 
"  It  was  (juite  dark;  we  could  scarcely  see  anythiuy,  hut  we  made  di- 
rectly   lor    the    (juarter   whence    the    cry    proceeded,  armed    witii    poles, 
weapons,  etc.,  over  hummocks  and  drifts,  wiien  an  alarm  shot    which  we 
lired    into  tiie  air,  seemed  to  make  some    impression,  as  the  hear  di-oijped 
his  prey,  and  ran  forward  a  few  paces.      He  turnetl  a.i^ain,  however,  dra"-. 
t;in^-  his  victim  over  the  hroken  shoie-ice,  close  to  a  licld  which  stretched 
in  a  southerly  direction.     All  dcpen<led  upon  om-    coming;-    up   with   him 
hefore  he  should  reach  this  Held,  as  he  would  carry  his  prey  over  the  open 
plain  with  the  speenl  of  a  horse,  and  thus  escape.      We    succeeded,      'fhe 
heai-  turneil  upon  us    for  a  momen!,  and  then,    scared   hy    our   continuous 
lire,  let  fall  his  l)ie}  . 

"  We  liftcul  our  poor  connade  upon  tlic  ice  to  hear  him  to  his  cahiu, 
a  task  which  was  rendered  ilillicult  hy  the  slippery  and  uneven  snrlace 
of  the  ice.  iJut  after  we  had  -one  a  little  way,  HurL^Mi  implored  u>  lo 
make  as  much  hasto  as  possihle.  On  procurin-;- a  light  the  coldest  natuiv 
would  have  heen  shocked  hy  the  spectacle  which  poor  Hur^en  i)reseutc(l. 
The  hear  had  torn  his  scalp  in  several  places,  and  he  hatl  received  several 
injuries  in  other  parts  of  his  hoily.       His  clothes  and   hair  were  saturated 


OBSERVATIONS   ON  ANIMALS. 


C:}7 

-ilh  I,lo.Hl.       Wc    i.nproviscd   a   coucl,    lo,-   hi,„    ;,  ,,,  ,,„.  „,  ,,^,^.  ^^^^^^ 
c:il)iii,  as  Ins  own  was  not  lar<^c  ciKnioh. 

'-The  lirs,  operation  was  pcrionncd  upon  hin,  on  the  cabin  table. 
An.l  bere  we  nr.y  brielly  notiee  tbe  sinj,adar  faet  tbat,  altbou^^b  be  bad 
been  earr.ed  n.o.e  liian  one  bumh-ed  paces  witb  bis  skull  ain.ost  laid 
l...e,  at  a  ten.perature  of  ---..3  Fabrenbeit,  bis  scalp  bcaled  so  perfectly 
•1-t  not  a  portion  was  nnssin^."  Dr.  Jior^en's  youtb  and  vi..n-<H;s 
.onsftufon  soon  e,ial)[e,l  bini  to  tlinnv  od'  tbe  evil  efFects  of  tbe'sboek 
...  vvlucb  be  bad  been  subjected,  but  tbe  wbole  party  fron.  tbat  time  were 
carelul  not  to  wander  fortli  alone  in  tbe  dark. 

Tbe  observations  of  tbe  party  were  carried  on  w,tb  tbe  cbaracteristic 
(.ernian  accuracy.  Particular  attention  was  ^iven  by  tbe  naturalists  to 
-  annual  li,e  botb  of  land  and  sea,  as  well  as  to  tbe  scanty  Hora  exhibited 
ainon;,  .be  barren  rocks  on  wbicb  they  bad  lallen.  Space  tails  us  to  -nve 
m  dctad  tbe  results  of  tbese  investigations,  but  tbey  tbrn.  a  very  i,npo,Lt 
cbapter  n,  tbe  natural  instory  of  tbe  nortb.  Actual  contact  in  the  hunt 
w,tb  nn.cb  of  the  aninaal  lite,  ^ave  then  an  opportunity  to  ^enerali  J 
bon,  real  observation  upon  liic  characteristics  and  habits  of  tbe  north 
crn  launa.  Hear,  n.usk-ox,  hare,  fox,  lemnnno  and  sea-horse-all  passed 
under  tbe  scientilic  knhb  of  I'ansch  and  P.or,,a.n,  and  tbe  fact  that  their 
l.l.lc  stock  ot  provisions  niust  be  len,y:tbened  in  so.ue  original  way,  made 
the  opportunities  for  these  investigations  n.ore  frequent  than  tbey  would 
o.berwise  have  been.  Indeed,  these  animals  were  sought,  not  more  for 
scent.f.c  purposes,  tiaan  for  a  more  oi,vious  and  substantial  utility. 

The  encounters  with  many  of  tbese  animals  are  sakl  to  have' been  at- 
icnded  witb  the  greatest  danger.  Tbe  appearance  and  mode  of  warfare  of 
tlK'  walrus  is  gra,;liically  described  by  an  eye-witness:  ..  If  ,,,,,,  ^,^,^^,^ 
deserve  tbe  name  of  monster,  it  is  the  walrus.  It  is  from  nine  feet  six 
iiubcs  to  sixteen  feet  six  inches  n,  length,  weighs  about  two  thousand 
pounds,  a,id  its  skin  is  three  an.l  a  half  inches  thick  (a  sort  of  massive 
coat  of  mailj,  with  large  eye,  and  a  head  of  infinite  ugliness. 

"Sboidd    one    of  tbese  .nonsters  see  a  boat,  h  rais^  itself;  astoni^^bed, 
above  tbe  surface,  utters   at   once  a   cry    of  alarm,   swinuning   toward  it 


as  >|Uickly  as  possii)le.       This  call  brii 


igs  n|)  others,  awakens  the  sleeper 


rv  ((H 


■It  HI 

'T'l 

^lil .m 

ml 

"i  1 

1 

S'I'i-:!       -m 


the 


toi 


VIC 


toiMi 


vvl 


and 


onci 


lo 


oil 


l)lc 


Ol'    I( 

year.- 


and 


tic  di 


638 


tiial 


CONCLUSION  OF  THE    VOrAGE. 


639 

which  tlic   boat   had   carefully    avoided     -p,,!  i,.  o    i 

fn.y  in  .11  ,l,cU.  hidooa,„o»s.  '  '"=   '"  ""'"'"'"'  "'  '-' 

"  The  creatures  may  p„H,ibly  be  „„ly  actualecl  l.y  c.,ri„,i,v    but  the', 
.-.n,.e,.  ol  .howin,  it  i,  »„  i„.,b,„.„  ,,,.  „„^  ,,^,^  obli^eT^'aet    ,  t 

aic   struck  w.th  axes  ou    tl,.   Hippos  with  which  thev  thr.-..       . 

;"—>-•"     --•^'•-•^owever,ti>e.a-h::i  1^ 

-  s.n.a,cu.  as  his  u.aus  oHoco.otiou  ou  this  eie.nent  areve^^i^^: 

As  spruio.  advanced,  the  cvc^^   of  the  Germania  „..d 
their  homeward  journey       The  vessel         .  P>-^P--^",ons  for 

J    uiiit,y.      J- nc  \  esseJ,  SO  lon<'- a   nr  «nnf>i-  ;.,    •         i     • 
1  ,.  ,  '        *""o  ''    prisonei    11   icv  rnmnc 

1-™k.  „.ee  about  the  first  „.J„,,,  a„d  the  eu,i„e  belu,  repaire      ^        ,' 
s  c    cu,.s.a„ee,,  wou,.,   per.nit,  ,o,„e  cruisiu.   „a»  <,„„e  as  a  finish  ." 

.ouch  to  „e  work  of  the  sea After  e.a^iniu,  Shauuou   Islan,  2 

v,c,u.ty  tbcy    eparted  for  Ger,na„y.  .here  tbey  arrived  ou  the  ,  tt     of 
e^ber,  alter  au  uueveutfu,  voyage  of  three   weeks.     They  fouud 
I  c,  cotnttryutcu  at  ho„,e  wild  with  e.eiteureut  ou  account  of  recent  vic- 
..    -over  the    Kreucb,b„t    uoue  the  less  „ad  to  welcome  the  sailo 

'«  '-.    »l".wu   perhaps  as  ntueh  dariu,,  in   facin,  the  s.eru  wea.be      ; 
the  north,  .,  .  e  regulars  had  exhibited  before  the  ,„us  of  the  enenty. 

t        "  """,""  ""  -''■'^'■^- '"-'-■>  ^y^-  voyagesof  .he  IlLa 

'' '";'""  ''""'''  '"  >^'">  "-  «"»ving  coudusious :   Uuinterrup.ed 

..,.e..coast  water  alou,  the  coast  of  East  Greenland  had  been  ,.rove.     .J 
.cx,st;  and  ,.  was  shown  .ba.  .he  coast  water  was  <,ependen.  ntereiy 
1    -  I  a,e.nns.ances.     East  Greenland  wa,,  pt-oved  not  to  form  a  snif  . 
'>^.""-«-  ...chin,  the  North    Pole,  even  sett.n,  aside  the  possib 
.     .-clnn,  a  h„her  latitude  by  ship  along   the  coast  i„    n,o..e'favorabl 

;     e         '";  "'"■'■  '"""•  '■•"■'""■"■'-  ■■""  "-  g-'ogy,  .....ural  historv, 
elnnateo    the  country  itself,  and   by  the  investigation  of  the  ,ar.: 
o,   s  and  the,.,  extent  north  and  so.uh,  a  uew  basis  f  n-  promoting  Arl 
.seover,cs  had  been  created,  promising  rich  results,  which  may  even- 
.....ll>  assrst  n,  a  substantia,  way  in  solving  the  Arc.ie   p.oblent. 


II 


CHAPTi:i<  r.\.\. 

HALiAsKCONO  VOV  AOK  -  niscov  KKS  KKMCS  ,>„■  KK  AXKMX  _  ,-,„ 
POLAins-OFKICKUS  SKLKCTKU  KOK  THIK.,  VOYAGE  _  K..IKKmXc' 
AND  T<)„KC,OLnO--A  niFKKKKNCK  O,.  OPIMON-THK  MrGUKST 
..0,NT-,.AST  nouns  PKNNKO  HV  H  ALL  -  -  SLKDGE-JOUH  XKV  To 
rUE  NOKTU  -siCKNKSS  AND  UKATH  OK  UA1.L  _  COMMENTS  ON 
MALI._THK  POLAUXS  IN  UANOKK-VINKTEEN  PEKSONS  I.EKT  ON 
niK    KE  —  A     niUJT    OK    NEAKLV     TEX    DEGKEES. 

Hall  undertook  his  scc.md  voya^a.  to  the  Arctic  regions   in    ,864    s.il 
ing-  from  New  London,  Conn.,  in  a  whaling  ship   con^manded    hy   C '.pt 
Buddnig.on.      1  lis  o.dy  companions  were  Ehierbing  and  his  wife  Tockoo" 
Mo,  tlH.  Esquimaux  who  had  accompanied  hin,  to  America  on  his  return 
tn)n.  h.s  hrsi  expedition.      It  was  his  ambition  to  reach    King    VVilliun's 
Land  and  explore  ,t.     As  soon  as  Hudson's  Bay  was  reached   he  landed 
pnshed  north  as  tar  as  Uecla  and  Fury  Jiay,  after  which    he   entered  thJ 
land  c,|  his  search.     He  remained  four  winters  in  King   VViUlam's   J  uul 
hving  with  the  natives  during  the  entire  time,  principally    near  lU-pulsJ 
Bay.      He  made  himself  familiar  with  their  habits  and   customs,  and   he 
came  proficient  in  their  language.      From  all  that  could  be  learned  from 
the  Esquimaux  he  becan.e  thoroughly  convinced  that  the  greater  portion 
of   Frankhn's  party  had  died  of  starvation    in    that   country,   but  few  <n 
tiiem  succeeding  in  reaching  the  mainland.     Many  relics  of  the    ill-fated 
Franklin  Expedition  were  found  by  hhn  and  brought  to  America,  hut  the 
most  ddigent    and    pe-sistent  search  failed   .0   discover   any  documents 
which  could  siied  any  light  upon  the  mystery,  from  which  it  is  supposed 
that  when  compelled  to  hastily   abandon  the  ships    the   records  we.clcft 
behind  and  lost;  and  Hut  the  ships  wer.  left  in  a  hurry,   is   evideticed  I,v 
the  fact  that  no  stores  or  provisions  h.we  ever  been  found.      It  did,  hou- 
ever,  appear  reasonably   certain  that  Franklin    had    succeeded    in   passia-r 


as  far  westward 


rcall 


THE  POLAIi/S. 

:is  any  point  since  readied,  and    ti 


y  due  the  discovery  of  the  much 


Of  Hall 


souyht  Northwest  P 


641 

';"   l<>   liis  enterprise  is 


s  second  expedition  !.ui  Httle   h; 


iissaire. 


in.^  hy  liiniself.      IK.  had 


i*^   fver    hee 


which  he  intended  to  f 


■inned    hiniselt"  with    ft 


1    written — no 


ui- 


and 


iirnish  the  puhlic  upon  tl 


le 


complete    notes, 
.k.  lu.,.  .,,,.,,  ,     u,c.  ,..u.  ...Vice  ,-„,„„,,  ,,  „,,     ,,,„  „^.,.  ^.,^.^ 

";.""  "^  '"T: '^'---" -■'<■  >..  c.,s.  „r  .cci„L .«., 

•.-.vcc.  .,.„  „.at..,.  ,„.,  „.i.h  a  capaci.,  „f  ,,„.,-  .„,„  „„„  „„.,_  ^,„, 

";;" ^-''.""'V"'" '" ■" "">-  """"*■  -i-T'w...'  whic  „„; 

I  ■.l.o..sh    o,  „.as  p,.,.vi<l.,   ,;.,.  „K.  ™,„r„n,  sa,l.,v,  and  »„cce»  .,r  .,. 

As»„,.„  as  „u.   ,..»„,   ,, ..„     „„;,,„,  ^„,.    „^,^  appropriatolv' 

iv-chn»tciic-ci  iIk-  l'„l,,|.i» The  I'c.li.  Star." 

A.  M,„„  as  .h.  c.xpc,li,i..„   l,,,a,„,  a  sclcd  ,ac,,   Capl.   Hall  a,   „„,, 

,  aiai   ueu.       I  Ik- cxpc-dilK.i,  was  lo  be 

.....I..-  !..»  ..........I....C  c„„.,„a„d.      I  [,s  .i,-lu  yoars'  .sp.ricuv  i„  U,o    Vrc 

I..-   -K.....S,    a    l„„.wl„l,o   „r  „K.    |.;s,„i,„a,..    ,a„,„a,.,  a„d    Uh-  happv 

;"""' '■■' •'""  »"•-■'  ■li-i'i".-  -vith...,,  losi,,,.  p„p„iariiv  a,„„,;. 


Ills  men,  c.^rtainlv 


I  ina.uiR 


lilii.,!     K 


im 


he    positio/u 


r 


ic  saduiij-masler, 


1   i, 


11 


643 


'ty.lnvy  ().  Muddin-r) 


■/7//t    .S////-S    CO. 


MPA.Vr 


'7  """'■""' "■'""'- -.i"iu,  K.,„.  ,„.. ,i,v,.,i,„, ,.; 

Smitl.'s  ,S,„„„I-   |.-,„||    ,..      ,  '"<-ivly.„  o,„„,.l„„„i 


"""""  '■"'^'-  " vu.   l:v    ,l„,   ,,„„„ 


Frederick  Mcvi- 


1,    (iiiel     ciiMiiuaT 
■r,  nieteorolo-rist  •  \i     I)    \\^     i>.. 

i.tin,  the    lvM|iiiin;mx    M)  crl)in..-      his   ,v-if,      -|>      ,       ,■ 
'  "">'     wlm  was  horn  t..  iheni  alWihe    d.a 


'■'"'    "'    "  ''>iillrrHv  ■'    ii;  ihi. 
ir- llu.  ,.,vw  „„„„,,„,,...,,. ,„,  , c  „„,,,,„-„,  „. 


''•      I'i  .ili  rapat'i- 

llDIU      WCVV     Cyy. 


II  Km  EST  J'O/yr 


LMiry  wlicn 

nte;  Will. 

'■•'  K;iiiL-'s 

■  ;.'ii  ()|K'ii 

piinsioii  Ml 


OF  POLAJi/S. 


,•:  posi- 

>')\crii. 

^iiii'iT: 

i'li,i|)- 

rhil.l 

ii;  liiiv 

;ip,k'i- 

(  ,>  1- 

i!,ii.;. 


was  addcl  M  ,l,>^..,I,ivr,,  ihe    H,,,,^   Ch,isti-.n      r  r 

l^is  wife  and  ,h,vc.  children.  •""'""'   "•''•^"■^'  ^^^ 


64a 

th 


O"  Jun.  .9,  „S7:,  „H-  I'ol,.,.. ,  su^uncd  out  of  New  V,  ...    ,      , 
-■-"•  -.1  >i.i..-ns  ..tcMuIcd  ,o  th  \''^""'""-"-'«'.  where  the    ,ov- 

<MVenh.„d,  on  .he  Ms.       T  ■''"'"'   "'   ""'•^tx-inhor^., 

■.*^..l:::,J':L:::::::,;'rr--'"--'--- 


was  i-eaelied,  .hi   m. 
ill  I.'i.itiulc   70      ;o' 


-■^'-•"  I-nnanent  sc    tlcmc.Uonthe.loI,e,i.eh,j, 
When  .hey  we.v  in  ri<,lsteinho.-<r    ,        ,  ^,,^    „     ,..,- 

'"■ - ' '"' ^  »^-i-in.  ..,„„;„,» : :;:::";  ■"■  ""™"" 

A.  »h.„,l.l    I,.  « ,,,;,,„,        ,,,      ',         '"  "'"  ''^-  -''■'^■"""."l    ,l„u   „M 

■■— ..:::::::--,::::::'-■-- ^ 

;;::,r::  ::;:'■"-"■' ""---^' '"<■.■- :.:^r:::"::: 

-"  ^'  -onl  was  hea.-,l  th.„,  .h,  ,,,,,i,ion  I  v  „        ■  ,  ''     '  '    '■^' 

•I-  I'olaris   i.n  Tessuis-d-     h  '   "- av.u.ed  world.    W 

..     „  ,        l^-u,sak.sh.e.-oss.d    the  head  olMdv, lie  JJ.,     • 

^"-•<lu.n       n.nd    Ishuui,  .oino.   „.-on.      Sndth's  Sound       m\' 
v<Tv  little  ohstru.i.-.n   (Von,  . I.  .  ^''■etm.Liwa 

u-    ■       ^^  "  '^''■'  '''^'  P'-'>"-^'«l-l  ..ntil  si.   en.,      d  wh.f 

'::;,  tr:,,''™-:'- —  'v...h.„u.s.„,. ':: 

.he- .inu ....,.,,;  :/''"'':^-'' '''•■■>■  ■■'■-■''•■''''-"■I'i^.i-. 

I  -9     in    li.lls    :    .konni-   and  ,Sv    16'    Iv    M,.,.     ^ 

"'■'■■ "''"■'■•■ ■ '«,■„,.„,„„,,.  o„  \ ■" : 

which  h.Hl   h.Tu    n    'n..,!    I«    i  ■^"-•.'     Hil' channel 

..^  .In-,,,,,,,  ..,;,::;'/:;::■;■"    ;::-"-■  "i-i- -le,,  „„,„,„. 


len 
^ed 
wa  , 
It 


''Jl 


iti.i: 


^|i 


'.'s*- 


014 


/.A.SV    n'(J/,V)S   I'ENiXEI)   liV   HM.f., 


bay  w.is  ('(.tin.!  closi'  \^y  named  K.cfui'o    \\:\x\ 


><)i',  III  whii-li 


t.il 


ki'  wiiilcT  <ni.iiii'r' 


ii>nsiili;ili(.ii,  1m)\vc-\ci.  .k-ci(lf(l 


ill  (Ic'sircd  If) 
:i^;.iiiiNt  this,  and 


soon  allrr   l.ic  ici-  l.rc-anir    inastcT  oC  ihc  sitnalion,  .IriCiin,;;  tlu'  I'ol 


a  Noiitlii  rl\    dirci-lioii  Tor    lour  days.      T 


K'    nai- 


i\  onciK'd    o 


II    Si'|)t. 


;.  o.vcua-.i,K,.k.l,.ll,r   c.aslwanl,  uhidi   .rt    i,,,,.    ,l,o    ( ;,vciilai,d 


HIS  111 
;,  and 


A 


II  luniKMisr    iii'l)cr''-  slu'lk-rcd  it 


slioiv, 


s    iiK.'illi,  ami  licr 


pass  (111-  wiiiUT,     T 


».•  il  was   (led  rinincd  to 


|}; 


H'  I'ove  IS  in  latitiidi'  .So     ^^"^'^  ;,iid 


wa-.  naiiu( 


IV,  wliik'  tlir  I 


oians 


Hii^T  island  of  ici'  was  dcsi'nialcd  I' 


point  IS  al)oiii  two  hnndrt'il 


i'<»\  idciict'hi  rir.     'PI 


lis 


iiiiirs 


llollll 


aiif  s 


fain 


tt-rs,  and  ahonl  tlir 


oils    winliT  (inar- 


Th 


Of  miles  north  ol'  tin'  farilu'si  poim 


ivachcd  li\- 


avcs. 


c    ici'Ikt;^-  was  iisL'd 


as  a  moi.riiiL;  j)lac:L-  for   the    Polar 


IS,   an  ol 


vatorv  was  at   oiuv  (.■stahlishcd. 


)scr. 


scieiititic   work  w 


atclv,  and   Hall  1 


IS  f()inmfiKi'd  iniiiiLdi- 


>ej,'aii     pivparations   for  a   sled 


tion 


,Ui'    loiirnry  in    the  din-iv 


oie,   wliK-li     >vc-iv    soon     completed.      On    Oetol 


Started   wiili    t'oi 


>er     lo    |n' 


n-  sledj^es  and    fonrteen   (lo< 


tlie    mate,    aii<l     tlie    ICscpiimanx,    EbJerl 


accompanied    liy   Chest 


er. 


'Ill''-     and 


ir 


Ills. 


tion    was   planned   to   last    two 


Tl 


H-    expedi- 


On    ll 


111    wliieii    to   return, 
words  i'\er  [)eiined 


relary   of   the    \av\.      It 


weeks,    one-   to   -o    north,  and    the  other 


eveiim-,^   of  the    joth    II 


ill    wrote   the   last 


li\-    liini,   which    w 


ere   a   comnumication    to   the  S 


cc- 


\vas  a  description   of    their   v 


tmu 


.■ttl 


e  oi   settling',    ilowii    in  ih 


oyai^e   up   to  (he 


ho{ 


eir  winter  cpiarters,  and  was  fnl)  of 


"te  and   conlidence    in    t 


words  of 


le  siic'-e 


ss  ol   ih 


isjiatch    was    placed 


e   expedition. 


(-■o[)y   ol    the 


111    a    pillar   at 


l>r('\-oort    C'a; 


am 


1    of    the    1 


)e,   the   noiti 


icrn   head 


'av,    where    th 


(Jclol)er,    1.S71, 


e    I'licampment     was    mad 


c    on    the    j/st    of 


he    original,   whici 


1     was   liist     read    in     W" 


nearh 


I  wo   years   after  ii    wa- 


ishin^-ton 


ntten. 


iiowed   coiiclnsiveh-  that  1 


conhdent  of  siiceess. 
env,  refuted    the  I'lr 


le  was 


and, taken 
ir"-es    that    tl 


III  connection  wi 


tl.  tl 


le  one  written  I 


oini- 


plett. 


T 


le  eqinj^ment  of  the    Pol, 


ii"is  was  nicom- 


ic   e\ 


pedition    advanced    north   ten   d, 


ivs,   makiii 


menis   :md    pro-ressino-   Movent  \-  miles. 


SIX   eni'ainn- 


or   ahoiit    S; 


point    there  was   an    ap| 
prex'ented    anv 


^     S     north. 


vt  thai 


)earanee  of  |,-,nd   still    north   ,,f 


liem,    Iml   a  elond 


oDservatioii    which 


Wit, 


would     deliiiilelv    settle     the     mailer 


1     the 


exteptiofi    o| 


a    .L,'-lacier  on     th 


e   east    side   of    t 


inencin^-  'x  latitude  S„     ,^„ '  north,  the  monntains  on  all  sid 


lie   strait,   coin 
es  of  Keiiiie(l\ 


'>/(A'X/:SS  OF  IIM.I., 


Ol.'i 


-- ^.v. , ,:.::::";,•:;;:  ";'"^"'r' 


IHKl.M.    iij,    liAl.l.. 


PP".m„u-„i,  ,„  .,„   ,h,  ulxht  of  Nov,  S   Ik.  I™I  a 


tiLbli  attack,  and  \vas  (omu.!  i-i  h.v  -..,1,;,,  h.-  T 

"     ^'"""  ''>   -^ysuii,  m^ensiMc,  and  breath- 


was   doomed    •()   disa 


04(5 


COMMENTS   ON  HALL. 


\  f^M 


uM 


in-  hc;>vily.  That  iiio-lu  he  (iictl,  and  three  days  Liter  he  was  hiid  in  a 
shallow  <,n-ave  in  the  frozen  jrrouiul.  The  doctor  pronounced  the  cause 
of  death  to  be  apoplexy,  hut  Hall  believed  that  poison  iiad  lieen  placed 
in  the  cup  of  colTee  which  he  drank,  and  in  the  delirium  which  preceded 
his  death  he  imanfined  that  every  person  who  went  near  him  was  .eu- 
deavorins  to  kill  him.  In  rej^ard  to  the  matter,  the  commission  reported 
without  a  dissentin-  voice  that  "the  death  of  Capt.  Hall  resulted  natu- 
rally from  disease,  without  fault  on  the  part  of  any  one." 

Physically,  Hall  was  an  exceptional   man.      His  tenacity   of  life   and 
powers  of  endurance    were  far  above   those  of  ordinary    men.      Aljove 
medium   hei,<,^ht,  he  was  powerfully  built,  with    broad   chest,   muscular 
limits  and  a  lar<,^e  head.      He  was  remarkable  for   his  temperate   habits, 
and  after  his  return  from  his  second  expeilition,  after  passin<^  throu.^-h  the 
ordeal  of  an    Vrctic  winter,  a   more   robust    man    could   not   have   been 
f>und.      In  the  event  of  Hall's  death  the  command  was  to  fall  upon  IJud- 
din^lon.      The  winter  wa-^  passed    in   the   usual    manner  in   that    rei,non, 
but  no  trouble  was  expc'ionced  from   cold  or  want   of  food.      The   scieii- 
tilic  observations  were  made  const mtly,  and   whenever  it  was   possible  lo 
do  so,  the  coast  was  surycyed.    Whenever  the  opporcunity  was  faxorable, 
the  Esquimaux  hunted  with  success,  and  in  this   manner  an  abundanci'  of 
skins   was   procured.      The    storerooms   were   also   well    filled    with   the 
skeletons  of  animals  and  birds,  c;j^;^^s,  and  many  other  curiosities  of  natural 
history.      Nets  and  lines  were   set,   l)ut    no  fish    could    be    cau<rlit.      Con- 
siderable driftwood  was  picked  up,  which    had   evidently    found   its   way 
there  from  a  warmer  climate. 

A  fierce  i^alc  from  the  northeast,  about  two  weeks  after  tlie  death  of 
Hall,  drove  the  Polaris  from  her  moorin,t,'s,  and  she  (lra,i,',t,'ed  her  anchors 
until  she  landed  a-ainst  the  iceberi;-  at  the  mouth  of  the  cove,  where  she 
was  secured,  and  remained  there  until  June  follovvrin<,^  Later  slie  was 
driven  further  on  the  berjr  by  pack  ice,  where  her  prow  lemained  fast, 
while  the  stern  moved  up  and  down,  as  influenced  by  the  tides.  This 
position  strained  the  Ktern-piece  and  started  a  portion  of  the  plankiii-,  so 
that  when  she  once  more  settled  in  her  native  element  it  was  found  that 
she  leaked   considerably.     However,  when  ( mptied  once   l)y   the    sicain 


|l 


IS  lai'i  in  a 
I  tin?  causf 
jcii  placed 
1  preceded 
m  was  ,en- 
1  reported 
I  ted    natu- 

f"  life    and 
.      AI)ove 
inusciilar 
te    haltits, 
nn\<y;h  the 
:ave    heeii 
po/i  IJud- 
i    re<jfion, 
'lie    scien- 
lossihlr  lo 
avorahle, 
idanci'  ol' 
with   the 
>t'  natural 
It.      Con- 
its   way 

death  ol' 
■  anchors 
diere  she 
she  was 
ined  last, 

!S.        This 

iking-,  so 
md  that 
le    sicain 


1    /JO  AT  EXP  ED  in  ON. 

pnmps  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  keep  the    hold   clear   \ 
minutes  each  houi-. 


047 


y  workiiijT   ,.,  fc 


w 


boat 


ORAVb,  OK    11  ALL. 


^s^-^-  circumstances  this 
seemed  the  wisei-  course, 
althouL;li  it  is  not  believed 
that  had  Hall  been  living 
he  would  haw  consented 
to  it. 

The  ice  left  the  I'olaris  free  early  in  An.^^ust,  and  she  steamed  slowly 
>Io^vn  the  western  shore.  At  the  close  of  the  first  day  she  was  f  .stoicd 
ill  the  ices  and  was  in  a  very  ,lan-erous  jwsition.  In  latitude  So^  3'  she 
u-as  made  f,st  to  a  Hoe  on  the  i6th,  which  drifted  her  hither  and  thither 
iu  Smith\  So.md  for  two  months,  durin-  which  time  not  more  than 
twelve  miles  were  ,^^ained  to  the  south,  bringin-  her  in  the  neighborhood 
-I  Northumberland  Islan.l,  in  latitude  79'  -^^,' .  Apprehending  dan.^'r, 
provisi.^ns  were  carrie.l  on  ,ieck,  a  canvas  shelter  was  erected  on  thelce^ 
:md  everv  prepa.ation  made  for  a  speedy  abandonment  of  the  vessel 
should  it  heconie  necessarv. 


048 


OAT    THE   ICE. 


A  very  severe  gale  set  i.,  tn„n  I  iie  south  .,n  Oct.  i  S-    The  Ice  pressed 
-  uncle,  the  ship,  and  she  .as  actually  lifted  out  of  the  vvate.-  and  thrown 
on  her  hea,n  ends  on   the  ice.      Provisions  an.l  stores  were  thrown    over 
and  under  orders  about  half  the  crew  proceeds  to  carrv  them  to  a  more  sc' 
-n-e  place.      The    boats   had    been    lowered,   and   in    the   middle  of  the 
n.Sht,  ni  the  midst  of  a  terrific  storm,  the  Polaris  broke  loose  and  imnu. 
cl-ately   disappeared,  leavin,^   on  the   ice   the  nn.eteen  persons   who   h-.d 
gone  there  to  save  the  provisions,  at  which  they  labored  all  ni^^ht     In  the 
mornm,.  they  attempted  to  reach  the  shore,  l,ut  failed.      The  Polaris  was 
seen  durin.  the  .lay  under  sail  and  steam,  but  soon  changed  her  course 
and  d.sappeared.     Another  glimpse  of  her  was  caught  a  'i..,^  hours  late.' 
but  she  agam  disappeared,  an.l  they  very  naturallv  believed  that  thev  had 
been  purposely  abandoned. 

Tho  ha„lsl,ips  o,„l,„x,l  .,y  ,!„,,  who  wore  I„f,  „p„„  ,ho  i,e  „r.  he 
yond  .fescnplion.     P„.  „„,  „„,„„„,  ,„,  ,.,,^,^^^^  ^,^^^,^  ^^^ 
me,,,  w„m..„,  „„,,  oWldren  <lrifto,l  „„  fl,«i„„  ;,,  „„.„„„,  „„  ^„;,  „,,. 
er,  at  ,  k-  ,„„rcy  .„•  wi„,l  a,„l  vva.o,-.      Th.  ,,.,..  „„„„  ,,i,ich  they    f,.„,„„ 
he,„«  .vs  o,,  Icavin,,    the  »hip  wa.  ,„„„   ^hattoted,  a,.l  the  panv  ,■„„„,, 
.he„*.  vos  d,».rib„.cd  o„  ditrcvnt  „i„cc,  „f  i«.     Thov  had  t„.„  hoat, 
w,.h  .h.ch  they  H„„„,   ,„,_,ed  i„   ,atho,.i„,  a„    „„„,    .he   p,,,,.,,;,;' 
floe,  where  they  remained  ,„ote  dead  than  ahve,  all    „i,,h,.     Sevetal    , 
tempt,  were  ,„ade  to  reach  the  shore.     The  do.,,  an.l  ^d-.e,  werj   p,,,' 
■n  readiness,  a«f  each  attempt  to  escape  prove.1  a  di,,„al  faih.re.     XVI.c, 
..  wa,  ,ee„  that   there   „a,    „o   prospect   of  rcachi,,.  the  ,l,„rc   ,„o„-. 
house,  were  bad,,  and    everything  p„,,ible    was  .lone  ,o  ntalte    the  u„K. 
pa,s  comfortably  a„.l  pleasantly.   Land  was  sec,  for  se>-e,,,l  ,lav,.  In,.  „  ,l.e 

weather  was  nnfavaa-able  for  ,al<in,  observation,,  it  conl.l  „;„  he  r'ec 

...zed      Sometimes  they  >ve,.e  in  a  eonditi, ..,,,„,.  .„,  ^  ^ 

saw  death  stann,  then,  in  the   face.     Cannibalism    wa,  thon.ht  o,;  hat 
each  time  food  ,vas  famished  in  ti,ne  to  save  them 

Meyer  snceeeded    in  taking  an  „l,se,  vation  on    .New  Vear',  Eve.  a„,l 
fonnd  they  were  in  latitndc  r-"  .o',  lon„it„de  r,o=  ,„■ ,  showin.  ,l,a,  ia 

mne  weeks  they  had  drifted   sonthwa.d  abon,  „„.  hnnd.vd  and'  ,w 

five   m,les.       This    was  cheering   new.s,  thou.d,    ,l,e  ther.norae.er  „ood 


-'    PERILOUS   /'(JS/T/o.Y. 


fi4)) 


39"  below    zero.       This  wis   .-..■l..   •      i 

' ■'-"'  --'■••"  *>.•..-■  ■ o,.v  CO ,  ::J  ";  '™'7  "■";■  - 

■nonth  found    ,he,„    nearly  out  of -provision-  T  "'    "" 

.■.•.....l«i  .he  floe,  and  i.  „.-,«  .„„„  eraekiT  V„       """^'    ""^''^  ''"■ 

i"  piece,  ....  .,.e  pare,  .nC.  ,o  Ure  ,..r.  ^      ,„cc       'o  "if  ^'^  "'•°^°" 
March  ....  .,,,>erv.,eion  showe.l    ,„c,..  ,„  CL   1,  "  ,  '   ''^'  ''''  "' 

■Inrin,  the   ,...  fi„,  .,„„,„„-,..,.,   drift:     .",    f'  /' """    '"" 
.nilc,  per  d:,y.     A.  „.«  .i,,,..  u.eir  piece  o    ic    |  '  "'  '"■™'>-*- 

^.-.',e,„erei„e,..r.™e,.,„o„.er:         ::::'■"-'--"=■■. 


Kv^l 


.i 


if;,. 


CHAPTER    LXXr. 

AnvKXTUKKs    OK  Tvsox  .x„    ,...,,■    «.  -nrK    rcK-MKVKH   s.-,..,.,. 

AWAV_AX  A.OXV  OK  SUSPK  XSK  -  TM  K  INKVITAn,.:  ,.u, 
AOAm-A  SHW.T  OK  TMH  STAKS  -  UKSCUKI,  AT  LAST  -  K  V.K.M  ' 
ENCKS  OK  TMK  .CVKIS  CKKW-THK  SIU.  A.AXnoXKH-OX  Tn,, 
OCEAN    IN     HOATS-.MCKKD    Vl'-AUlUVV:    AT    nUNDEK. 

The  ,nonth  of  April  ca.ne  in  wiLh  .  tcnHc  stonn,  an,l  it  he.une  .vi 
dent  to  our  aavcUure.-s  tl..  .hey  n.ust  leave  ,he  ice  and    tai<e    .elu-v  in 
the   boat.       They^ot   u.uie,-   way  early  in.  the  n,o,-„i„.,  hut  nnnuHh.,. 
cra.t  leaku..  badly,  and  loa.le.l  ,00  deep  to  carry  then,.    Meat  and  elo-us 
wore  thrown  ..verhoard,  and  nothing  was  carried  ]n.t  a   ,ent,  a    tVw  ski,. 
to.-  covering,  and  a  little  bread  and  pen.nican.      Ahou.  lifteen  n.iles  wcv 
.na<le  n,  a  southerly  direction,  when  a   landing  was    uKule    to  lighten  ih, 
l-U.      The  tent  was  pitched,  and  the  partv  remained  all  night,^dthou..h 
the  .ce  was  cracking  and  breaking   up    all    around    then,.       The  v,n-.^v 
wasrcsun,ed    again    in   the   ■norning,  1,ut  had  only  proceeded  ab.nuu;;, 
hours  before  they  encountered  a  gale.       They  had   a   number  ..f  narn.v 
escapes   before   a    piece  of  ice  large  enough  to  land  upon  could  be  lb„n,l. 
^'l-n   landing,  the   boat   was   rapidly   making  water,  and  when   clearol' 
a  great  hole  Nvas  fbund  in  her  side.      Repairs  were  ,na.le  as  soon  as  possi' 
hlc',  and  they  took  to  the  water,  only  to  ,ind  themselves  again  surnnnuiol 

by  .ce  n,  such  a  manner  that  they  were    con^pelled   to   seek    reiu<a , 

Hoe.  (iale  succeeded  gale,  and  as  the  ice  continued  to  break  thev  were 
constantly  removing  their  things  to  a  new  center.  On  the  night  "of  ,1,. 
7th  ,t  broke  again,  carrying  with  it  the  boat,  the  kav  ak,  an.l  Mr  M.vcr 
For  a  thne  it  seeme.l  as  though  all  were  lost.  The  ice  kept  closin".  i,," 
on  them  and  they  were  withou-  hope  of  saving  the  boa.s  ,.r  their  unlor- 
tunale  companion.  When  daylight  arrivc.d  an  attempt  was  made  .„  ... 
rue  them,  all  the  party,  except  two,  ventm-ing  awav  on  the  ice.    Ali  ulu. 


AN  AGON2'  OF  SUSPENSE. 


fi51 

.»l<™    l«.c..,  ,■„..!    Meyc,.  „a.    save,,.       T„„    ....ak    .as    U,c,!  secured 

'"  ■■';"""^";    '"^'■'."-■-      ^'-  '-'  --    '^.1-"    .>,.„ ,    erece.,    again 

-    .!-■  -•n.o,.    ,..    whae    had    .„e„    K-.o.ne    a  ,„„a,|    „ieee   ee    : 

a  MK.«-   l,„t   wa,  constructed   at   its  side       ,\„,,;„   ,|.  ■     ,  ' 

l,,,,„.;„„    .,        ,  ,  ■     *^"-""  "'^  wind  coniinuiiced 

,     '"    ■'    -'""•  ""*'    !>'M.arati„ns    were    .nade    ,„    take    to    the     hoat 

I  I...V    >vere    Mteral,,    washed    oat    of    the    teat    and    snow    h,„        ThJ 

"■'•;""'    ■""'    ^■"''''■■"'    '--     I*«»l     -    .he    l„at    without   a    drv    -.ot 
»■■■'    -;"-.'  «.  "".d.  as  a  piece   o,'   fresh   water  iee   to  eat.       n^.  ^.^^^ 

". rV: "'- "-    —    ,.. Che eentore/        : 

SIX  moiitlis  ot   the  vovi<n<  oi,  tli,>  ; ,  , 

\o>a.,rc  on  tlie  ,cc  wen-  cmplctul  April  ,-6.  ■    At  tint 

tnnc  they  were  slill  without  utiy  prospeet  ,.f  a  rescue     uul  s.-.w  T  ' 

.     .       .,         .      ,  .11  iLsLue,  ana  siai  wition  was 

slana-  llieni  mi  tile  face.     Seals  weiv  in  ,;.,!,.     ii  ,    , 

,  ''""""'^  "'  -':^i>l^.l^""u,id  them,  Init  none 

'    ''".  '■"';'"■      '"">'  ^'  '"-'^-'  1-—  were  left,  and  cam, sn, 

u..  slanii.  then  ,„  the  face.       ,„i  .lie   ,Sth  a  small  hole  was  .liscovered 
'"  II-  .-V   »..n.e   distance   ofl;  from   which  a   seal    lar.e    c„o„,h  for  three 

.  ..vs    |,rov,s,„ns  was  scvared,  : ,dcd  e,ually  anion,-  the  parlv.     On 

I-  ^...1.  .  sea  struck  the  ice,  an.l  carried  away  cverytliiu,  whieh  w^  loose 
|N>""  ■'•        I  It-  «...    rcpeatcl    every  fifteen    n,inuu.s,and  it  kep,  all  hiisv 
ool-u...  tor  a  place  wdiich  would  euahlc  Ihcni    to  successfully  withstand 
the  next  siiock. 

■riK-  a^ony  of  suspense  continuetl  ten  .lays   lonc^er,  ami    in   that  hrief 
space,  u-ere  crowded  n.anv  perilous  a.lventures,  which  were  a  severe    f.x 
on   .he   entlurance  of  the   su.lbrers.     An   observation    showe.l   that  they 
were  ,n  latitude  ~,:,^^  57',  a  .iistauce  of  ^Sy^  utiles  in  a  straight  line  south 
•'-  the  point  where  they  started.   Each  day  passed,  as  did  i^s  predecessor, 
tin.  sullerers  hein^  all  wet  and  hungry.    Sonietimcs  thev  ean.e  within  si^ht 
ol  lau<l,  hut  were  ahv.vs  driven  off  a^ain.      Meyer  secured  to  fare  wit 
'"all,  and  his  cha,.ce<„a- surviving    more  than  a   tew  days   longer  were 
c...>sulered   slender,  although  all  were  in  a  <Ieplorable  condition,;„d   had 
suderetl  uulescrihahle  tortures.     Skins  that  had  been  tanuetl  and  saved  Ibr 
Hotb,n,.weredevoured  -  a  dainty  n.or.el,  but  even  this  diu  not  last  Ion-. 
^'Hi   on  Aprd  .r>  they    found   themselves  without  a   morsel  of  foo,|.      i.7n 
that  day  a  hear  was  discovered  on  the    ice,  movin-   toward   then.      The 


I 


053 


THE  STARS   /.V   SIGHT. 


Iliiiti 


''   >    '3 


'  ■ifi.'jf.f'l 


Mr.         .-"» 


ft  '■" 


E.s<iui,naux,    Joe    and     Ha.,s,    took    their    o„„s,   and     at  once    went    to 
meet   it,  the    result   hein-    tiint   the  l)ear,  which   came   after  a    meal.  w,s 
soon  the  substance  of  one.      That  ni-ht  another  -ale  sprun^^   up,  accom- 
panied by  heavy  rain  an.l  snow  squalls.      By  mornin-  the  ice  upon  which 
they  had   taken   refu-e   ha.l  so   wasted   asvay   that   it   i,ecame   evident  it 
would  not  outride  the  .^ale,  and  they  were  compelled  to  take  the  despcr- 
ate  chance  of  a    storny  ocean,  in    a    li.^Hu   boat,    insecurely  patched,  and 
overloaded.      The  dan-er  was  great,  but  the  boat  survived   the  storm,  its 
occupants  being  thoroughly  .ircnched,  without   any  chance  to  drs   them- 
selves, having  seen  neither  sur.,  moon,  nor  stars,  for  a  week.      Tiiey  soon 
struck  a  sealing  ground,  wiiere  they  found  more  seals  than  ihev  had  ever 
seen   before,  but  for  some  time   were  unable  to  secure  any.      Thev  were, 
however,  at   last  successful,  an.l    had  seal    foo<l    i„  abundmice.       Tlie    ice 
soon  became  very  thick  around   them.      They  again  srarte.l    in  the   hoat 
but  were  soon  compelled  to   lan.l    on  the  ice   again,  where   thev   repairecl 
the  boat,  and   drie.I    their    clothing   to    some    extent.       On   the   .,8th   „f 
April  the  inevitable  gale  commenced  again,  and  all   night  thev  stood   hy 
the  boat,  la.mching  her  in  the  morning,  but  were  compelle.l  to  haul    he'r 
upon  the  ice,  where  icebergs  threatened  her  destruction,  but  which  ihey 
fortunately  escaped   by   taking  to  a  floe.      The   ice   In-came    slacker,  and 
during  that  afternoon  they  caught  sight  of  a  stea.ner  ahead  of  them  and 
a  little  to  the    north.      They  hoiste.l    tlieir  colors,  and    endeavored    incut 
her  off,  but  she  disappears  1  without  seeing   them.      Wearied  with   lianl- 
ship  and  disappointment,  they  lande.l   for  the    night  on  a   small    piece  ,.f 
ice. 

For  the  first  time  in  mariy  nights  they  beheld  the  stars,  and  the  new 
.noon  also  ,nade  iier  appearance.  A  fuv  was  kept  up  all  nigh,  in  ihc 
hope  that  they  would  be  seen  by  the  steamer;  though  In  this  thev  Nvcrc 
disappointed.  In  the  morning  they  started  early,  an.l  at  .layligh,  a-ain 
sighted  the  steamer  about  live  miles  off.  The  b.>at  was  lauudied,  ,n,l 
for  an  hour  they  gained  on  her,  but  in  another  h,.ur  they  hecainc 
fastened  in  the  ice,  and  could  procee.l  no  further.  Lan.ling  <.u  a  piece  nf  ice 
they  hoisted  their  colors  up.m  the  most  elevate.l  p.,i,n  tliey  could  lind.  ami 
then  fired  three  rounds  fro.n  their  rifles  an.l  pistols,  which  were  answercl 


THE    TIGRESS. 


met!  went,  to 
■  a  meal,  was 
'A  up,  aeeoin- 
e  upon  which 
ne  evident,  it 
e'  the  (lesper- 
patched,  and 
the  storm,  its 
t')  (h-y  thein- 
i  hey  soon 
ley  liad  ever 

Fhey  wei'e, 
-'.       The    ice 

ill  the    hoal, 

hey   repaired 

the    .-!Sth   of 

icy  stood   |)v 

to  liaul    her 

wliieh  ihev 
shici<er,  and 
>t'  tlieni  and 
.^ored    1(1  cut 

with    liard- 
:;dl    piece  of 

nid  tlu'  new 
niglit  in  ihu 
s  tliey  were 
■li,L,di'  a;.;-ain 
uiiched,  111(1 
ey  hecaine 
piece  ( if  ice 
lid  lind,  and 
e  answered 


hy  three  shots  from  the  st 


earner,      Sh 


e  was  a'raiii 


.mil  while  lookiii.,-  f,„-  |, 


seen  tile  s; 


line  evemu" 


<K 


er,  anotluM-   steamer    1 


o' 


K've   m  sijrlu,  ,,n    the    othei 


IK'    niornino-    ..C  ^Vednesdav,    April 


when   ihc'  fo^^   1 


?">  was    tliK 


and    lb<r..v     l,i,(_ 


irol^c>  a  LflorK 


A  st 


"'■^    siirjit  met  the  eves 


earner  was  seen  close   to  tl 


"I"  the  drift 


leni,  ami  as    soon  as  thev 


"11--  p;irtv. 


were    (hseo\ere( 


i5f 


no 


IIDl 


llol 


wi 


ilili 


llsfic 


.K'COl 


mcd 


'■•it)ii 


Ills 


TlfE   noLANis   AliANDONED. 


New  York 


n  tl 


'"   '"-int;-  llu'  p,u-|y  f..    Wash 


)<>•> 


10  inoiuh  of    [i„n; 
Tims  closes  what  is  nml 


iniftoii,  where  t 


ley  arrived  larlv 


lory  of  navi-ration.      [t 
were    women,    and 


prohahly  the  most 


"  'n.irvelous  that  iiiiieteei 


i-emarkahic  \ova<-- 


e  111  th 


•  '  his- 


lue 


ehildreii,    mw 


1  persons,  tw 


-lioiild  have  drifted 
iiiiu'ty-live    days    ti 


>f  th 


almost    two   th 


em    oiilv   tw 


oiisaiid    miles 


"  o|     who,,^ 


"■"ii,!^li    an     A 


'ili\e,  and  in  ^.■,)(„|  health.     T 
was  strikino-.     m„  one   had 
ll"'    men,  ,L,'athered   as   th 


relic    winter 


,  lor   one    hnnd 
extraordinarx 


\\'^\ 


and 


he  harmony  wh 


•-e\iril  V, 


leh  existed 


••  ''Vord  of  Maine  ( 


•■"'loii;-;'  the  nai 


or    any  of  his  f 


•ly 


ev    Were 


edow 


tlion.Lrht    llrst   of 


li"om    nearlv 


^,  and 


-■hil 


wliat    conld    he   done    f, 


an    nali 


dren 


II-   tile    F 


""'•lilies,  alwav; 


''Capt.   Tyson    had 
much  of  a  lead.      I 


111  his  testimony  hefore  th 


'^<l"'''iaii\    \vom 


le  commissioiie 


eommand  on  th 


'■s,  one  of  I 


t-    lee;  hnt    1 


en    and 


le'  men  said; 


'-■vervlhin; 


le  never   seemed 


'-eeim'd  1( 


to    1 


ike 


"ol  a    ,'Jrreat  deal    of 


;■')   on    ver\- 


not 


eommandin^-;  it    w.. 


we  I 


Th 


icre    way 


no  as  h 


e  directed,  il  turned  out 


'^   not    wanted.     Wl 


A't  lis  now  return  to  th, 


wrono-. 


.lai 


olans 


after  the  siidd 


il  [lortion  of  th 


oii'^-  time  she  had 


on  separation  on  tl 


e  exjjedition  rcnr 


le  15th  of  Oct 


len  we  did 


"  "n,tr  oi,  tii^. 


no 


1  float 


nianv  da\-s 


■hich 


I'een  leakin-  so  hadlv    tl 
1   and  il  was    resoh-ed    t 


'>l>er,  1873.      !• 


or  a 


lat    it   was    evident 


'>    ahandon    h 


^'le   could 


lor,      Evervthi 


cr 


winch  conid  nossihlv  lu.  of  ,,    .•  ■  ""      '"^'-''yt'iiiif,^ 

'>    "^  ot    UM-  m  a  sojourn  in  that  wihierncss    .f  i,-,.       \ 
Miow,  was  taken  oni       Tli,.  1  ,  '■"kss   (,i   ice  and 

"^ni  0111.       1  lie  hawsers  whu-h  hel. I    tl, 

""■■ ■-"'.  -i  .^v.  a,.i,K.,i  ,..„,  i„  ,  ''  "'^-  *'"'"■■■ '"  "-  i- 

' --.I  uv,..  ,■„  ,,.,„  „„„;„..  ■;"'":;  "-;-■■  •'''-■ "-  ,„■ 

;'"' -".."- ^^.».i.-.~:   ;■■:^;;r";7"■■■ 
:^: ~ ■"->■•. .-v....  .M;::t'i;:;:,::r '' ■ 

:::::::::■■::!,  ■''V'''''--^-- "■•----:": 

'i-l-v-^-  taken  on.     nid  all  the  .  I      r  ^le  tnnhers  hetween 

.lns,,,a,erial..lm,;f'^^      '""•''  ''^'''-'''"^  ■---'•     '™i 
'  "•"    '"""    "'•'    '•-'-'  "V-   with   sails.      A    partv   of 


lifi- 


Mil 


f 


C*)(J 


\w  I M 


'H/Ll)L\i.    IU)Ars, 


L»,..,n,„uv  ,n„.le  .u.ir  appearance,  a,„,  r,.r  s,„ne  su-ip,,  „f  ;,,,„   „„,„„  ,„ 
■    "..  i..e„  ...„.c.,„e,,„,eees„„l  i.,  .hci,- „„„«,,,  expe,li,i„„,  .„ev 

.;-.  >^l.i...  wa,  ,.„u„-acu,..eU  wann,  .„„„„;„„„,.„„„  e,„       J  '",  L,: 
.     I.....  .v,„.e,.  ,„ev  „,„-e,.e,,  ,,•„,,,      The  .,ow  which  fell  ,,a,  Ue,l  „     uC 

'""  '  '"■*""'  ''»  -«  '■■■■""  "-  -K.,  while  .he   I-olari.  r„r    e 

'  '""  "'■""^■""'  '"-'  ■'""■'^'  '•"■■  "  '-0.  "«  .he,  knew  th„v  wo„U,  J^ 


I'll 

■■:i|1 


PKKiLors  ^>^^l; 


ATIw:.    (>!.      Illi-:    i'i;r.AIU:v. 


!>-■  exhausioi,  a.ui  L.-canu.  tVarf.,!  of  .h,,',-   f,,.       Tl,        1 

le-isf    I  v,>-,r  „  .•    ,  "'L'V   i<iiow   (hat   tor  ;it 

u..:.:,^::::n:::xt::':!;:;:;::r:;"''''-'--'''-^-^^ 

l"'""'l--"l  l.v  caeh       Theivi       ,  "•"«  H'-  Sa-at  ,|„esli„„    ,„-„. 

P-..pe.e.e.,na,a,ala..a„.„e;,,..aea.;;:       „a         .:;L:;: 


Helped  to 
•is  to  the 
ions  thoy 
!irty,  ;ni(l 

I^urini,' 
wi  tip  tin. 

"ormt'd  a 

needed. 

"Id  soon 


ARRIVE  AT  nuyOFE 

•Scurvy,  th.a  dre...         disease  „r  ,]„.    V,-,,;,  ,      • 
^".ce,  but  foil.    vin.   'W-  u-  ,.,  „,-  ^,^      ,  ''^"""^'  '"•■"'^'  ''^  •■•Pl-ar- 

Ihe  use  of  salt  foo.l  "'^  "  ,     ''"   '  ''"'   '^''"'  ^''^"  '"^•"  ahunuone.l 

eradicated.  '"    ^"'''"^''^-'-"1   -«'-  the  nudady  u-as 

V  fortiinatc  thin-   („,■  ,1,,.   n.,,.^  ,,.„    ,, 

I»'MS-..I  coinracnccl  thdr  vv,-.   I„  ,  -'""''   "-• 

wieh  11,0  0,1,1,,  fcarf„lly  against  ih.^i,-  \  "'    """"I""""""'   home, 

way  tlic   Tisrcss  anil    I      ;„„  ,.  "  ""^  ""T  were  „„  tl^ir 

wee  l,anle,l   up  „„  „„,    ;,,,   „.,  '-  ■""'   '^^•"^1'  "'»ht  the   boats' 

™Joyc„.     Theh-    .,.ve  „,.:  :     ^"""-  "■"■"■  ■"-'  «"■  "-  .l»y  was 

l-"P.«ml  theh-A,cl„a,  ..il'whi?'  „  """"T"""  ""  "'"  '^'l"'"-" 
.<-  «.-e-p.ace  a  ...nanc  „,  i:.!:  TZ:''^  ""'''  """  "  "'""'  ^'"" 
'^^■•''■'"  ..ay»  a.  i,al.,uy,  I,„n„,  a  ,  «, Hn,:  irT'"™  "'"'^■"'  '^^■™ 
were  at    that  thne   hatchin..  their  '  ""■■  •'"''*•  "^ch 

^■-■'--...■-ni.ij::,r;:/,:;;- 

means  of  carrying  it  awav  "  P^^vcisot  consumption  and  the 

i-.wo  -lay,  before  thTi        :;,';;•";    ^'^^  ""'"  ■'"'>'  .o ^ 

«i«h.o„  a  ve.e,,  .hich  soo^    1    e     ...v       ,         '  "l  '""'"  "''  '"-"'  '"^T 

-■--."  ™.o,  an,,  „,.,;,,,  ,,:i':~^^ 

7'; '■"-     '^—ai .    transferre,,    „  J    ,,,       ""''"""■' ''" 

''-■»--"-u:..X;;:;ir'TL;:  :;;,;;■"  ^'^^™ — ^ 

"■  '-""-'""'  -I  "-  «.tcty  „r  „,e  ere„  ,„■  T^  T'"  "  ""''  '^'"'"l''"' 
"•"-".S  morning  in  ,he  An,eriea„  paper.  ""  "'"  '■'"'""""^"^  *e 

Tll.ls  eiulod  one  of  the  „„„t   w,„„ler(„l'  , 

">--y.nen,.o„,ena„„ehiu..n:;;:;:i::jr™^=°-"-  "■""' 


lie  e> 


•"^i 


Jedition,  only  one 


Ai 


^ 


«r.'^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


A 


% 

%^i^.. 


S^      ^     //..    "W^ 


/ 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


IIM    112.5 


1^  IIM 


2.2 


12.0 


U.  11 1.6 


rliuiugiapinL. 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


^^ 


iV 


iV 


\\ 


s«5r1;"'"       =«!^U^ 


658 


REGRETS   FOR   THE  DEATH  OF  HALL. 


death,  that  ofCapt.  Hall,  occurred,  a  most  marvelous  preservation  of  life 
amid  the  greatest  danger  to  which  mariners  were  ever  subjected.  The 
unfortunate  decease  of  Hall  in  the  infancy  of  the  enterprise  prevented  the 
accomplishment  of  such  results  as  were  desired  and  expected.  Witn  tlu' 
commander  died  thc^  hope  and  heart  of  the  expedition,  and  no  further 
attjmpt  at  discovery  or  original  exploration  was  made.  The  lo.^s  of  so 
brave  and  skillful  a  navigator  may  well  be  an  occasion  for  the  deepest 
sorrow  and  regret  amongst  ail  who  reverence  and  admire  American 
prowess  and  heroism. 


.*>    .  ^' 


,-:-  ^^'^^'x' 


CHAPTER   L.Wlr. 

niE     ICK_,JKEAT     DISCOVERIES  _  KAI  I     OF     ^     .,  ,-r. 
-SAVKD    „V    A    UUSSIAN-    WIIAI.K,,. 

Th,.  fi,il,„.e  Of  ,l,c  secoml  Gcr„„„   E^ikxUUo.  „f  K„Uewov  .Uroc.o.l 

tc.  tl,c  ra,„x.  „p„„  ,eas  of  Nova  Zembla.       Altl,„„..h  for  ,n 

.hc.ov.e„„„o,uof  A„.,,„   ,„,   „.,„  ,„,„,„,„  f,„,„    .„„„,„;'         .^ 
1'^  ■'   ".  ■>«  ..-cat  ,eo<,,.ap,«„,  prohle,..  of  t,.    „■,„,„   „„:  .„,^:    '  , 
M^"-  -oa.-clK,  ,n.cU,a„,.  <,eve,op„,    i„.o  „  ,„.„,„,„„,,„  ,„       ^.^ 
I..  "po„  .he  poaccf,.,  <,..,.  of  „e„  .|U,„,„,o,  i„  ,„.  f,.„.e„  „o  A 

..■ge.hea,..ec,  noble.a..  contributed  ,o.coo  florins  ,o  .,eb  a„        ,       ,,,^ 
*-  ■»*  ""Iv  co„«n„in.  but  endowing  .„e   .e»o,u,iou.       I„  „  J' 

^'--..btbe,t.„or.j:;,,::;;:;::;:— -"-■^• 

Ho  h  o,  the  offiee,.  i„  whose  charge  ,he  e„.e,™ise  wa,  „ive„   we,e 
-"  of  sterimg  qualities  a„c!    undoubted  abib'tv.    '  Weyprech    1™, 
...ven  tbe  eo„.n„nd  of  one  of  tbe  Ge,.,.a„  c.p^li.ion,     ,fi  ';',:" 


coo 


A    PIONEER  EXPEDITION. 


also  been  previously  employed  in  the  survey  of  the  peaks  and  glaciers  of 
the  Alps,  lie  was  the  better  prepared  to  enter  upon  a  life  of  active  ser- 
vice  in  the  snows  and  hummocks  of  Nova  Zembla.  He  shines  as  the 
historian  of  llie  expedition,  his  descriptions  of  Arctic  scenes  and  experi- 
ences bein-  excelled  only  by  those  of  Kane  in  vivid  and  ^naphic  character. 

The  pioneer  expedition  was  to  sail  in  June,  1871,  and  return  in  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year.  It  dul  not  aim  to  reacii  hi-h  latitudes,  nor  to 
make  -rcat  discoveries.  The  attention  of  the  commanders  was  directed 
to  the  temperature  of  the  air  and  water,  to  the  position  and  condition  of 
the  ice,  and  to  all  observable  phenomena,  as  connected  with  the  probable 
success  of  tile  expedition  proposed  for  the  next  year.  In  order  to  reduce 
expenses,  so  tar  as  possible,  a  light  sailing  vessel,  the  Isbjorn,  was  char- 
tered and  manned  at  a  trifling  cost.  This  -esscl  was  fifty-five  feet  long, 
seventeen  feet  broad,  and  had  a  draught  of  six  feet,  with  a  capacity  of  fifty 
tons.  She  was  owned  and  commanded  by  the  skipper,  Kjelsen,  and  had 
as  a  crew  a  harjjooner,  four  sailors,  a  carpenter,  and  a  cook— all  of  whom 
were  Norwegians. 

The  voyage  of  the  Isbjorn,  though  without  thrilling  incident,  cr  in- 
dependent geographical  results  of  importance,  formed  the  foundation  of 
several  important  inferences  bearing  upon  the  propriety  of  another  and 
more  pretentious  voyage.  The  following  are  the  most  important  of  tlie 
conclusions  reached : 

1.  The  Nova  Zembla  sea  was  not  filled  with  impenetrable  ice,  like 
that  pa  -t  of  the  ocean  contiguous  to  Greenland;  on  the  contrary,  obser- 
vation and  report  showed  it  to  be  open  every  year,  probably  up  to  78" 
north  latitude,  and  connected  with  the  Sea  of  Kara,  which  was  also 
thought  to  be  unusually  free  from  ice. 

2.  The  time  most  favorable  f  )r  navigation  in  this  sea  fills  at  the  end 
of  August,  an.l  lists  during  the  month  of  September— this  period  beiii- 
con.-,idcred  as  embracing  the  minimum  o'"  ice. 

3.  The  Nova  Zembla  sea  was  found  to  be  shallow  —  geologically, 
a  connection  with,  and  a  continuation  of,  the  great  plains  of  Siberia.  In 
its  extreme  north  its  depth  was  only  loo  fathoms. 

4.  The   expeditions   of   the   past   and   present  centuries,   which  at- 


THF   TRGETTIIOFF.  gg, 

tempted  to  penetrate  by  the  northwest  coast  of  Nova  Zembla,  tailed   l.c 
cause  they  were  upon  the  place  of  observation  before  the  time,  and   also 
because  they  lacked  steam.  ' 

5.  How  far  the  Gulf  Stream  had  any  share  or  influence  in  the  fa- 
vorable condition  r„-  the  navi^^.tion  of  the  Eastern  Polar  Sea  could 
not  y<  ,  be  positively  deter.nined,  but  the  state  of  the  ice,  the  observations 
upon  .ts  temperature  and  color,  and  the  character  of  the  observed  animd 
Ide,  seemed  to  testify  in  favor  of  the  action  of  this  cun-ent  in  those 
regions. 

These  conclusions  seemed  to  justify  the  determination  to  push  the 
proposed  project  of  a  prolonj^ed  voyaj^e  of  discovery,  and  it  was  thus 
that  the  Austro-IIungarian  expedition  originated. 

It  was  the  plar.  of  those  who  ha<l  the  Expedition  in  hand  to  penetrate 
east  and  north  dnrin,.  the  latter  half  of  An^^ust,  when  the  north  coast  of 
the  .reat  island  of  Nova  Zen.bla  is  tree  f^-om  ic.      The  places  f  >,•  win- 
lenn.g  were  left  undetermined;  they  were  to  be  chosen  according,  to  cir 
cumstances  cf  need  or  progress.     In  case  of  the  loss  of  the  shipfthe  ex 
pedmon  was  to  endeavor  to  reach  the  coast  of  Siberia  bv  means  of  boats 
and   then  to  gain  the  interior   by  one  of  the  gigantic  water  courses  of 
Northern  As.a.     No  connection  with  Europe  was   to   he  depended    on 
I  aver  well  says:     "The  motives  of  an  undertaking  so   long  and   labo- 
nous  cannot  be  found  in  the  mere  love  of  distinction  or  adventure.     The 
object   must  not  be  the  achniration  of  men,  but   the  extension  of  the  do- 
■nam  of  knowledge.     The  grandeur  of  one's  purpose  alone  can  support 
hnn,   tor  otherwise   the   dreary  void  of  things  without   can   onlv  be  an 
Ullage  of  the  void  within." 

The  ship  chosen  tbr  this  principal  voyage  was  the  TecretthofT  a 
steamship  of  .30  tons  burden,  carrying  an  engine  of  ,00-horse  powe,- 
It  was  fitted  with  provisions  and  fuel  for  two  years  and  a  half,  but  was 
overloaded  by  about  thirty  tons,  so  that  the  ava.ilable  space  was  much 
taken  up.  It  was,  however,  as  Payer  says,  "  p,,  ,,„,,  ,„,„,„,ious 
than  the  miserable  hole  in  which  eight  of  us  liad  been  crowded  to-^ether 
on  our  Greenland  tour."  On  the  13th  of  June,  .^r^,  the  expedition  sot 
out  to  cross  the  North  Sea,  and   reach  the  coast  of  Norway,  where   the 


G02 


ARCTIC  SCENES. 


last  repairs  were  to  be  made,  and  the  last  adieus  exchan<,'ed  with  Euro- 
p'ea:i  brethren.  Tht-  crew  numbered  twenty-four,  and  embraced  Ger- 
mans, Italians  muI  !Iun.Ljarians,  ihou-jh  Italian  was  the  language  in 
which  the  orders  were  given. 

After  a  stop  of  some  days  on   the   Norway   coast  and  the    LofFodeii 
Islands,  tile  TegetthofT  was  at  last  fairly  on  her   way  to  her  long   abode 
among    the    icebergs   of   Nova   Zembla.     The    vessel  soon   came    upon 
scenes  strange  and  unfamiliar  to  most  of  the   crew  on  board  the   Tegett- 
hofT.     As   they   came   into    tiie    region    of  ice   the    temperature   rapidly 
lowered.      Fogs  arose  in  the  distance  from  the   leads  in  the   ice-field,   and 
snowstorms  alternated  with  cloudless  skies  and  genial   sun.     Far  to  the 
north   was  observed   the   "  ice-blink,"— a    shining   band    of  light    in   the 
horizon,— always  a  faithful    monitor    of  solid    ice,    of  whose     radiating 
power  it  is  a  portrayal.     There  is  said  to  be  no  more  solemn  sound  than 
that  made  by  the  action  upon  the  Ice  of  the  elements  of  thaw  and  frost, 
and  no  pictures  more  sad  and   ghostlv    than   the   procession  of  iccber-rs 
floating  "  like  huge  white  biers  toward  the  south."     Great  falls  of  thaw- 
water  flowed  down  the  sides   of  the   icebergs,   sometimes   rending   them 
with  a  noise  as  of  thunder  by  their  constant  wearino-. 

But  when  the  sun  came  out,  the  fogs  disappeared  toward  the  horizon, 
and  the  whole  scene  was   liathed  in   rosy   and   golden   splendor,   the   ice- 
crystals    flashing  like  diamonds   in    the    flood   of  light,     Occasionaliv  a 
whale  would  rise  out  of  the  water,  like  a  great  lilack  mountain,  and  then 
tliving  deep  beneath  the  surface,   make   the   ocean   tumultuous   with  his 
awkward  gambols.     The  icebergs   presented  some  curious  siiapes.      •■onie 
were   ciiiseled    as  if  by  a   trained  sculptor  into  fantastic   forms  of  Gothic 
architecture,  with  quaint  little  peaks  and    towers,  and   grotesque   gables. 
Others  represented  mammoth  structures  supported   by  regular  columns, 
apparently  of  solid  glass.     Rarely  were  the  regular  prisms,  so  common 
in  the  North  Atlantic,  observed  in  these  Arctic  Seas.     Such  were   some 
of  the   sights   which  greeted   our   voyagers  as   they   entered  the    Polar 
Ocean. 

They  had  sailed  over  one  ice-hole,  and  now    again  a  broad    and   lofty 
barrier  loomed  ud  before  them.     They  succeeded    in   forcing  their   way 


A   SURPIi/SE. 


668 


into  .t,  but  after  using  all  steam  of  which  their  vessel   was  capable,  thus 
found  the  Tegctthoff  actually  beset,  and  the  floes  crowding  together,  ^ave 
an    unbroken    field  for   miles  around.     On  Aug.  i   the  vessel  was^till 
beset,  and  there  being  a  complete  calm,  no  efforts   to  release  her  were 
availing.     They    were    now    in    latitude    74^^    39',    longitude  53°.     At 
Ic-ngth,  on  the  2d,  they  broke  through  the  ice  which  separated   them 
from  the  open   water  around   Nova  Zambia,  and  penetrated  about  20 
miles  toward  the  coast.     A  belt  of  ice  ,05  miles  broad  lav  behind  them, 
while  before  them  rose  the  mountainous  coast  of  Nova  Zembla.     Sailin^^ 
and  steaming  on  along  the  coast  of  Nova  Zembla  toward  the  north,  they 
came  on  the  9th  of  August  to  another  ice-barrier  i.i   latitude  about   75^ 
30'  north.     In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Pankratjew   Islands,  the  crew 
of  the  Tegetthoff  were  surprised  to  descry  a  ship  on  the  horizon,   which 
they  soon  recognized  as  their  old  frienil,  the  Isbj5rn.     It  was  a  matter  ot 
tlu-  greater  astonishment  that  a   sailing   vessel  should   have  followed  a 
ship  which,  only  with  the  aid  of  steam,  and  even   thus  with   great  diffi- 
culty, had  been  able  to  penetrate  so  far  in  the  icy  seas  of  the  frigid  zone. 
The  object  of  their   friends   of  the    IsbjOrn   was   to  establish  a  "depot  of 
provisions  at  Cape  Nassau,  at  whatever   risk  to   themselves.     The   two 
ships  remained  together  until  the  20th  of  August,  the  iSth  being  celebra- 
ted as  the  birthday  of  the  King  and  Emperor  of  Austria,  Frauds  Joseph 
I.     On  the  30th  the  two  ships  parted  company,  the  Tegetthoff  steaming 
away  to  the  north,  and  the  IsbjOrn  soon  disappearing   in   the   mist   tha't 
arose  from  the  more  southern  water. 

The  Tegetthoff  was  now  well  toward  the  north  of  Nova  Zembla, 
the  navigable  water  was  becoming  narrower  every  day,  and  the  ice 
seemed  to  increase  in  solidity,  especially  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
coast.  On  the  evening  of  this  day,  the  30th,  a  barrier  of  ice  stopped  all 
funher  progress.  As  usual,  the  ship  was  anchored  to  a  floe,  and  awaited 
the  parting  of  the  ice.  "Ominous,"  says  Payer,  "were  the  events  of 
tliat  day,  for  immediately  after  we  had  made  the  Tegetthoff  fast  to  that 
lloe,  tlie  ice  closed  in  upon  us  from  all  sides,  and  we  became  prisoners  in 
its  grasp.  No  water  was  to  be  seen  around  us,  and  never  again  were  ive 
destined  to  see  otir  vessel  in  water.     From  day  to  day  we  hoped  for  the 


'1 


604 


rilE  FLOE  CRACK  a. 


hour  r,f  our  deliverance.  At  first  we  expected  it  hourly,  then  daily,  then 
from  week  to  week;  then  at  the  seasons  of  the  year  and  chan-e  of  the 
weather,  then  in  the  changes  of  new  years!  But  that  hour  never  came, 
yet  the  light  of  hope  which  supports  man  in  all  his  sufferings,  and  raises 
him  above  the.n  ail,  never  forsook  us,  amid  all  the  depressing  influences 
of  expectations  cherished  only  to  be  disappointed," 

September  came  on  with  its  increasing  cold;  October  opened  with  lis 
really  wintry  weather,  and  yet  no  signs  of  release.     The  ship,  as  firmly 
fastened    as    with   iron    bands,  drifted    northward   with   the    floe   wiiich 
formed  its  prison.     Many  signs  indicated  the  insecurity  of  their  position. 
A  little  way  off  fields   of  ice   cracked  and  split  asunder,    and   huge 
masses  moved  about  them,  speaking  warning  vohimesof  the  terrible  pel 
sibilities  of  ice-pressure.     Thus  far  no  harm  had  immediately  threatened 
the  Tegetthoff  and  her  crew,  but  the    13th   of  October  was   destined  to 
bring  new   and   exciting  experiences.     To  those  among  the  crew  at  all 
inclined  to  be  superstitious,  the  number  "13"  had  a  profound  significance. 
The  committee  of  the   expedition  had  been  chosen   on  Feb.  13;  on  the 
13th    of  January    the  keel   of  tiie  Tegetthoff  had   been    laid;  she   wa. 
hiunched  on  the    13th  of  April;  on  the  13th  of  June  the  expedition   em- 
barked from   Bremerhaven;on  tlie   13th  of  July  from   Tromsoc.     After 
a  voyage  of  thirteen  days  they  had  arrived  in  the  ice;  and  now  on  the 
13th  of  October  the  temperature  marked   16"  below  zero  (Centigrade), 
and   the  ship  and  crew    were  threatened  with  most  terrible  danger.     In 
the  morning  of  that  day  as  the    men  sat  at  l)rcakt;ist,  the  floe  to  which 
the  vessel  was  attached  burst  asunder  directly  below  them. 

"  Rushing  on  deck,"  says  Payer,  "we  discovered  that  we  were  sur- 
rounded and  squeezed  by  the  ice;  the  after  part  of  the  ship  was  already 
nipped  and  pressed,  and  the  rudder  wiiich  was  the  first  to  encounter  its 
assault,  shook  and  groaned;  but  as  its  great  weight  did  not  admit  of  its 
being  shipped,  v/e  were  content  to  lash  it  firmly.  Noise  and  confusion 
reigned  supreme,  and  step  by  step  destruction  drew  nigh  in  the  crushin- 
together  of  the  fields  of  ice.  *  *  *  *  *  ^Y])out  1 1 :30  in  the  fore- 
noon, according  to  our  usual  custom,  a  portion  of  the  Bible  was  read  on 
deck,  and  this  day  quite  accidentally,  the  portion    read  was  the  historv  of 


1  daily,  then 
lanfje  of  the 
never  came, 
s,  and  raises 
g  influences 

lied  with  its 
ip,  as  firmlv 

floe  wiiich 
2ir  position. 
,  and  hu<fo 
errible  pos- 

threatenod 
destined  to 

crew  at  ;ill 
ignificance. 

13;  on  the 
I ;  she  was 
edition  ein- 
ioe.  Ai'tci- 
low  on  the 
entigradc), 
singer.  In 
)  to  which 

were  sur- 
as  alrcadv 
:ounter  its 
Imit  of  its 
confusion 
3  crushiuLf 
.  the  forc- 
as  read  on 
historv  of 


mn 


nurLDim;  a  house. 


Joshua;    l,ut  if  in  his  .lay   the  s..,,  showo.l  any    indination  t„  s.an.l  s.ill  i, 
was  more  than  could  he  sai.l  ..f  il,c-  itv  at  this  time."     . 

The    \on^^  ni.^rht  an.l  its    fearful  ccl.l  svas  hef.,re  tliem,  an,!  they  we.c 
clnttu.j.,  they  knew    n.,t  whither.     Daily-with  sli^Wu   ahatcmcnts,  it  is 
true-^but  daily,  for  one  huuch-e.I    and  thirty  clays   they  were  .lestine.l  „. 
cxper.e.icc  those  terrible  oncomings  of  the   ice.      They    kept  everythin-. 
.n  readiness  for  retreat  from  the  ship  in  ease  the  worst  came  to  the  wors'^ 
Then-  sIedo.es  were   loa<Ie,l,  their  bo.ts  were  manne.l,  and  their  elothin-. 
and  provisions   were  distributed.     They   slept    in    their  wet,  frozen  ^r.^. 
meats  expecting,  to  be  called   up  at  any  time  a.xl   .Iriven  forth  on  libelee 
But  whither  should  they  <.o?    The  sea  about  them  was  liftin..  an,l  .-nnd* 
ing  far  beyond  the  view.     (Ireat   hummocks  danced    an.l  whirlclfovcr- 
turnmg  at  times  with  tremendous  force,  while   chasms  opene.l   on    every 
hand,  threatening  to  swallow  up  any  sIodj,.e,  or  boat,  or  Person,  venturin^r 
on  the  uncertain  surface.     It   was   fortunate   that   these   first   encounters 
wth    the   ice   occurre.1   while   it    was  yet  li.^W.t.      Ma.l  these  assaults  s.n. 
pnsed  them  amid  the  p.>lar  .larkness,  confusion   an.l  .lisor.ler  wotd.l  h.ve 
taken  the  ph.ce  of  the  calm  preparations  they  were  now  able  to  ,„ake. 

The  pressure    meanwhile   continuing,  it    was    thou-ht    l,est   to    nv.ko 
some  kin.i  of  a  habitation  upon  a  firmer  floe  to  which  thev  mi<.ht  bef.ke 
themselves  in  an  emersrency.     Arme.l  an.l  provi.le.I    with  hmterns   th.n- 
rcm..ve,l    two   boats,  one    hu.idre.l   an.l    fifty   l.^s  of  wood,  fifty  plank. 
and  a  supply  .,f  coal,  t.,  the    port  side  .,f  the  vessel,  an.l  there  built  fh.ir 
house  of   refuge.      But  even  this  hope  n.ight  tail  them.      A   storm    n,i,.ht 
carry  away  the  plunks   which  forme.l   its   roof,  fire   n.ight   consume  ti.e 
combustible  sulxstance  of  its  walls;  an.l  at  any   time  a  fissure  might  open 
from  beneath,  an.l  swallow  up  the   whole  communitv.     So  .lays,  weeks 
an.l  months  passed  by,  and  the   first  .lay  .,f  1873  .lawne.l    up., n 'the   be- 
n.ghte<l  party,  if  a  .lay  without  sun,  .,r  light,  or  warmth,  may  be  said  ,,, 
dawn.      Every  effort  was  made  to  keep  up  the  t.sual  festivities  on  Christ- 
mas an.l    New    Year.      Wine  an.l    grog    were   .listributed,   games   w.tc 
playcl,  and  a  box  <,f  gifts  was  apportione.l  by  lot.      On  the  "ist  of  Janu- 
ary,  too,    they   allowe.1   the   .logs   the    long  wished-for   privik-e   .'.f  the 
cabin.     "The  poo,-  animals,"  says  Payer,  "were  so  da.zled  l,v  Lkin.^  at 


11^  tWS^i 


land  still  it 

liicy  wuic 
incuts,  it  is 
ilcstiiK'd  to 
cverythiiij^r 

the  worst. 
ir  c-lothiii-r 
TO/cil  ;j;ir. 
on  the  ire. 
and  i^-riiid- 
rled,  ()\x'i"- 

on   cvorv 

ventnrin^r 

-■nconntei-s 
isaults  sur- 
^ould  have 
<)  make. 

to    make 
:ht  betake 
Jrns   they 
■y  plaid^s, 
Iniilt  their 
m    mi^-ju 
sume  tiie 
i^'lit  open 
s,  weeks, 

the  l.e- 
le  saitl  t,) 
n  Christ- 
ies were 
of  Jaini- 
e  of  the 
•okinL,'-  at 


r//E  DUiiS  IN   THE   CAlilN.  ^j^^ 

om-  lamps,  that  they  almost  took  it  for  the-  sun  itself;  hut  l,v  -My.X  U  their 
attention  was  directed  exch.sivciy  t  .  the  rieh  ren>ains  of  .n.r  dinner  the 
s.^^h.  o,  whieh  ap,,eare,l  eon.pletely  to  satisty  their  notions  of  the  won- 
.lers  o,  the  eabin.  After  behaving  the.nselves  wif.  j,reat  propriety,  they 
a,.nn  .,nietly  witlidrew,  ail  except  ^ruhlnal,'  wl,o  appeare.l  to  he'indi.^. 
"ant  at  the  .leceitfnhiess  of  „nr  condnct,  iuasmneh  as  we  had  dlowrd 
linn  to  starve  so  Ion,,,  on  <h-ied    horsellesh    and   on   crnsiied    l,ear\   head 


wliiK-  we    reveled   in    h 


n 


uxnry.      He  accordinL,dv  made  his  w 


IV  into 


T. 


nn>(  a   monntain 


rosch's  eahiii,  where,  discove 
aiely    attacked  it,  and    warned  us  off  ^-i 
growlin.sr  fiercely  till   he  had  finished  it 


lent. 


of  macaroni,  he   inimedi- 

y   attempt  to  lescue  it,  by 

'Sumbu,'  however,  with  much 


)m  evci 


levity,  sulFcred    himself  to  be   made  drunk  by  th 

everything  which  he  had  scraped  together  tbr  weeks  and    buried 


le  sailors  with  nun.  anc 


111 


tht 


668 


AN  UNEXPECTED  DISCOVEUr. 


m  •< 


!■,  * 


-I4i- 


siiovv   a.1,1  so   cMretully   watched,  was  stolen  from    him  l.y  other  do^js  i„ 
OIK-  iii^ht." 

The  winter   of   iSyj-^  slowly  crept  away,  and   the   sun,  by  hi.  reap- 
pearance,  j^ave  promise   -f  summer.     Summer  came,  but   the  months  „( 
Xray  and  June,  in  temperate  climates  the  -lad  harbin-ers  of -rowth  and 
life-,  brou-lit  no  relief  to  the  waitinj;  travelers.     »  Nichts  als  Eis"  („(,t|,. 
in-  but  ice),  was  the   oft-repeated  answer  of  those   who  eagerly  scanned 
I  he  horizon  in  every  direction.     The  second  summer  of  the   voyage  ha<l 
now  come   and   nearly  gone.     It  had  begun  with  promise  of  libcnition, 
but  the    time  of  greatest  heat  had  gone  by,  and  no  sign  of  the  predicted' 
release  had  come.     The  idea  of  discoveries  had  utterly  passed  out  of  the 
minds  of  the  explorers,  an.!  yet  discoveries  beyond  their  utmost  expecta- 
tions were  awaiting  them. 

Aug.  30  hrougiu  tliLMii  in  latitude  nearly  8o%  a  joyful  surprise.    "At 
midday,"  says  Payer,  ''as  we  were  leaning  on  the  bulwarks  of  the  ship 
and  scanning  the  gliding  mists,  through  which  the  rays  of  the  sun  l)n)ke 
ever  and  anon,  u  wall  of  mist,  lifting  itself  up  suddenly,  revealed  to  us 
afar  off  in  the  northwest  the  outlines  of  bold  rocks,  which  in  a  few  min- 
utes seemed  to  grow  into  a   radiant  Alpine   land.     At  first  we  all   stoo.l 
transfixed,  and  hardly  believing  wiiat  we  saw.     Then,  carried    away  l.v 
the  reality  of  o-.n-  good  fortune,  we  burst  forth  into  sliouts  of  joy— 'Land, 
land,  land  at  last!'     '^     *     *     I'^-r  thousands  of  years  this  land  had  lain' 
huried  from  the  knowledge  of  men,  and  now  its  discovery  had  fallen  int.. 
the  lap  of  a   small   band,  themseK  .'s   almost   lost  to  the   world,  who,  far 
from  their  home,  rememb'^red   the  homage  due  to  their  sovereign,';.!.,! 
gave  to  tile   newly-discovered   territory  the  name.  Kaiser  Franz-Joicfs 
land." 

The  fall  a.u'  winter  of  the  present  year  were  occupied  in  dctcnni.ii.ig 
more  fully  the  extent  and  configuration  of  the  island  or  Arctic  continent 
just  found.  This  work  was  conducted  chiefiy  by  means  of  sledgc-jo.ir- 
ney.s  to  and  over  the  rough  surface  of  the  country  which  they  had  digni- 
fied  with  the  name  of  their  Emperor.  Space  forbids  to  give  more  than 
a  brief  account  of  this  exploration,  though  the  dangers  and  adventu.cs 
with  which  it  was  attended  are  equaled  by  those  of  few  Arctic  exploits. 


ihi.i 


hALL   OF  A   SLEDGE. 


One 


experience  in  the  fissures  of  wiiat 


wa,  naini-d  Middcnddrf  Gl 


«60 


icier  IS 


I'-pecially  worthy  of  note. 

The  party  after  a  l.rief  halt  w.re  just   settin,.   out    aj,ain,  when   tho 
snow  j^ave  way  hcneath  the  sle-l-.c-runners,  ami  driver,  doj^s,  ami  vehicle 
u-.-rc  precipitated  into  s<„ne   unknown  .Icpth   helow.      Payer  first  heard 
lhecontuso<lshoutin-of  theman,min}rlc,lwith  the  harkin^^  ami   howl- 
.VA  of  the  doj,rs  from  the  hottoin  of  the  crevasse,  many  feet  helow.    "All 
this,"  says  he,  »  was  the  impression  of  a   moment,  w!  "le  T  felt  myself 
draj^ged  hackwanl  hy  the  rope.       Sta^^jjerin^.  hack,  ami  seeinj,  the  dark 
ahyss  beneath  me,  I  could  not  d.uht  that  I  should  he  precipitated    =nto  it 
.he  next  instant.     A  womlerful  provi.lence  arrested  the  fall  of  the  sleckre. 
at  a  depth  of  abo.,^  thirty   feet   it   struck  just   between   the   sides  of  tlie' 
crevasse,  just  as  I  was  Ijein-  drag-ed  to  the  abyss  by  its  wei-ht       The 
sledjje  havinj,.  jan.med  itself  in,  I  lay  on  my  stomach  close   tc^the  awful 
l.nnk,  the  rope   which  attached  me  to  the  sledge  tightly  strained,  and 
cutting  deeply  into  the  snow." 

By  incredible  tact  and  perseverance  Payer  at   last  freed  himself  from 
the  sledge,  and  set  about  recovering  the  store    of  lost    provisions,    the 
uMMuscripts,  which  could  never  be  replace.l,  and  above  all,  about  the  res- 
cue of  the  fallen  comrade  who  was  the  »  pride   and  gem   of  the  ],arty  '" 
n.ing  the  only  one  of  the  party   accustomed   to  glaciers.  Payer    was  of 
necessity  almost  alone  in  his  exertions.     Rushing  back  to  the  tent  where 
most  of  the   men   had    remained,  he   hurriedly  explained  what  had  hap- 
IH-ncd,  ar.  1  all  hastened  to  the  spot  of  the  disaster,   leaving  the  tent  and 
stores  unwatched.    They  found  their  poor  comrade  nearly  dead  from  the 
cold,  but  suificiemly  conscious  to  be  pulled  to  the  to,,  of  the  ice-ciifT  over 
wiiich  he  ha,l  fallen.       The  dogs  were  found  uninjured  and  ciuietlv  sleep- 
ing  near  him,  but  celebrated  their  release  by  joyful  demonstrations.     »  It 
w:.s  a  noble  proof,"  continues  Payer,  "  how   <luty  and   discipline  assert 
themselves  even  in  such  situations,  that  the  fnst  word  of  the  sailor  saved 
in.m  ],eing  frozen  to  death,  was  not  a  complaint,  but  thanks,  accompanied 
with  a  request   that  1  would    pardon    him  if  he,  in  order  to  save  himself 
tVom  being  frozen,  had  ventured  to  drink  a  portion  of  the  rum    which 
had  fallen  down  in  its  case  with  the  sledge  to  his  ledge  of  snow." 


'f3' 


iil 


i 

mil 

1 

w 

lit' 


mm  ;  -; 


670 


l-AI.I,  np    A   SI.HDGE. 


A   NECESSARr  CONCLUSION. 


G71 

Fran^  Josef's   Land  was  found  to  be  almost  as  lar^e  as  Snit.!,.,- . 

-Ki    to  consist    of  two  main    masses-WHe^ek    Land  M  '      ' 

V  1       r        ,  ,  iii-'ieK    L,and    oti    the   cast   ■nifl 

/.cl,y  Land.,,,  ,hc  wce-bcwco,,  whicl,  n,„.  a  ,„,,„,  ,„,,,,,   „  ■     ', 
.».  «.. M  A„„.Ha  .So.,„a.    A.  .,..  „„.  ..,  ,,,  ..,„„,.„,::     ,^,;- 
covcro     „,U,  ,ce  ,„•  .„.  ,„„.  pan  „„.  .n.,,.  „„„  a  3.:,,.  i„  „     . 

The.  fact  that  here  ,na„y  iceberg,  were  seen,  svhich  l,a,l  ■„„  l,ee„  .1,  . 
n.    .He   Nova  Ze.H.a  .a„   warran..  „re  .,pp»;,„„    .,:;':::: 
,.w,y    ro,n  .he  ,ce-pac.»  i„  a  „„rther,,  ..iree.io,,.    The  ,„ap  ,„a..e  h/ 
,..-e,e.    e.p«  .,„„   wa,  Ue»i,„e<l  a,Kl    c„„».n«e,.  fr„„     fteen  .,hs  r  ^ 
.o„s  o    ,ae,.u.  e,  ,ro,„  drawing,  ,.ade  on  the  .pot,  a„d  fto,„  a  .,y.e  mlf 
tnangu  a.,o„  planned  and  perfected   by  Weypreeht,  the  eo™,n,L,e    hf 
ch,ef  of    he  expcdnion.       ,„  .he  northernnros.  region,  .nveyed.  the 
suhs  ,na.le  no  pre,e„,„n,  ,„  eon,p,ete  exactness.     Though  the  discover    , 
n«de  were  Itkely  never  to  beeo.ne  important  to  the  .natt-ria,    intere  t 
■nanU,„d,  the  ,a„d  and  its  parts  were  na.ed  after  the  chief  patrons       t. 
„e     .on  as  the  ,nost  fitting  way  in   which   the  gratitnde  of  the  pa  K 
could  be  shown.  l-''"'^^ 

The  experience  of  two  winters  in  tl.e  ice  l,ad  forced  tl,e  party  to  the 
conch,s,on  that  .  e  liberation  of  the  Tegetthoff  was  too  re.tlte  for  th  ,^ 
-  hope  to  save  themselves  by  navigating  the  path  over  which  thev  1 
c™.e  hy  ,.s  a,d.      1  ,er  aba„do„„,en,  therefore  was  nniversaliv  a.,re„.  „ 
..    .he  .otb  of  May,  the  very  day  on  which,  in  ,«3,,  KanJ  had  ^ 
Advance  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  was  chosen    for  the  first  step,  of 
cn^  present  enterprise.     The  day  u-as  hailed  with  joy  by  a„,   for  while 
.  e  c„„,n,g     ay,,  were  to  be  .larkened  with  tnnch  danger  and  nKn.v  hard- 
»l",»,  even  these  were  preferable  to  the  life  of  ntonotony  and  inajtion  to 
"■  nch  Ihey  ha.l  been  rcdnced  on  board  the  TegettbolT.     It  ,vas,  however 
""  V  wnh  the  deepc,  enrotion  that  they  conld  part  with  the  spo,  which' 
:»l  l.oen  then-  bo.ne  so  long.     Their  stock  of  instruments,  which    bad 
one  them  such  goo.1  service,  together  .vith  the  little  ntnse.nn,  which  all 
I-.I  .»ken  ,„  n,„cb  pride  in  enlarging,  had  to  be  abandoned,  as  the  i,an. 
ney  southward  to  the  ope  sea  coul.l  only  be  tna.le  hv  relieving  the   mc, 
-'■i   <i",^'.s   of  everything    except    .absolute   essentials.     The    pictures    of 


673 


A    JOTFUL  DAT 


friends  and  acquaintances  were  hun^r  up  on  the  frozen  walls  of  the  land 
for  the  thought  of  their  perishing  with  th«  inevitable  destruction  of  the 
ship,  was  unbearable. 

Boats,  sledges,  everything  that  could  be  taken,  were  at  last    removed, 
and  the  march  begun.      For  the  first   few   days  the   burdens    had    to    be 
dragged  over  hummocks  and  through  fissures,  without  even    the  variety 
of  water  upon   which  to  launch   tiie   boats.      In   a   short   time,   however, 
narrow  lead^s  appeared,  produced  by  the  advancing  summer  and  a  fortu- 
nate combination  of  othev  circumstances,  into  which  the  boats  were  placed, 
and  a  sort   of  doubtful   navigation  was    Ijegun.     IJut   these   leads  were 
limited,  and  great  masses  of  ice   must  be   continually   thrust   out   of  tlie 
way.     Moreover,  a  south  wind  arose  whicii  tended  to  destroy  what  prog- 
ress they  had  been   able   to   make,   so   that   after  a  lapse  of  nearly  two 
months  of  indescribable  efforts,  the  distance  between  them  and  the  ship 
zvas  not  more  than   nine  Eiiglish    miles.     Another  month,   however, 
gave  promise  of  better  things.     The  leads  became  of  greater  length;  the 
swell  of  the  ocean  became  perceptibly   greater;  and   the   thickness   and 
extent  of  the  ice  was  evidently  rapidly  diminishing.     It  was  a  joyful  day 
fv)r  our  brave  explorers  when,  on  the  15th  of  August,  in  latitude  77°  49', 
they  bade  farewell  to  the  frozen  ocean,  and  launched  their  barks   on   the 
more  genial  waters  of  the  x\ova  Zembla  Sea.     There  being  no  room  for 
tlie  dogs  in  the  boats,  nor  other   possible   means   of  conveying   them,   it 
was  thought  humane  to  kill  them,  which  was  done  to  the  infinite  sorrow 
of  tliL'  entire  party. 

The  prol)lem  of  their  rescue  was  now  simple  compared  with  the  dilli- 
cultics   whicii   they  had  just   successfully  combated.      They  shaped   their 
course  by  Barentz    Islands,  Cape  Nassau,  where  the   store  of  provisions 
had    been    deposited,   and  the  Admiialty   Peninsula,  hoping    that    they 
might  in  tiiis  latitude  look  for  whalers  or  other  fishermen.     It  was  not, 
however,  until  tiiey  had  reached  and  passed  the  Admiralty  Peninsula,  011 
the  west  coast  of   Nova   Zembla,  and  were  nearing  Ganse  Land  toward 
its  southern  border,  tiiat  the  welcome  sight  of  a  ship  greeted  their  iono-- 
ing  eyes.     Here  they  met  on   the  24th  of  August  two   Russian  vessels 
cruising  for  fish  and  reindeer  on  the  shores  of  Nova  Zembla.     The  scr- 


the   land 
on   of  the 

removed, 
ad    to    be 
le   variety 
howexcr, 
1   a   fortu- 
re  placed, 
ads  were 
ut   of  the 
hat  prog- 
;arly  two 
tJic  ship 
however, 
ngth ;  the 
ness   and 
)yful  day 

77^49', 
>   on   the 

room  for 

them,   it 

e  sorrow 

the  dilli- 
ed  their 
"ovisions 
lat  they 
was  not, 
isiila,  oil 

toward 
ir  \mv^- 

vessels 
rhe  scr- 


BMBARK  FOR  HAMliURG 
vices  „f  one  of  these  vessel,  were  .-eadlly  engaged,  and  the  lo„..suffen„. 
crew  were  soon  o„  .heir  way  ,„  Norway,  after  a  nine.y-si.  days'  expert 
e,.ce  ...  .he  open  air.  On  .he  3d  of  Sep.ember  .hey  landed  a.  VardJ.  on 
the  Norwegian  coast,  and  on  .he  J.h  e„,barl<ed  for  Hamburg,  wl  ere 
.hey  ar„v«,  amid  .be  co„gra..da.i„„s  an,,  app,a„se  of  .hou^Luls  of 
iiiends  and  countrymen. 


tf^^i'  _:^ 


CHAPTER    LXXIII. 

KN(;MSM  KXPKDITION  under  NARES— THK  ALEUT  ANI>  DISCOVKHV 
— IJOKING  THKOUGII  TJIE  PACK  —  THE  ELYSIUM  OF  THE  AIlCTll 
REGIONS  — MAXIM  OF  ROSS  —  THE  DISCOVERY  FINDS  WINTER 
QUARTERS —  THE  SEA  OF  ANCIENT  ICE— WINTER  AMUSEMENTS 
—DEATH  FROM  EXPOSURE— EXEMPTION  OF  OFFICERS  FROM  DIS- 
EASE —  MARKHAM's  SLEDGE-JOURNEY  — REACHES  THE  HIGHEST 
POINT  EVER  ATTAINED— PAL^OCRYSTIC  ICE— NARES  CONCLUDES 
TO    RETURN    TO    ENGLAND  —  EPITAPH    ON    THE     GRAVE    OF    HALL. 

One  of  the  recurring  intervals  of  indifference  or  hopelessness  in  rela- 
tion to  Arctic  exploration  had  succeeded  the  great  activity  of  the  Frank- 
lin search  voyages  in  England.     The  field  was  left  to  German,  Austrian, 
Swedish  and  American  navigators,  until    England  was  in  danger  of  los' 
ing  the  prestige  acquired  in  that  line  by  many  generations  of  brave  mar- 
iners, and  at  great  expense  of   life,  energy,  and  money.     Other  nations, 
stepping  in  at  the  eleventh  hour,  had   actually  won  the  laurels  of  more' 
northern  land  discovery,  than   had  been  made  by  the  representatives  of 
the  nation  whose  previous  efforts  had   largely  contributed  to  make  such 
success    practi<-,il>le.    A    generous    and  worthy    rivalry  now    seized   the 
Royal  Geographical   Society,  under  the  inspiration  of  Admiral    Sheraid 
Osborn,  himself  an  Arctic  navigator,  as  will   be  remembered;  Sir  R.hI- 
erick  I.  Murchison,  the  eminent  geologist  and  geographer,  and  president 
of  the   society,  who,  however,  died   in    187 1,  before-  definite   action   had 
been  taken;  Lady  Franklin,  whose  interest   in  Arctic   exploration  never 
flagged  up   t-  her   last  illness   and  death   in    1S75,  and   other  influential 
persons. 

The  government  gave  its  sanction  to  the  movement,  and  an  expedi- 
tion was  duly  organized  and  commissioned.  It  consisted  of  two  vessels, 
the  Alert   and    Discovery.     The  former   was  a  steam  sloop  of  the  rnval 

074 


"avy,  of  75,    ,„„,  hu,-,le„,  „,„!  ,o„  ,,„^,„ 

whaler,  ,„„l  was   ,n,rch,„c,l   h„  ,hn'  "iscovery  had    hec,  a    stcam 

-«i  fl"c-i  o„t  f„.  his  "1" ;'°  """""■'"^■"  "'■ ""  "■ -  .,„„..., 

-  A..n  .a.  c,.h,::t..™:  ::r:r;'"  --"-■  ^ -^ 

s.<lo,-abIe  experience,  an.l  wh,.  ha„    hee„  i„    ,  "1     r"'  ■'   "'™  "''  ™'- 
-i«an.  he  ha.l  C„„„„a,„le,.  A.  11   M^k  ,  ""■""'■     ■'"  ^"'^■'' 

li'o,    and     Capl.    M     [.     „,,  ,  '^'■"''''■"".  "h"  »l».>  l.a.I  seen  A,clic 

i^i-'cover,.  jhe  ..nice.  ':::;;,:  ,;"""^"f^- "-" -■"'■  -- 

...-Who.  ha.,  see,.  A,.e.,c  .servie     :  ,r^^":  ■"™''=-'  -•  --r 

acco,npa„ie,l  thcra  t.,  Disc,   I,,.,,,  ,  "P"™'.--. ».    The  Val,„„„s 

-- He,.  s.,,,,.s  s,,,r;;tirri::rr '"'^^ '■-- 

•S75-     On  ,l,e  voyage  lo  Diseo  ,l,ev  h-„l  ■'"'•"  "'• 

Cape   Farewell,  and   ,„„,„  he.  v     1       ■""."'""■"  '""^■"  '"'-  '^  "'r 
whale  boats.  '  '    ""'""'  '"  "■''«■■''  "«=y  l"»t  two  of  their 

Leaving  Disco  on  the  3z<|,  ,he  Aleit   .,„,!    rv 
Baffin's  Bay,,,  the  northwest  instetlf'  '^  *'™"'  ^"■■'■"» 

;''"->- M-i,ie,.,y,.,,;^;;;:':::,^--;;;--d sh„,.e 

'■■  ."i">-fo.n.  honrs  they  had  sneceeded  1,1  ho,,:      .l;:;;:"  '^'^^^ 
open  water      ,  .,„.  .....e,.  hefo,.e  pe,.f,„.,ed,  an,    whie  :    he   J"     ,  ""," 

.nas.e,.decla,..,d  ..„.„„„  .e.,.,,  he  cclitcl  at  Peterh        "      t^  T"'!""- 
p.ove  the  snperio,.ity  of  stea,„.p„wer  for    .\,.,.,i  .  "'''"'  "> 

the  vicinity  of  Cape  York  ,„„„  ,  ieCe,...,  „  '  "'"'"■■"■""•     '^--^"S 

eiowiled,  i„,licati„.,  ll,.„  ih,..-  „.     ,  ,       'T  '"''°"  """"""•'  "'"I  <:l"»ely 

-y.-n  the ,,,,,;..,.::;;:,;:';;,:---:; --^^ 

I'"»h,nj.  „o,.th  they  soon  ar.iv,.,,  ,„  f.„.ev    I        V         ,  ""  "'I'"- 

-i-a.ii»he,,a.ie,,t,.fs,,ppiies,,,ep„i,  ;:::r:.''7'-''^''- 

earn,     l-assin^    Little,,.,,    ,s,,,„,.    „,  ,,^,    „;  ;"■"    '""■;'   ' "  a 

Fonlke,  which  N.nes  stvles  -.  The  Pl„  •  ■    ,  ''''""■''•  ^""'  ''"'■' 

""<ie    for  Cape   Sd.ine    t ,  •  "         "- Arctic  ,.egi,.„s,"  ,hev 

-  ';•  -at    ,p,anti,ie^.,,:^n    ,h!  Xl;:        :  ;,3--y   s,.w   .he 
Msle,l  of  .ietaehd  Hoes,  live  or  ,iv   ,;„„    „  •  ,         .  ,  "    "'"■ 

«oeof,wice,hat.hick„ess,,.„,      ,,:::'",  -'      "-'•^""•'".>'   ^ 

'  "<-caycil,  and  presciifiu 


076 


LAD 2'  FRANKLIN  SOUND. 


obstacle  to  their  onward  progress.     At  length,  however,  their  way   was 
blocked  by  impenetraiile  ice,  and  they  were  detained  three  days  in  Payer 
Harbor,  awaiting  a  practicable  opening.     Several  fruitless  attempts  were 
made  to  bore  through,  but  at  last  success  crowned   their   efforts,  antl    on 
the  4th  of  August  they  forced  tlieir  way  through  twenty  miles  of  Hayes 
Sound.      Soon,  however,  they   got   entangled  in    the  jxick,   making   but 
little  headway,  and   finally   were   completely   beset,  barely   escaping  col- 
lision witii  a  huge  iceberg,  and  finding  it  necessary    to   unship   their   rud- 
ders.    With  great  labor,  and  amid  many  dangers  for  three  weeks  longer 
in  Kennedy  Channel,  having  constant  occasion  to  apply  the  advice  of  Sir 
John  Ross — "Never  to  lose  sight  of  the  two  words  caution  and  patience"— 
they  reached  Cape  Lieber,  Hayes'  Hmit  of  1S60,  on  the  24th  of  August, 
and  entered  Lady  Franklin  Sound. 

Plere  in  the  shelter  of  an  island  was  found  a  good   harbor,  jierfectly 
suitable  for  winter  quarters;  and  to  enhance  their  good  fortune,  they  saw 
on  the  next  morning  a  herd  of  nine  musk-oxen  peacefully  cropping  the 
fresh  and  short-lived  Arctic  vegetation,  all  t)f  which   were   killed,   form- 
ing a  very  seasonable  addition  to  their  stores,  noihwithstanding  the  flavor 
"was  so  very  musk."     Before  the  loth  of  October  they  had  shot   thirtv- 
two  oi  them,  and  had  at  one  time  over  3,000  pounds  of  their  frozen  flesh 
hanging  up.      The  Discovery  was  left  here,  remaining  frozen  in  for  101/ 
months.      Their  first  care  was  to  take  ashore   and  deposit    provisions  for 
six  months  to  guard  against  the  contingency  of  disaster   to    the   ship   ])v 
fire  or  otherwise   during    lier    detention.      Snow-walls    were    then    con- 
structed around  her,  after  the   now    well-known   type,    but   heavier   than 
usual,  being  made  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  thick.      These  precautions,  with 
the  ordinary  provisions  for  heat,  ke]it  the  temperature  of  the  lower  deck 
at  48"  to  56°,  throughout  the  winter.      The  period   of  darkness,   that  is 
absence  of  sunlight,  set  in  on  the  loth  of  October,  and  lasted  135  days. 

Leaving  Stephenson  and  his  men  busy  with  their  preparations  for 
winter,  Nares  pushed  on  in  the  Alert,  and  on  the  31st  of  August  reached 
latitude  83"  34',  in  Robeson  Channel  -the  highest  point  ever  attained 
by  ship,  and  only  2\'  short  of  Parry's  sledge  limit,  83"  45'  north  of 
Spitzbergen.     In  this  channel  the  sea  ice  approached  the  land  ice  so  close 


AROUND  CAPE  yoSEPIf  HENRT.  g„ 

as  to  leave  but  a  narrow  water  wiv    m,,!     (v  .> 

Sea.      A.O,.,  „.  coast  a  ^^  e  r    ""T ""  '"'°  *"  ''°'"'- 

l«..os,  rising  to  a„avc,.a.e  Li.:        r."        '"'   ""  "'"'""" 

i-r.„s  ,„  .„i„es.  Ha  :  „  ::^r:r"'^  ""■  '■""■""""■'  -■ 

Land,  ho  f„„„,l  l,i,nseir>vl,or;H..r  h    ,  """"  "°'"'  '"' «'™' 

".»tcad  of  .he  Ope.  I>ola,.  Sc,  !n  "  "  •■""''■°"  '"  ""^"'  ■"« 

and  thickness,  f„,.  i„stead  or  the  Hve  „,•  si".'  fel        ^     "  "'  """""'  "'' 
the  ten  or  twelve  of  the  old  fl         ,  ■  ,  '°"""""  "<"■■• ""'' 

r,on.  of  „f.ee„  „,.  ..iriTi:: ::r:-::r:'^:  •:  ~  ■• 

hundred  and  twenty  foot-fcsen^hiin;:  4  •::;,".  "'  !'f'"^  '"  ""= 
ra.her  than  the  Hoe,  or  pac.s  of  ^^^  sont^  it  I  ^Z  '-'-'^ 

o    sneh  ice,  where  the  suh,„er,ed  portion.  extcndi„:  t:.h         ^  '^^^'^ 
sa/hccnt  water  wav  for  the  ship,  Nares  fou.,.1    safe  tltou   ,'    , 

-;^.. arte.,  and  here  the,  were  scon  .„.„  in  ,:-'::;  ;;:::^ 

LUC  hiiip  and  stores.  LuMif   P    am..-  i 
accon,pan,ed  h,  Ada™  A„es;  set  ont  Sep..  .„  with'tw      Li,^      f' 
clo^^s  and  slclges  for  the  expedition  had  been  secured  at  T^ .  T 

orders  to  pioneer  a  rou.e  round  Cape  Toscoh  He  D,sco_n„der 

Gran.  Land,  for  a  iar.er  par.,  whCh^"     ,  ^  °"  trl  t  "' 
C»nn„ander  MarUha,.,  wi.h  Lie„,s.  A.  A.  C.  Par,:  and  W      f  u:'.' 
s.arte.1  w.th  three  sledges  to  cstablisi,  a  depot  of  provision,   as'f,  ', 
^orthw^tward  as  won.d  he  found  practicaLe.    ol  the T  ^      ..^^ 

Aylcs,  fro.„  a  .nou.ttaiu  top  30CO  feet  hi,h,  i„  h,,„„e  si  ,«■,  ,es       ' 
ho  w,de-ex.e„d,ng  ,a„d  .o  .he  nor.hwestward  a,  far  as  ^V 
o,  y  n,o„„ta,„s  to  .he  south.      They  returned  to  .he  Aler.  on  .he  «    o 
OCobe,    after  an  absence  of  fourteen  day,.       A  week  later  they  e,«!  ed 
on  t   e  Arcfc  ntght,  the  sun  having  di,appeared  below  the  horiln        d 
on     ite  ,,th  Markhan,  returned  after  a    trip  of  nineteen  tlavs,  h  v  „! 
stahhshed  the  depot  a.  S." +,.,„„„  tracin,  the  cons,  two  .„;,:  f,,.,;. ,". 
to  what  might  be  regarded  as  the  exact  latitude 


678 


ROYAL  ARCTIC   THEATER. 


where,  nearly  half  a  eentiny  l)ef<)re.  Markham's  party  comprised 
twcnty-o.ie  .nen  an. I  three  ollkcrs,  „f  whuni  seven  men  and  one  officer 
returned  ha.lly  frost-bitten,  three  so  severely  as  to  require  amputaMon, 
the  tliermonieter  ran;,'in<r  through  the  trip  from  15"  to  23°  below  zero. 
Meanwhile,  from  the  2d  to  the  13th,  Lieut.  Rawson  liad  ma.le  an  un- 
successful attempt  to  open  communication  with  Capt.  Stephenson  in  Lady 
Franiviin  Sound.  The  ice  was  fcnind  impassable  within  nine  miles  of  the 
ship,  l)ein-  r,.tten  and  unsafe  in  the  ciiannel,  and  piled  up  thirty  feet  hi-h 
on  the  sliore,  while  the  deep  snowdrifts  in  the  ravines  made  the  overland 
route  ecpially  impracticable. 

The  usual   efforts  t(i   amuse  and    instruct   the   ship's    company   were 
inaucrurated  imder  the  auspices  of  the  commander,  who  says  that  of  fifty- 
five  men  who  composed  the  crew  of  the  Alert,  only  two  were  found  who 
could   not  read.       Besides   the  school  for  instruction  there  were  lectinx-s, 
readings,    concerts,   and    theatrical    representations,    Thursday    of  each 
week   being  devoted    to  these  entertainments.       The  first  theatrical  j)er- 
formance  was  given  on   the  iSth  of  November,  and   was   thus   formally 
annoi:.;ced:       »  The  Royal  Arctic  Theatre  will  be  opened  on  Thursday 
iijxt,  the  iSth  inst.,  bv  the  powerful    Dramatic   Company  of  the  Hyper- 
boreans, under  the  distinguished  patronage  of  Capt.  Nares,  the  mcmlx-rs 
of  the  Arctic  Exploring  Expedition,  and  all  the  nobility   and   gentry  of 
the    neighborhood."     On    the    Discovery    similar    entertainments    were 
given,  its  theater  ])eing  opened  Dec.  i,  and  the  plays  being   rendered   al- 
ternately by  olKcers  and  men.       Each  vessel   had  a  small  printing  press 
which  was  used  for  issuing  programmes  and  l)ills  of  fare  on  occasions  of 
great  dinners.    On  the  anniversary  of  the  Gunpowder  Plot,  Nov.  5,  they 
had  a  bonfire  on  the  ice,  and  burnt   Guy   Fawkes   in   the  approved  style. 
Christmas  was   thus  observed:  "First   of  all,  in   the  morning  we   iiave 
Christmas  waits  in  the  usual  manner.       A  sergeant  of  marines,  the  ciiicf 
boatswain's  mate,  and  three  others,  went  around  the  ship  singing  Christ- 
mas carols  suited  to  the  occasion,  and  made  a  special  stay  outside  tliecap- 
tani's  cal)in.     On  the  lower  deck  in  the  forenoon  there  were  prayers,  and 
after  that  captain  and  ofiicers  visited  the  mess  in  the   lower   deck,   tasted 
the  pudding,  inspected  the  decorations  which  had  been  made,  and  so  .m. 


SC/COESSJ'i//.   nUNTIN.;.  jj, 

Then   .he  boxes  of  |,«e„U   hy   frie,„l.  i„  England  wore  br„„,h,  „„e 

each  box,  and  the  ,„e,on„  were  then  .Us.ribated  by  the  captain.       Ri„. 
.n.  cheer,,  which  s„nnded  .range  enough  In  .ha.  ,o„e  place,  were  gie,, 
.he  ,l„n„r„  ,o,nc  „f  *e„,  very  dear  Indeed  .o  .he  In  ^^^  „:Z 

a    away  fr„,„  .he,r  ho^e.    Cheer,  were  a„o  given  for  .he  cap.al ,d 

n„  absen.  con,ra,le,  on  .he  Aler..     A  choir  wa,  .hen  fornred,  an.,  ••  T 
Roa,    Bee    „,  Old  England  "  had  I.,  vlr.„e,  pral„ed  again.       The  ,1 
had  .hen-  dn,„er  a.  ,  a  o'clock,  and  .he  olflcer,  .lined  .oge.her  a.  , 

An  observatory  ha.l    been   erefled  on    Discovery   Bav,  an,l  carefnl 
note,  of  the  change,  of  tcperatnre  were  kept  on  bo'.h  ,1,!  .     On     .|  ; 
early  ,n  March,  .he  .hcrmome.er  on  .he  Alert  showed   ,1  ,-    ,„d  1 
the  Discovery  ,,■  30^  below  .ero,  while  on  .he  former  a  11  l^Z 
...ro  o,  66"  ag'  for  five  days  and  nine  hour,,  and   on  the  latter,  of  cS" 
.7    f...- seven  coasecntivc  day,,  was  reache.l.     At  one  thne  the  variation 
™.ge.l6o    .nafewhonrs.     In    Febrnary  ,he  ntercury   w.a,  frozen  for 
fifteen  .lays  „,  ,ncce„ion;  an.l   again,  la.er  in    .he  season,  for  about  the 
.a,ne  length  of  ti„,e.     Notwi.l.tan.llng  the  cold,  which  was  not  only  a 
.hrect  har.l,h,p,  but  al,,o  often  ren.lercl   titeir  breech-loading  „u„,  tem 
porarily  useless  the  bunting  parties  were  „uite  successful  in  b;,,  camps! 
rhose  o,  the  Alert  secure.1  six  musk-oxen,  twenty  hares,  seventy  geese, 
wenty-s,x  ducks,  ten  ptannigans,  and  three  foxe,,,  while  the  n,en  of  .he 
Discovery  had  s.ill  be..er  success  in   „,usk-.,xen  an.l  hares,  and  also  a 
p.cce  of  special  good  f„r.tn.e  in  killing  seven  seals.  They  h.ad,  moreover, 
brough.  from  Englan.l  Hsh,  beef,  an.l  mu.ton,  which  they  bun.  up  on 
■he  ,n,asts  where  tbey  were  soon    frozen  har.l,  and  perfectly    prLrve.!. 
1  hey  l,a.l  also  brought  some  sheep,  which  they  killed  from  time  .0  .ime 
"The  s,„,  re.appeare.l  .,n  .he  las.  d.,y  of  February      From  November 
III    i'ebrtutry,  with   the  exception  of  the  starlight  and  occa,ion.al    moon- 
..'l.t,we  ha.l  been  in  .larkness,"  says  the   chaplain,  "not  by  any  means 
<le.«e,  but  sulBciently  murky  to  excuse  one  for  passing  by  a  frien.l  wilh- 
"■■l    k'H-wing  hint."     An.1  n.nv  the  time  for  ,le,lgc-exploratiou  w.as  near 
.at  h.a„,l;  an.l  ,t  became  important  to  establish  an  undenstanding  belvveen 
llie  .wo  ships,  so  as  .0  secure  concert  of  action.    Accordingly,  „„  the  tath 


[; 


Uu 


\i ' 


f 


II 


oso 


/y/iVi u MONT'S  yo uunu r. 


i)C  March,    1X76,    sul)-lieutc'ii.iiit    Rj^crton   and    [/leut.     Rawsoii,   accoin- 
paiiii'il    l)y   Christian  Petersen,  interpreter,   were   (Hf^patcheii   to   aitenipt 
once  inore  to  open  c-oniniunication   wilii    Capt.   Stephenson.      Foim'  davs 
later  they    returned   to   tlie   Alert,    I'etersen    havin;^   completely    broken 
down.      His  liands  were  paralvzed,  and  his  feet  so  badly  fro/en  as  to   re- 
(jnire   ainj:  itation,  which,  however,  did    not  save    him,  as,  despite  ail  the 
care  and  attention  of  Dr.  Colan,  the  ship's  surjjeon,  he  died   some   three 
months  later.     E<^erton   and  Kawson,  accompanied    by  two  seamen,  re- 
sinned   the  attempt,  and  were   successful ;  and   communication  as   well  as 
co-operation  between  the  sled<i^e-parties  of  both  vessels  were  established. 
Lieut.  Heaumont  of  the  Discovery,  in  command  of  ei^ht  men,  crossed 
Robeson  Channel  with  j^reat  dilHculty   over  the  broken  and   moviufj  ice, 
and  explored  the  Greenland  coast  to  latitude  S2"   iS'.     Scurvy  broke  out 
amoiij^   his  men,  and  two  died  before  reachiu'^  I'olaris   Hay.     Beaumont 
pushed  on  to  his  limit,  l)Ut  four  others  succumbed  soon  after  turniiiLC  tiieir 
faces  to  the  ships.      The   three  that    were   not  disabled    hauled    the   sick 
with   the   provisions   on    the  single  sled<:fe,  always    makint^  tiie  journey 
twice,   and   often   thrice,   over  the  rout^h,  hummockv  ice.     "The   "gallant 
band,"  says  Nares,  "struj^t^led    manfully   onward,  thankful  if  they  made 
one  mile  a  day,  but  never  losiniij  heart."      While   they   were  thus   labor- 
ing on  in  the  heart  of  a  frozen  desert,  a  search  party  consisting  of  Lieut. 
Rawson,  Dr.   Coppinger    and    Hans,   the    JCscpiimaux,  was  dispatched; 
and   had  the  good    fortune  to  fall  in   with  them  when   the   remaining   as- 
sistants of  Beaumont    were   on    tlie  point  of  also  succumbing  to  the  dis- 
ease.    Tile  three  officers  had  now  for  a  time  a  monopoly  of  the  hauling 
business,  but  no  more  lives    were  lost,  and  tlie  party   reached  their  depot 
of  provisions    on   Polaris    Bay,    where   the  well   succeeded   in    shooting 
game,  and  the  invalids  soon  recruited.     Licluding  a  lengthened  stay  at 
that  point,  they  were  absent  from  the  ship  one    hundred   and   thirty-two 
days.      Lieut.   Archer  surveyed   Lady   Franklin   Sound,   and    found   its 
head,  sixty-five  miles  inland,  surrounded  by    lofty  mountains  and  glacier- 
filled  valleys.     Lieut.  Fulford  and  Dr.   Coppingcr  explored   Peterinann 
Fiord  or  Bay,  which  also  was  found  to  terminate  in  a  steep  glacier-front. 
Some  gO(xl  coal  was  found  on  Discovery    Bay.     These   local  trips  and 


EXiUrPTfOJ^  OF  OFFrCEIiS   FUOAf  fUSIiASE.  m 

Bemnnont's  (i.-cculan.l  Division  ..f  A.v.ic  evplonm..,,  constitute!  the 
D.scovcM-y's  quota;  the  Alert's  ,ueu  took  ehar,.e  of  the  Western  .ui 
Northern  Divisions.  Lieut.  Aldrich,  witi,  seven  men,  explore.l  two  hun- 
drcchnul  twenty  miles  to  the  west  side  of  Grant  Laml,  lindin,^  nothin-^ 
■  n  s,,.ht  heyomll.ut  the  wicle.expande.1  sea.  On  his  return,  when  nu^t 
l.y  a  rehet  party  under  Lieut.  May,  only  one  nf  his  -n  was  in  a  condi 
l.on  to  assist  in  hnulinff  four  disable,!  comrades,  while  i..c  other  two  feehly 
strupro-led  alonsr  by  tiic  side  nf  the  slcdcrc. 


DISCOVtKV    HAY. 


It  was  noticeable  that  the  officers  in  all  these  sledge-journeys  escaped 
the  scurvy,  while  nearly  all  the  men  were  attacked  Capt.  Nares  was 
severely  criticised,  on  the  return  of  the  expedition  to  England,  (or 
alleged  neglect  of  sanitary  ^jrecautions,  in  failing  to  provide  '■  r  .? 
supplies  of  anti-scorbutic  remedies  on  these  trips;  l,ut  it  was  learuec. 
the  same  difference  in  health  between  officers  and  men,  was  manifest  on 
the  vessels.      Men   ^vho   had    not   been   detailed  for   any    of  these    expe- 


ilw        til 


m» 


M  AUK  HAM  \s  sr.KDGE-JOUHNEr. 


«liti..„s,  l,„t  I.a.l  all  Ml.,,,;,.  iK-u.  within  read,  ..fhyfrjenic,  ,„f.lical,  ami 
aiili-scorin.tic  troalincm,  were  als.,  atlackc-,1,  there  hein-  ,„,  less  tl,a„ 
thifty-six  cases  at  „„e  ti.ne  ,.„  il,c  Ak-rl.  !(  was  thereloie  pi-ohal.ly  ,1,,,. 
to  the  },'eiierally  superior  physical  o.„,liti,H,  a„.l  the  -reater  sell-hdpC„|. 
ness  of  the  ..iHcers,  that  the  disparity  was  cl„e;  a.,.l  the  same  phe.,.„„n,„„ 
may  he  .,..liee.l  ii,  any  epidemie.  The  l.ette.-kept  n,e.,,  intellectually 
moially  an.l  physically,  always  show  the   smallest    pe.-ce.,ta;^e  of  death's.' 

MARKHAM'S     SLEDGE-JOURNEY. 

The    -reat    ixplorin-    leal    ol"    the    expe.litio,,    was    pcrforme.l    hy 
Commander  Markham's  party.     Accmpanied  hy  Lieut.  Parr,  I),-.  Moss, 
ami  Mr.  White,  one  of  the  en-incers,  and  twenty-eight  men,  he  set   <„.t 
for   the   north   on   tiie    3d    of  Ap,-il.      The  eciuipment    eonsiste.l   of  f„„r 
c,Vht-n,ensled-es_so  called  hecauseead,    was    manned    hy    seven    men 
and  an  oiHcer,  two  hoats  for  possihle  navigation  in  northern'  waters;  C,,,,,. 
tents,  eleven  feet  lon;^s  and  al.out  seven  wide;  an.l  hetween  .70,,  ^nuluSuo 
pounds  of  provisions  to  each  sled-e.      Theslcd-es    were    na.ned    M.,,-,. 
Polo,  Victoria,  Hulldo,^-,  and  Alexandra.      The  costume  of  the   n^.^^  u,. 
compose.l  of  a  thick  woolen,  hianket-like   material,   under  a  suit  of  duck 
to  repel  external   moisture.      On    ,heir   feet,   hesi.les    tinck    woolen    h..sj 
were  worn  hlanket-wrappers  an.l  moccasins;  and  all  wo,-e  spectacles  as  ,' 
protectio.i  a-ainst  snow-l,lindness.      Each  slept  in  a  separate   ha-  of  ,he 
same    heavy  woolen  mate,-ia)  as  the  day-clothin^-,  an<l    the   ei<,rht"^   i„   „,,. 
compass  of  the  eleven  feet  <,f  tent,  which  a-ain  v.as  of  the    same    wann 
material.      B,-eakfast  was  taken  l.efore  quittinj,.   the    ha;,r,s,    and   consists 
of  a  pannikin  of  cocoa,  some  pemmican   an<l    hiscuit.      After   fue   ho.us' 
travel  a  lunch  of  hiscuit,  with  four  ounces  of  hacon  and  a  panmkin  of  lu.t 
tea,  was  taken;  and  at  the  dose  of  the  .lay's  journ.,w,  varvh.r  from  te,,  t.. 
twelve  lu.urs,  when  the    tents    were   pitciK-,1,  an.I    all,   except   the  actin-^ 
cooks,  were  snu,i,dy  enscmce.l  in  their  ha.^.s,  a   supper  .,f  pemmicau    aud 
tea  was  serve,!.      With  the  pennnican  was  always    mixe.l   a    certain   pro- 
portion  of  pn,-e:-vcd  potatoes. 

Forthell;s^r"-.  dav,  fiurpr.,gresswasma.le,th.n.-h   fr.,n,    ihr   onl- 
set  the  way  .„.  ....^h  an.l  .lilHcnlt,  an.l  the  temperaf.nv  rather   low   Ii,,- 


THE  SEA   OF  AXC/H.VT  [qR. 


i'()mfort~<Mi  ilio  U\\ 


mw 


1  it  was  35     |,il 


"'»   /.cro. 


O 


provisions  ;it  CaiH-   fosepli  If 


"   rcju-liii,.,   tho  (I 


(11 


vioiis    season,    till 


'v,  cstal»lislu-(l  iKfoiv  tl 


l)arly    w,,      iv-ai'iaii.red       Fjc, 


H-  I'lost-  (if 


slc(l<'cs,  and 


total 


'■'•'1     nuMi,    wit 


""'"•'""••■""'■"■ 'l-".l.,"Di».a „. , ,,...,,,M,,, 

'"'"•  "'""■  "'"•■•  '''"'-'-  '""'■'■■h-1.  -vcn."     ()„   „„.    ,, \^..J 

cK.i,tlu    i^th,  1./  toiunc;  an.L.ntlu.    ,Sth,  „„e 
"••-,and,an„t.nhon,s,..doi,."     '^Conrs.  and  dista.u.  mad.  ,...,., 
'""''■'^     ''''■■''''•^'•''^•™"'"--^'-^^'--<-M,d.s/'and 
-n.rk    In.  most    ,avon.i,lc   proportions.      Hnt   ,.n,-n   ..nlv   a  single  sledge 
-"1.1  Ik.  .ira^^cd  ov.r    th.    lunnmo.Ks   at   a  tinu.    with    their    n.,         ~ 
force,   thus    rc<|uirin^   live   snccessive    trips  to   cover    the   sanu-    p 
ground;  an.l  this  was  sonu-times  varied  hv  two  additional   trips    ,„ 
'-■ward   a    ll-w  disahle.l   conuades.     On    the    ,^th    it    was  deenu.! 
sal.le  to  ho-hten  the   l-urden  l.y  leavin,,^   one    of  ,!„-  hoats  hehind- 
""I  liUcly  they  sho.dd  need  more  than  one  for  all  tlu.  '-Open  I'ola 
"'^•>   -'""'''  '■^'"  i"  ^v•itl..      This  wci.irhcd   ahont    Son  ponnds     |„„  ",' 
tlu'  men  were  prostrated  hy  the  scnrvv,  and  ha.l  to  take  its  pl.ee 
'"'V   quitting,   the   hoat,   an    oar   was    laslied    to    its   mast,   an,!    tie 
stepped,  yard  hoisted,  an.l  .lecorated  with  some  old  clothes,-   to    se 
a  si-nal  wherel.y  to  --each  it  on  their  return. 

Witli  the  hummocks  recurrin,^.  evcrv  hundre.l  yards  or  so  v 
-.ly  in  height,  and  the  intermediate  spaces  coverecf  with  drifted  ' 
rul.^es,  an.l  the  temperature  almost  constantly  helow  zero,  their  pr. 
was  necessarily  sl.,w-very  sl.>w,  snail-like,  an.l  tortuous.  ^The 
.H-y;'  says  Nares,u,vas  cnsecpiently  an  incessant  hattle  to  ove, 
ever-recurring  o],s,acIes,  each  har.l-worn  success  stinnilatin-.  them  f 
"oxt  strut^^le.  A  passage-way  had  alwav  to  he  cut  throu-d 
s.,uec.ed-up  ic  with  pickaxes,  an  extra  .,ne  hein^  carried  for  tlu- 
pnse,  an.l  an  incline  picked  out  of  thv  perpendicular  side  ..f  the 
lines,  or  roa.lway  i.uilt  up,  hetore  the  sle<l,,,res_,^.enerally  one  at  a  ti 
coul.l  he  hrou.^.ht  on.  Instea.l  of  a.lvancin,^.  with  a  stea.lv  x.-alk 
usual   means  ..f  pro<rrcssion,  more   than  half  of  each  .lav  wa"s   expe 


ill  i: 


684 


THE  HIGH  EST  LATITUDE  EVER  HE  ACHED. 


m  I 


ml ! 


by  the  whole  puny  fachv^  the  sledge  and  pulli.ig  it    forward   a    few  H-h 
at   a    ti.nc."      Om    ti>e  last   day  of  April    tliey    were    compelled  to  hall  i,, 
the   presence  of  a  new   enemy,  the    fog,  which  endangered    their  heeoni- 
nv^  entangled  in  a  lahyrinth  of  Innnniocks.      This  weary  work  was  co„ 
tinned   throi  gh    the  f.rst    thir.l  of  May,  with   a   constant    increase  in   the 
nnmher  of  the  sick,  when  it  was  decided  to  leave  them  l.ehin.l,  vdiile  Ih. 
stronger  ones  were  t<,  make  a  final  pnsh  for  the    highest  point  at.ainahl. 
A  canap  was    established  f^.r  the  invalids,  provisions  and  supplies  on   .Ik. 
i.th,  and    left    in    charge    of  the  cooks.      ()„    the    morning   of  the    ,  nh 
Markham  an.l  I'arr,  with  snch  of  the  men  as  were  still  in  a  eomliti<,n  to" 
ventnre  forward,  set   o„.,  encnmhered    only  with  a   few   instr.nnents    .nd 
tl.e  national  colors.      Markham  thus  relates  the  last  advance:      ^^\Vc  had 
some    very   severe    walking,    through    which   the    labor  of  ,lra-.dn-   , 
sledge    w<.uld    he    interminable,    and    occasionally    almost   disaj^^nrin.. 
through  cracks  and  fissures,  until  twenty  minutes   to   noon,  when    a   hall 
was    called.      The   artificial    iioriz<,n    was    then   set  up,  and  the  ila-^s  a,ul 
banners  displayed,  these   Huttering  out    hravely  hefore  a  southwest\vi„,l 
winch  latter,  however,  was  dcci.ledly  cold  and  nr.pleasant.      At  noon  uJ 
obtainc<l    a  good  altitude,  an.l   proclaimed  our  latitude   to  he  83"  30'  ^6" 
north,  exactly  three  hundre.i   an.l    ninety-nine    and    one-half  miles   fr.'.n 
the    North    Pole.      On    this   heing   duly    announced,  three   cheers   were 
given,  with  one  more   for  Capt.  Nares;    then  the  whole  partv    in  the  ex- 
uberance  of  their  spirits  at  having  reached  their  turning-point,  san^-  'Tlic 
Union  jack  of  QUI    England,'  hy  the   grand  I'aheocrvstic  slcdgino- cho- 
rus,  winding  up  like   loyal  subjects,  with    Kiod    Save    the    Queen.-'     I„ 
the    camp   they  celebratcl    the  event    with    increased   sp'rit,  even  the  in- 
vah.is  growing  more  cheerful  in  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  return.     Sonic 
extra  refreshments,  reserved  for  the  occasion,  were  distributed,  addin--  to 
the  general  exhilar.aion.     The  leaders,  Markham  and  Parr,  though  tl^ev 
had  reached    the   highest   point   ever  attained,  were    no    more   H.an   halt- 
content  at  the  meager  residt  of  so  many   hanlships.      Hut  thev  were  .Ics- 
tmed  soon  10  find  that   the  decision   to   return    was   the    salvation   nf  the 
party,  as  almost  all  the  men  were  stricken  down  with  scm-vv  before  reach- 
ing Depot  Point,  near  Cape  Joseph  Henry.      Hy  forced  .narches  an.l  in- 


(lomitablc  cncro-y  th 


THE  POLE  IMPliACTICAULE. 


G85 


■^mA  while  Markh 


•y  they  succeeded  in  jrcttin<r  tl 


for  the  Alert,  thirty  mil 


im  watched  and  lahored  for  th 


le  men  to  camp  „n  lune 


OS  away, 


]! 


it-'ir  comfort,  P; 


and    a 


couple  of  lijrht    rations,  he  trud 


party,  stimulated  l.y  the  conscio 
lifc-chanccs   of  those   he   Jiad 


quipped  wit  i    onb 
i^'-t'd  oir  alone  to  1 


iisness  that  on  h 


lo 


th 


c  emertrencv 


left  ])ehind.      Fortunatel 


,  and  ni  twenty-fom-    1 


irr  set  out 

walkin^-.stick 

I'li-rv    up  a  relief 

1-^  exertions  depended  the 

y  he  proyed  tqual 


midnight  of  the  8th,  Cant.  \ 


lours    reached    the    ship.      JJef 


Ih 


e  head 


\vitli 


of   a    relieviu"- 


•>vs  was  on   the    way   to    Depot    1 


I  ii,t,dit  dog-sled<re,  we 


\^   party,      Lieut.    May,  D,-.    M 


ore 


ouit,    at 


OSS,  an 


party,  and  reached  the 


re  sent  forward 


as  a  ho- 


htly- 


id    a    seaman. 


camp  in  fifty  hours  from  Parr's  d 


'-'<iuipped  advance 


.-„  ,„e„  „1,„  left  Dcp,„  P„i,„  ,„„  „„„„|,^  ">■ 

cape.  N:„-c,  c,,„cl,.do.l  .„  ,«,.,„  ,„  p.,„„„„,     ,^,,^. 

""V     ■",""""  *^'""''"  "■"*  "' '"'-'"-— ri: 

■; '"'r, ■-.^"i-'Tou..,.,-u. .,,„„,,,„. ,„,„:,„„^ 

""r'^'^'  :,"'  '""^'  '• -"'  ""'-  -'"Lk.  Arcio  „p,,„.,,.»  ,„  ,„„„.,  „„ 

.i."M  l.vorablc  sc.a»n  f,„-  ,hc   „„„l„g  a,.c.„n>.  .„   u-a,-.,.....  .Ik-  rcn.,!,,!,,, 


686 


TRIBUTE   TO  HALL. 


\\  il^  > 


A  BJ  , 


Iff  ill 


iti 


iiiSi*'- 


lour  huiKlml  miles  to  the  Pole.  But  with  the  "Seu  „f  Ancient  Ice"  ;,s 
Naivs  luun.l  it,  no  amount  ..f  human  eneroy  ,„■  heroic  daring  could 
achie\e  thi'   feat  of  reaching-  it. 

Anion-  tile  acts    perfonne.l    hv    tliis   expedition,  one    -.f  internatiou;,! 
curtesy  is  u-orthy  of  mention.      It   was   a    pleasin-  and    -racetui    art    i„ 
the    memory    of  a   -reat    navi-ator   who    has   heen    un<leserve<lly    nnder- 
rated  hy  s,,me,  l)ecause  Jiis    methods    were    peculiar.      These    for-et    thai 
each  fresh    advance  is   made  possihle  only  l.y  the  departure  .,f  e^ch   neu- 
jjioneer  from  the  l)eaten  track  of  his  predecessors.      On  the  i  3th  of  M,,v 
1876,  Capt.  Stephenson,  in  the  presence  of  twenty-four  oiHcers  and  mui 
of  Nares'  expedition,  erected  at  Hall's   grave  an  appropriate    hrass  tahlct 
prepared  foi-  the  jjurpose  in  England. 

And  later,  in  his  report  to  Parliament,  Nares  hore  testimony  to  the 
accuracy  of  Hall's  ohser-atious,  though  with  confessedly  defective  l,,. 
struments,  m  these  words:  ''The  coast  line  (west  from  Kennedy  C'lia,i' 
nel)  was  ohs-rved  to  he  continuous  for  al)out  thirty  miles,  forming  a  hay, 
I'ounded  towanl  the  west  l.y  the  United  States  range  of  mountains,  uini 
Mounts  Mary  and  Julia  and  Cape  Joseph  Ilemy,  agreeing  so  well  with 
Hall's  description  that  it  was  impossihle  to  mistake  their  identity.  Their 
bearings,  also,  although  difrering  upward  of  thirty  .legrees  from  those  of 
the  published  chart,  agreed  precisely  with  his  published  report." 

Capt.  Xares  now  conclude<l  to  return  to  England;  and,  encountcriii- 
many  tlilHculties  from  storm  and  ice,  arrived  home  on  the  J7th  of  Octn- 
ber,  1S76,  after  an  absen^v  <.f  sixteen  months,  with  his  ships  uniniurc.l, 
an<l  with  only  the  lo,.  of  life  already  mentioned.  Xot withstanding 
some  adverse  criticism  from  stay-at-home  navigators,  closet  theorist,,  ami 
pa])er  philosophers,  the  expedition  was  properly  regarded  as  a  great  suc- 
cess, and  its  lieroes  were  deservedlv  honored  hy  their  country  with  sub- 
stantial tokens  of  regard,  as  well  as  with  tlie  hearty  plaudits  ,,r  ihe 
people. 


■*^-<»H»t,"  U\'« 


Ancient   Ice''  as 
ic  daritu,'-   could 


I'f  intcrnalioual 
i^Tacefiil  atl  |,, 
^servedly  undti-- 
lesc  lorLCeL  thai 
ire  (if  each  lU'w 
le  13111  of  M;iv, 
ifficers  and  nuii 
i;ite    lirass,  tahlc't 

.'stiniony  Id  ihc 
y  defective  in- 
•Ccnnedy  Clia,i-' 

lorniinj^-  a  liav, 
nouutains,  wiih 
i.U'  so  well  with 
lenlity.  Their 
s  from  those  of 
-port." 
1,  encounteriii'^r 

J  7th  of  Octo- 
liil)s  iiiiiiijiiroil, 
>l\vilhstaii(!iiiM- 
I  theoi-ist-,  ami 
as  a  L;reat  mic- 
ilry  witli  suli- 
ilaudits   (](■  i!;(_. 


CIIAPTKK     i.x.xfv 


s<IIWAlKA     KXJ'KDIllO.N  — 


'""     '^'^'•"•^N-..K..U.K.s     ,VN„.,,„:v 


■  WaiAIN.  '    AMKKICA    A.VU<;kkat 


le  fate  of  Franklin's  crew  and  shi 


'l"inn-  and  sympathetic  mind 


ps    h; 


IS    continued 


s  on   |)( 


II 


le  j)resent. 


The 


)lh 


'>  interest 


SK 


puhl 


It-'s  of  the  Atl 


m- 


cease  had  ])een  rel 


'c   suspense   re-ardin,^r  F,,^„,,i 


iiitic,  even  u\)  U 


le 


ved  hy  M'Clintock 


ill's  individual   dc- 


Ihe   mystery   „f   the   ships,    of   tl 


">  '^^^59;    I'ut  there  still 


record  of  their  ach 


le'    fate  of   th 


'eniained 


en-   CO 


levemcnts.    Some  id 


■alhere.1  from  the  scanty  records  of  (, 


(-■a  of  their 


'"p;inies,  and   ,,f  H 
Ji:eneral  course  could  1 


He 


islactory  and  va<,nie,  and  left  a  d 


'>'"cand  Croz 


L'l',  hut  this  was 


unsupplied.    The  informati 


eepwant^a  demand    i 


liiined   tin 


hypoth 

starvation;  ihou'di 


oil  .l^'ained  hy  HaJl 


nnsat- 
or    knowled'>-e 


lesis   of  Rae     (lTl^    lU  . 

ivae,  mat  tne   most 


•>ii    his  second  voyage 


con- 


of  the 


concerning-  the  actual 


party  had  died 


l)V 


Ills  ships,  Ilall  left  th 


cour 


li^arh'    in    ll 


e-  world  no  wiser  th, 


'•^^  "f'Fi-anklin  and 


the  fate 


111  l)efore. 


tak 


le   summer  of  ,878,  Lieut.  Scl- 


en  an  act.ve  interest  in  the  suhject  from   1 


w^'itka,  U.  S.  A. 


who  had 


ah 


'LMK-e  Irom  his  j)lace  of  d 


asked  pei-mission  to  or^r 


iity  on  the  pi 


cave  of 


mis 


111--  tne  supposed  records  of  I' 


.-•anize  a  search  partv,  t 


">yhood,    asked    for  1 

'    e""e    to    New    York    an<l 


I'anklin's  last  \' 


"I-  the  pm-pose  of  d 


Ins  proposition,  Jud^re  Daly,  „f  the  ( 
tlic  information  in  his  p.xsse 
"f  ihe  inissln^-  treasures 
""'"i-'iii,^-  liis  application 


ova're, 


-fcoo-raphicai   S 


Aft 

'ocietv. 


iscover- 


*-''■   hstenin  >■  [< 


'ssion   concei-niu"-   th 


:ave    him 


L'    prohahle    wli 


;  commendin--  h 


nil    also    I,)    (icii,    S 


'>  I'e  di-tailed 


ereahouts 
lerman    and 


'1''   lientenanf  als( 


''>  '■•ommand  th 


>  conferred  with  M 


essrs, 


-h-et't 
if  th( 


M 


<.'   exploring-  partv 


01 


,   I'oncernni; 


I'lson  S: 


he    use 


l>ro\vn,  of  S 


'>f  a    whaiini 


outli 


pai-ty  to  the  scene  of  t 


vessel  f 


>i-    the    tr 


iieir  lahor 
C87 


iiisportation 


i^'i'-  only  availahle  ship,  tlu 


(iSH 


THE  ROrilEN. 


X.V\ 


i-> 


ICo,lu-M,  was  ,.,t  sea,  lu.t  ,.,„„,  h.r  ..nival  in  Nc-w  V„rk  lu-r  owmcts 
""^•'•^•'l  'ht  <•..,•  ,h..  us.,  of  !lK>rx,K.-,Iili.,n,  an<l  siu-  was  ,v(ltu..l  i„  ,|u.  I>c-s| 
luamu'i-  for  ihc  .omrorl  oC  tht-  partw 

Prior  to  his  .U.,.a.luiv  Li.ul.Srl.walka    ,vceivc-.I    iaslructious    lur    his 
|.nHv.hnv  as  folh.ws,  (V,„n    \[r.  Mon-is.m:      ^^  U,,.,n  your  arrival  at  Kc- 
pulsr    May   you    will    prepare-    lor    vour  iulan.l  jouruev  hy  InMldin.^  your 
sie.lLrrs  au.i  lakin-  such  provisions  as    are    necessary.        As  soon  as   sulH- 
cienlsnowisonlheirn...u,l    you  will  start    iVoni    Kin-    William's    Lan.l 
-Hi  the-  (Juir  of  IJoothia.       Take    .laily  ohservatioas,  an.l  whenever  you 
cl.seover  any  error  in  any  of  the  eharts  you  will  eorrec-1    the  same,  mark- 
in-    tlK-reon    also    any    new  .liseoveries  you  may  he  fortunate    enou-h    to 
make."        He   was    further   a.Imonislu-,1    to    earefully  preserve  all   records 
r"tn..l,an.l  keep  them  safely  in  his  own  possession  or  to  intrust  them  to  his 
I':squi,naux  interpretc-r.      I'^inaliy,  he  was  a.lvise.l,  even  thou-h  his  expe- 
'lition    prove.l  a  failure   in    its   partieular  en<l,  to   make   it   a   -eo-raphieal 
success,  as  his  ficilitii-s  for  ,l,,in-  so  woul.l   he  (-xce-llent. 

TheEothen  sailed  from  New  \'ork  on  the  i.;th  of  June,  1878,  heiu- 
a-companie.Mow..  thehavhy  several  lu-s  containi.i-  the  friends  and 
relatives  of  the  explorers.  Her  otlicers  and  cre\v  were  as  follows:  Cap- 
l.-.in,  Thomas  V.  Harry ;  Jeremiah   P.omepus,  chief  mate;    fames  Pienper 


second    male;    janu-s     Kearney,    hoalswain;    H.    ( )menheu 


ser 


3per, 

,     coojK'?-; 

Fre.lerick  Woern,  blacksmith;  Charles  Hu.lley,  carpenter,  and  ten  sea- 
men.  The  explorin-  parly  was  composed  of  live  persons:  la\.„t. 
Fre.lerick  Schwatka,  commander;  Col.  W^  II.  Gilder,  a  New  York  or- 
respondent;  Joseph  lOhierhin,-,  I':s,piimaux  ,-ui<lc  and  interpreter;  ]  lenry 
E.   Khetchak,  civil  en-ineer,  an.l  Frank  Mellers,  assistant  engineer. 

After  leavi.i-  the  investioatiu.o-  party  at  the  scene  of  their  a.lvcn- 
tures,  the  i:,)t  hen  cruised  about  for  whales  a  short  time,  and  linally  re- 
tuiiied  lo  New    London, 

Schwatka  and  his  comrades  spent  the  winters  of  iSyS-cjand  1S79  So 
in  i  n  vest  i, rat  in,;-  Kin-  William's  Land,  the  supposed  last  restin-  place  ,.f 
most  of  iM-anklin's  ,nen.  In  this  work  they  were  -really  assisted  l,v  the 
activity,  intelli-ence  an.l  willin-uess,  both  of  Iheir  native  inlerprcter 
whom  they  had  brou-ht,  and    also  of  the    Es.|uimanx   of  the   nei-hl-or- 


rl<  luT  owiuTs 
Ird  ill  the    ht-si 

ictioiis  lur  his 
arrival  at  l<.i;. 
l)iiil(liiiij^  your 

soon  as  sulll- 
'illiam's  Land 
ivhciiever  you 
.;  sanir,  mark- 
to  cnouj^h  to 
vc  all  records 
1st  them  to  his 
ULfh  his  expo- 

t,a'ojj;-rai)hical 

',    1.S7S,  Iteiu-- 
■    friends  and 
bllows:   Can- 
ines Pie|jper, 
1SLM-,     coojK'?-; 
and    ten   sea- 
sons:     Lieut. 
■\v  Yorlv  cor- 
retcr;  ]Ieinv 
i<^iiicer, 
liieir  advt'ii- 
1    linally   rc- 

and  iS-()  So 
iii.U"  |)Iae(>  of 
listed  l)y  (ho 
interpreter 
e    neighbor- 


'"""'  ^^''■''^''  "i^'V  were  exannni ,„,|u. 

'■-'•      ">  llie  siunnier  of  ,,s,S(, 


many  inter- 
I'iiere  wfic 


'■ '-' ■ " "".. .-..,.. ...,,',. ,:.,;:,  :;:•"■■;•''• 

"!>""  'I'c'.n,  or  hv  other  si.,,,s  w.-r  ,     '    '  '•    """'"    '"•"'^^■•l 

'-'-^^^-  ^'-var.■.K;::;:;:::;'•'•':-'•^•'--'-^ 

^— .ltes,in.onvhorn..hyK.,.    .  /  ^/"''  "■"'^^  ^-'-li-nered.    The 
an^l   '"any    additional    prooi;,„-,h.    r.,''    7i-"''    ""'''''   '"""''-"-', 

'•"^    '"    '■'-"^''■-ndhismenw.re 


luiearthed.      Not  onl*-  ,,-  ,     .1 

•^"i  "„i\  „-,.,s  thr  ivc-onl  of  .\LC'li„(,„.|'      r 


"■■""•"■■"■■" ■■'"••<■ vi.iswh.,i..p,.,v  ;,"■'■'," '■ 


lity  of  blue 


ii 


.11 


rr' 


0!K) 


HOMAGE  FROM  GREAT  BRITAIN. 


Ujx,n  one  of  the  stones  at  the  foot  of  this  -rave  a  medal  was  found, 
which  was  thickly  covered  with  ,<rrinie,  anil  so  much  the  color  of  tiij 
clay  slonc  on  whicii  it  rested  as  nearly  to  escape  detection.  It  proved  to 
he  a  silver  me<lal,  two  au.l  a  half  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  portrait  of 
Geor-e  1\'.,  surrounded  l,y  the  w.mls:  "Georgius  III  I,,  D.  G.  Brittanni- 
arum  Rex,  1S20;"  on  the  ohverse,  a  laurel  wreath  surrounded  hy  "Sec- 
ond Mathematical  Prize,  Royal  Naval  Collc-e;"  tiicse  words  inclos- 
ni-  the  following  inscription:  "  Awarded  to  John  Irvin-  Midsummer 
1830." 

This  place,  then,  was  proved  without  a  douht  to  he  tlie  -rave  of 
Lieut.  Irving,  thinl  oiHcer  of  the  Terror.  The  hodv,  as  well  a^all  the 
skeletons  found,  was  hm-ied  decently  and  tiie  hest  tomhstones  which 
could  he  improvised  were  set  up  to  mark  the  spots  occupied  hy  the  Ihi(. 
ish  dead.  Every  endeavor  was  used  to  discover  the  grave  of  Sir  John 
Franklin,  hut  without  success.  The  search  for  the  records  confirmed  the 
generally  accepted  theory,  that  those  i.np.)rtant  documents,  if  any  existed, 
liad  hcen  irrecoverahly  lost  or  destroyed. 

On  his  return  late  \n  the  smnmcr  of  ,S8o  Schwatka  received  great 
homage  from  the  America.,  Government  for  his  discoveries,  ancl^also 
from  the  ICnglish  nation,  tor  his  delicate  and  humane  service  to  the  re- 
mains  of  the  lost  E.iglish  sul)jects.  This  foun.l  voice  in  the  expressions 
of  many  distinguished  Englishmen,  among  them  Capt.  Snow,  Sir  Geo. 
Nares,  Mr.  Clements  R.  Markham,  Sir  Leopold  M'Clintock,  and  others 
of  Arctic  fame.  All  agreed  that  Lieut.  Schwatka  had  performed  a  val- 
nahle  service,  and  one  whose  performance  hy  an  American  should  call  for 
the  utmost  gratitude  from  all  Britain. 


CHAPTER    LXXV. 


SWKDICX       I\       A 


ncTic     Kxi'r.oi 


I'OI.AK     V()VA(;K.S. 


!.\'l'If).Vs 


Vol!  I 


AfOUTIf    OK    TIIK    Olil— 
'TON'      SOLV'KI) X 


-I'HK    SOI-TA     IX 


•SA.MO'S-Kn     I 


"■:^'SKl(')I.i) 


Kixt; 


N''.Mi;i;()|rs 


S     J!AV- 


-^'<>^■A(;I.;     I 


i;\TS A 


■<>     IIIK 


.lOtntXKvs— Kuxi 


0!n)KxSKir,M)'s 


''i!oi![.i.:.\r   IN 


)S     I'I{()An),.;,,_. 


''"'■;''Ai;ati()x 


VA\I(;a- 


■•'"K      \-H,;a 


HIS      SI.I, 


i>(;ii. 


IMIUIIASK 


Thou,s,rh  Swclc-n  was  late  („  ,,,k.  „,„,  ■      ,       . 

'''-iy-cheaanin,..antp..U.J.,„,,,,;^:^^^^^^^^ 

results  actually  achi.vc.l.      F.,,-  ,Hi       I      .    /^  "'''"'"^  '"'  "^-'  ^^^1.  of 

"^Isia^loi-s,  the  capital    of  R.,,,,,,,    ,,,,,,,^7^    ^--'l-skinl.l,  a  native  of 
t'iolic  toast  o-iveu  l,v  hi,n  at  a  sunne,- .      !      •'  "*"^^''I"^''^^-^'    '><'  a    pa- 

-''-^■-■^•pHv.M.>-c::::rv::;r-^r;;''^---'^""" ■- 

■":,' "llicci,,  ih„   „„ivc.rsi;,,    „-,,,„,    .       ,    "''"'■"-I  "'"'Pal'l.   on,,.,,,. 

- .-vi.„  .«„,„,;„ ,.,. :, :  ;:'";7' '''^ -■■'- »-■ 

' " "'  '"^  »'"^  <  '■ "-  p-n,;;„„.:.,;;::,:;;;;;:: '"" ':" '  ^' 

:...s;;;::::  ::::,,:::';:::--;"■' !"'f» ^^^ --...„„. 

>,.>.  I  "1  us^.s,  ;„„|  c>vincin.r  (V,):n  the   (1,-  < 
-•'■^'    -   Arctic  exploration.      The    verv    n      ,  '"   "■"""'    '"■ 

-^a,e,I  in  the  expclition  nt,e.l  out  at  the  e"     ^-^'^59,   he    is    ,o,.,„ 
f-n,   ,hat   vear  to    iS-S     h.    ,      ,      '"  '''  ''''^•■'^^"  "'   ^>t'"    Toreil;   an.l 
to    io^c>,    h(j    Ook    narf     In     ,,       i  i 

;--'; »• ■■  "■-'.  '^^  >™  1::;:.;  :, ;:  :r;;,T""  /^-^^ 

'^""  place.      The  expenses  o.-n... ,,.  '         '^^^1''    ^'-    "npor- 


;e  w 


'm 


111 


f'l 


;  I 


mi 


VAIilOUS  POLAR    VOl'AGES. 


-\-^ 


scription,  .iiid  in  part  by  the  Swedish  {,'overnmciit,  Dr.  Oscar  Dickson, 
a  wcaltliv  merchant  of  Othcnhurjr,  beinj^  a  hberal  contributt)r  to  live  of 
tlicin.  Tiicse  expeditions  were,  to  Spitzl)er.<,'eii  in  1.S61  and  1S64;  an 
attempt  to  reach  the  Pole,  in  1S6.S;  to  Greenhnid,  in  iSyo;  to  Spitzberjren 
a<?aiii,  in  1872-3;  to  the  \'enisei  River  in  Siberia,  in  M^ys,  and  a,i,fain  in 
1S76.  Uesides  these  there  were  two  Arctic  voyaji^es,  in  1S6S  and  1871, 
by  l?an)n  \'on  Otter,  Swedish  Councillor  of  State,  and  Minister  of  Ma- 
rnie.  Hy  all  tliese  voya;^res  tiie  stock  of  information  in  relation  to  Spit/- 
berjijen  and  (Greenland  and  the  adjoining-  seas,  was  lar<,'ely  increased ;  and 
the  intervals  were  devoted  ])v 
Nordenskifild  to  studies  and  in- 
vesti<^;itions  relatin^c  to  what  he 
!ia(l  from  his  first  arrival  in 
Sweden  made  a  life-work. 

In   the   polar   voyat^e  of  1868, 
with   the    steamer    Sofia,   latitude 
81°  42'  was   reached,  and  the  at- 
tempt to  push  farther  north  from 
the    Seven    Sisters   of   the    Spitx- 
bertjfen  <;r()U])  is  thus  described  b\- 
Nordenski()ld:     "  Northwanl   la\- 
vast  masses  of  ice,  as  yet  broken, 
it  is  true,  but  still  so  closely  j^ackcd 
that   not   even   a  l>oat   could    pass 
forward,  and    we    were   therefore 
obli^^ed   to   turn    to    the    southwest,    and    seek    tor    another    openin;^^  in 
the  ice;  but  we  found  on   the  contrary,  that   the  ice-limit  stretched   iisclf 
more  and  more  to  the  south.      On  the  way  we  had  in  several  places   met 
ice  that  was  black  with  stones,  -jfravel,  and  earth,   which   would    seem  to 
indicate  the  existence  of  land  still  farther  north.      Moreover,  the  ice  itself 
had  a  very  dillerent  appearance  from  that    which   we    had    met   in    these 
tracts  at  the  end  of  Au'j'ust.      It  consisted   now,   not    onlv   of  lar<rer  ice- 
tields,  but  also  of  huj^-e    ice-blocks.      Already   in   the   beginning-   of  Sep- 
tember the  surface  of  the  ocean,  after  a   somewhat   heavv    lall    of  simw, 


I'KOP,   A.    E.    NOKDENSKIOI.D. 


.fdGHl 


vorA,:.  TO  TUE  on,  ^,v^  rnms^,. 


had  shown  itself  I.ctwecu  thr  ,V  ""'"  ^^ 

--H. ,.._, .. ;:  :L:~;:::t  r";  -;  -"-  '"■  ^- 

-as.     Now    (t„„„„l   ,he  cl,„o  „f  Se,,!       ^         "'  ""  ™"^"'»  "-«• 
•■">'l  bc^an  I.,  Ic.„k  «,.  I„„u,.  ,h,,  „„  ,.   '  ,  '*"'   "«•""»'   '»'   !a.l,cT.,., 

-- - "..."•  ..r .h. .,„,,.  ,;.,:"':;•  "'^- --  '"■■>  '■«•' -r 

.-ec,  „,  „„,„,.,^,,.  „„„„^^__,    -,.«...-. ,„,,. 

kept  Ih.n,  .cachin,,  ,]„.  fi„.,.     Th.  \lC  '"''■■'"""•   >'» 

'^^■>-  — '^' -.d,i,„  „  ,„„,, .,: ,  :;;:„;:t-"">:  ";■■«-'. ' 

.he  .hip  ,.,„,  „„„,  ,„^^^,  wa..,...i,.,        ";  '     '  ,,"•■'"'7  -•'   -■"-■ 

«l'e  was  .adically  h„„,  ,„„  ,„■  ^^  ^,      °   '!     "  "■'»  '""•■''.  '""Vcv.-,-,  iha. 

n»ion  with  .ho  Iceberg;  an,l  it  w     ,1  °     ""'   '""^'"   '"  "^  »'■ 

I.,  the  voyage  of  ,875   ,„   „,,    ,„„„„„,  ,;,.  ^,_^  "" 

's '.. «^.-ye„, La,,,,., p.„„, ,e,,a..a; , f :  jro:;:  '".v,"'""'  ■"" 

'H,,  uic  ncacli  minicrons  ti-idc.;  ,^c  „,  " 

-'-■•^  <io.s,  ana  Sa.o,ea  s^:       l::;r'"^0    ^  '-'-'— 
I'ank  WMs  foun.l  ■.  nl-u  .     f       ^' ^'^  ^ '""^'^--      «■'  ^Ho  top  of  the- stn.nd- 


ii(.',in 


:iills 


fill! 


'nr 


Hl> 


M^ 


004 


SAA/O TED  E.VCAMPMEJVT. 


im 
iikI 


of  various  a-cs  place.I  i„  a  h..,,,  a  lai-c  lunnlur  of  .vi.ulccT  skulls,   tin. 
lower  jaw  of  a  walrus,  etc.      Fron,  n.ost  ,  f  the  hears'  skulls   the    cauine 
teeth  were  hrokeu  out,  au.l  the  lower  jaw  was  frecjueutly  c.Uircly   want- 
».-.     Souie  of  the  houes  were  over-rowu   with    moss,    „„1    lay   sunk   in 
ti>e  earth;  others  ha.l,  as  the   a.lheriu^.    Ilcsh    showed,    heeu    ph.ee.l    there 
<lunu^^  the  present  year.      lu  the  n.i.i.lle  of  tue  heap  of  houes  stoo.l    fo„, 
ereet  p.eees   of  woo.l.      Two    consisted    of  stieks   a    metre   (^._vS    feet)    u, 
Icn-th,  with  notches  cut  in  then,,  servin^^    to   hear    up   the  "reindeer  and 
hears'  skulls,  which  were  partly  ph.ced    on    the    points    of  the    sticks    or 
ln.nj.  up  hy  means  of  the  notches,  or  spittc.'   on    the   sticks   hv   four-cor 
nore.l  holes  cut  in  the  skulls.      The  two  others,   which   clearh'   were   ,1,. 
proper  idols  of  this    place    of  sacrilice,   consiste.l    of  driftwood    roots,   o 
which  some  carvin.^s  ha.l  heeu  made,  to  .listiuLTuish  the  mouth,  eyes,'an,. 
nose.      The  parts  of  the  pieces  of  wood    inten.led   to   represent    the  'evei 
='"'•  "louth,  had  recently  heeu  hesmeared  with  hlood,  ami    there   still   "lav 
at  the  heap  of  hones  the  entrails  of  a    uewly-kiUed   reindeer.      Close   la' 
side  were  foun.l  the  remains  <.f  a  lire-place,  ami   of  a   n.idde.i,  consistin.- 
of  remdecr  hones  of  various  kinds,  and  the    lower  jaws   of  hear^      Siif 
nv^  on  at  some  .listance  from  the  coast,  an.l  :H  one  place  passing  hetween 
the  shore  ami  a  Ion;,  series  of  hloeks  of  ground-ice,  which    had   stranded 
alon-  the  coast  in  a  <lepth  of  nine  to  sixteen  metres    {z^yf,  to  5../    f,,.,  , 
chirin^   the    ni^lu    we    passed    a    place    where    live    Samoved    teuK    ^ve,v 
pitched,  in  whose  neiKhho,hoo,l  a  lai-e  numher  of  reindeer  pastuivd." 

The  results  of  those  several  voya^^es  are  thus  summed  up  hv  Xorden- 
sk.oM:   -  The  explorin.^^expe.litions,  which,    durii,.-    the    receni    deea.u. 
have  -one  out  from  Sweden  toward    the    north,  have  lon.^^   a^o   aa,i,i,v,! 
a  truly  national    importance,  throu-h   the    livelv    interest    th^t    has   luv, 
taken  in  them    everywhere,    l>eyond    as    well    as    within    the    fatherlan,!. 
th.-ou^-h  the  cousiderahle  sums  of  uioney  that  have  heen   spent    on    thein 
hy  the  State,  an,l    ahove   all    hy    nrivate    persons;    through    the   p.uti.  1 
school    they    have    tormed     for    more     than    thirtv    Swedish    naturalist., 
through    the   important    scieutilic    and    ^geographical    results    thev    !,  ivJ 
yielded;  and  through  the  material  fhr  sc.entilk  research,  which   U    .i,nn 
has  l,een  collected  (or  the  Swcli^h  koyal  Museum,   and  which  ha.  ,n.ulc 


c-i-  skulls,    (he 


m 


:i  ! : 


Is   tlu!    fa 


tlllU' 


iitiiviv   uaiil- 


IV   sunk    III 


placed  thfiv 
ic's  stood  f'oiii 
[,^-'S    Ibetj    ill 

I'l-'iiidccr  and 
■  li<-'    sticks. 


or 


1)}'   four-cor- 
rly  were  iln 


<>d    roots. 


nil 


Ith 


,  eyes,  aiK 


eiit    the   ev( 


leie   sti 


il    1; 


CI 


ose    he- 


ll,  coiisislii 


I)ears.  Sail- 
iin<^  hetwitn 
i.'i'I   straiidfd 


tent 


feet 


s    Wric 


pastured."' 
I  l>y  NordLii- 


L'lit    d 


ei'aui'- 


;"o    aeciiiiivi! 


It    ha.    i 

fallu-il, 

It    on    1 

'le    praci 


nTii 


iiiil 


K'ln 


nalnialisi- 


tiiev 


.  fjn 


ll:l\c 


1    liv    llinii 


1  lia-.  iiiailc 


695 


ihil 


m; 


ivn/f/mjvsh'/huys  r/!i.:,'A/.'A  rmjvs. 


.:  i!'  '  it.i: 


.  ,..  „,„,„„, ,  „„, „,,„^,,,„^,^.^  ,,,,^  ^^^^^^^^^  ^^1  __^^^^^_^^ 

lo«.,..l  :.,„!  h^.  ,.,,,., ph,cal  work  „r  thcoxpcliti,,,,,;  .lK.!,c„,„prc.hc,„ivx. 

"..|""-.»  rc.sja,-,l,„„  ,he  .seal  a,ul    whale   lishcrics   i„   „„    ,.„,„,   ,,,,.    . 

...."..;„.„,„  ,.r  „.o  p,.vi„„sly  „„„.sp..o,„l   nchnc,,  i„  fi.h  „r  ,lK.  «.u 

"I   S|....l,a..c.,„  the  .liscvcrios  o„  Hea,-  I „1  a,„I  .Spi..b„,c„   „r  .„„. 

sKloraM.  »,ra.a  „r  cal  a,Kl  pl„„ph,„ic  n,i„ual.,  „hi,|,  „,,,  „,,,,  ,„  ,,^, 
or  «m„  economic  importance  lo  neighhorin^,  countries;  an.l,  al.'ovc   ,„ 

he  s,.cce»  „r  the  „v„  ,a»,    e.pe,iiti„„,   in    teacinn,.   the   ,n„„ths   of  i,,; 

arse  hthenan  ,iver»-thc  Ohi  an.l  Yeni»ei_navi.a..lc  ,o  tlu-  coniine,  „, 
Unna,  wIktcI,,-  a  problcn  in  navigation,  many  centnrics  ol.l,  has  at  I  ,s, 
been   solved." 

Tlu-se   experiences   an.l    labors   had   prepared    Nordenskiold  for   the 
J^roattnumph    he  was  to   achieve  a  few  years   later,  .nakin,.   his  ..„„.,. 
allele,]  success  the   hard-earned  and  well -deserved    result  of  constant  n, 
dcavor,  not  a   hap-hazard  achievement  or   h.cky  hit.     He   fou<d.t  •.  Ivud 
and  lon<,-continued  series  of  battles  with   the  ice  kinj,,  ascertain.  l,oth 
h.s  stron,.  and  his  weak  points.   ,Six  times  he  had  met  the  enemy  o„  ,.,„, 
a.ul  sea,  in  (Jreenlan<l  and   .S,,itzber,.en,  before  encountering,  hhn  <,fr  ,1.. 
north  coast  <,f  Siberia.      With  the    two  voyages  thitherward  in  .87,  and 
'S76    Nordenskiold  himself  connects  his  seventh   voya.^e  in  1S78,  which 
was  destn^cd  to  make  bin,  one  of  ,hc  n.ost  fan.ons  navigators  the  w,„hl 
iK.s  ever  seen.     "After  my  return  from  the  vova.^^,.  .,f  ^S^G^  he  s.vs   u  r 
came    .0   the    coneh,si.„    that  on    the    j^round  of  the  experience    therehv 
^anu.d,  and  of  ,he  knoul..!^.  which,  under  the  li^ht  of  that  expe,ienc-; 
-t  was  possible  to   obtain  ,Von.  old,  especially  fVom    Russian   explo.a.i,  J 
"'    "-  --^l— t  of  Asia,  I  was  wanante.1  in    asserting   that   the  .pen 
n.-.able  water  which  two  years  in  succession  bad  carried  n.e  across  .he 
Kara  Sea  .-lornuTly  of  so  bad  repu.e-,o  the  n.ou.b  of  the  Yenisei,  ex- 
t-ledn,   all    proI>ability  as  tar   as    HebrinV.    Straits,  and  iba,  a  nrnan- 

uav,;,ation  of  the  Old  World  was  thus  within  , be  bounds  of  possibiliu  "' 

I  1-  ^reat  navigator,    I  Indson,  .70  years  be  "   v,  bad   sa.islie,!  hinwlf 

that  the    Northeast    Passage  could    never  be  loun,l  an    available  ,.>,.,e  ,i.,- 


If  V 


kiold  for   the 


,,  '  ■  607 

tne  commcnvof  the  Kicf     v-.f  *i 

w"i"...H>.  an,,  c.,;;::„„ ;:  ;:':^-,:«;-» '"  •'-  '"-"■ i.T 

■•-i"". "..  -Hnin,  .„„„„„,„  Jr.: ';:::;:  "■ ""  "■"^-  "■  "■^■ 

'"  .lie  ,„„,„hs  ,„■  ,|K.  ,,rea.  rivers  „r  Si,,.  " '  ,""^'"'""  »  '->• 

' ''■ '."  "-••-'">•"  - .0,.  a ....:;, .,::;"";  ;,"■"""-• 

.■•■,><.■,  since  .,,.  Snc.  Canal  l,a.,  ,„,„„„,,  ...  ,  „  '  ■"'^'  '"    ^■""'  I-- 

«'nM  open  ,.,„■.,  ,,e,nis|„K.,-e  t„  c„m„,e  ■■  "  ""  ""•"""•"•• 

"-  ■"•a.ncu,, ,  an,,  r  ,e,>  pn,,     ^         '    '      "' """'"■'^'  "'^- ^■^'""■'- 

t'^^"— • -■■•-ttx;r:;:r'::r-r- 

Canjim^- t,,e  products  „ril,e,„i,,vi,i,„,    •    ,      '^"""^   "'^■^'™  "I  ex. 

-  A-n-ea,  .,„,.. ,. .., ,  „:  :;,;:;;  "^;";  - ■■-  -■  '■:."•..,. 

fa-.,-  .,,e   p„„re..,,eni.ens„r  ,„,.re    "^      '  '  7'''""  '"'*'  "•^■'■ 

•'■men,.  ,„  i,„r„.,„ce  „n  a  ,ar.,e  .,,1      ,  '  "'"'  "'"""'^^  ''^' 

'•■--•'■ac..n„,r;.sd;i,i:t:"'  '  "'"  -"»"""^"'""  ^i^.-  ■>. 

-ve,,,.,  a,„n,,    „,e  „„r,„  eoaj  S^,  ,:':'"  "-,■"— -l"-« 

""-  --e„  an,,  .„e  experiences  ..,ine     '  ,"  T       -'^  ""'"   ""'  "- 

.*..>. ,.e,, ,..  n..e,,,an3. ;:!:::::— ™^^^^ 
'  :t:'"  r' "''"'' '^  ^■'"™' '"•'- '^^'" -•'■ -"-"-- 

est  ,         :"■"  "r"''""^"-^'-  "^"'  "-■'■  "  -'-i-'t-fSOCraphiea,  in.;, 

-t/o,    at, cast  two  .„„„sa„.|   ,,,„,,.     „..„„,   ,ean,e,,,  a,  has  ,,een  else 


6f*8 


FUNDS   CONTRIBUTED. 


whor    ,e,a  „.  m  .h.s  voh,™o,  thae  Russian  navigators  especially  P„„. 
seh.che.,  Lapeew  and  Chelyuskin,  „i.l,   very  inadequate  resource,    " 
come  very  near  doubling  .„e  north  point  of  Asia.   In  view  of  these 
and  h,s  own  experience  of  those  regions  in  tS,,  ,„d  ,S,fi  I  , 

...re,™,  that  their  failure  was  due  rather  to  til  iCSl^rr:   ^ 
els    nrpioyed,  than  to  any  insurnrountahle  obstacles  presented  by  the  i 
and  tha    a  suong,  wel|.ec,uipped  steamer  would  be  able  to  ,L,etr t.' 
where  they  had  faile.1.    Tirese  Siberian  coasters  were  too  frail  t    e  c ot 
ter   he  .ccpack,  and   being  usually  flat-bottomed,  keelless,  and  held    „ 
gether  w,.h  willows,  were  equally  unfit  for  the  open  se,;     N        ,d  .^ 
escaped  ,r.s  notice  that  these  Russian  navigators  had  aU  strangely  mi 
calculated  the  most  favorable  season  of  the  year  for  their  el^ortr  , 
.7+0  an  expedition  un<ler  the  mates  Minin  and  SterlegofT,  aitfr  ,„„ 
expernnents  n.   ,73s  and  ,739,  had  succeeded  in  reaching  75^  ,3!  Ji 
of  .1.  month  of  the  Yenisei,  when  they  returned  on  the    "of  Se      ^ 
bar,  because  of  the  supposed  lateness  of  the  season 

NordenkslOld  was  in  possession  of  some  funds  placed  at  bis  disposal 
for  the  purposes  of  exploration  by  the  merchant  A.  Sibiriakoff;  but  co„ 

outfit  than  these  funds  would  warrant,  he  applied  .0  tire  king  to  a'ccr- 
^nn  whether  any  aid  might  be  expected  from  the  public  funds.     .  Kin- 
Oscar  wo  already  as  crown  prince  had  given  a  large  contribution  ,: 
the  T  .ell  exped.fon  of  ,S6,,  immediately  received  the  proposition  with 
specal  warm.  ."     Eventually  all  the  expenses,  less,  bowe'ver,  the 
tnbut,o„s  „t  the  governme„t-i„  p.ay,  ration,  and  supplies  of  U^rce  o.fi. 
cers,  n,cludn,g  a  physician,  and  seventeen  ,nen  detailed  from  the  nuy 

ZI""T^  :r"'""""^  in  equipment  of  the  ve....|  at  the  nation:' 
ock-yards  a    Karlskrona,  not,  however,  to  cxcee.l '  $6,675,  a.ul  in  naval 
2^,  «.elu.l.ng  nredlcines,  to  the  extent  of  $a,750-were  de.Vaved  l,. 
tlK  k">S,Dr.D,ckson,andMr.Sibi,iakorr.     Dickson  acted  a,  banker' 
sui>plymg  ready  cash  as  needed  by  the  expedition 

Besides  his  .share  of  the  general  expense,  Sib.riakoff  authorize.1  Xor- 
densk,„ld  to  build  a  small  stea.ner  r.t  his  expense,  to  act  as  tenderer 
store-sh,p  .0  the  exploring  vessel  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Lena,  „  hcacc 


TUB  VEOA. 
she  wa»  to  retum  wi.h  a  cargo  o„   hi,  acco,.„f  and  to  fi, 
chantme,,,  one  a  steamet  an.l  the  othot  .  ,  °"'  '*°  '""'■- 

'Ik-  Yenisei,  wl,ich  were   .„  Iv.ve  c  T""  ™"''  '°'  "^°  '"'"■*  "' 

out,  an,l  Siberian  grain    Lack.  '  '  ""y'^Europcan   goods 

The  next  important  prchniinarv  wi,  ih,. 
'■'■•  ">e  voyage,  and  the  choice  felf      I      ,  """'•t  °'  ^'  '■=''^"  -'••""« 
was  thn,  described   b,  the  o^ner.  ^^''^":  ^^^^'^  ""=" 

to  which  the  pnrchaser.  found  no  tea  o.^o  T"'  "^^'^  "  •"■■'='■"■'■"" 
--net  Vega  was  built  at  Bre,ncrl,aveu  i„  ,s,,  ^Z  7T"^  "  '"'" 
"nder  special   inspection.     She  l,a,  twelve    vcr^.  fi  ''^•^"'"''' ™! 

.»  ..1-357  tons  gross,  and  .33  „,,  b„  "  \  "  ''■"■'^''-  -Ps.er,  and 
whale  Hshing  in   the  North  Poi'ts'  ,  "'"  ""'"  ""''  '"-"  f" 

necessary,  and  comntonly  used  for  U  •  t'  '"■'■'"•"'^"«'   '"  -"r  way 

"^•H".  ..r  oal.  she  Has  1   iccslt  Z::.    "r^^^  •"^-  "-"  "•- 

he  expected  to  con,e  at  Iter  timbers      T,  e  '  ""'  '""'  '""^ 

■'-■'<■  '43.3  rect.  .eel,  ,33,;  hreadUt  o'b  r':!"::  '"7^-"^"^  -" 
•5  leet.  The  engine,  of  »i..y  Itorse-povve  1 1,?;,  ",,  ^■'"'"  °^''°'''• 
excellent  surface  con.leusers,  and   rcca,i!  '  "'"'■•  "■«!' 

h^'»    p.tch-p„,c    masts,  iron   wire    ri,-.i„..    ■„„,      7  "■''"°'  "'"' 

■She  sails  and  maneuvers  nncommoni;  .eU       d   !  d      'Tf    '""'"'■ 
•■•^P-"  of  nine  ,„  ten  knots.     During  th  '.  i  T, '""  ^"°"=  ""™^ 

»cve,.  and  a  half  knots   hut  siv  ,„  '''  ""^  ""^"■"^  "lade 

e.«i.he  speed  unders;:-^;..  ::,::"  '>"•  "7-  --V  ^-"n^i..- 
A.1  steam  winch,  a  reserve   rndder  and  ■,  ,•  >  '"'  ^'"''■"'■- 


CHAPTER    LXXVI. 

SC,ENT,P,C    .„.,«_,„,,„,„„    .,.„„,,_,„„,,,,,,   „„^^^^    ,^_^_       ; 
K«E„_cr,A„A„OVA_SAM„VH„     ..U-K  -  T„K,„     ,„.:a,,„.„,    ;,,,,,; 

TMH     aU»S,ANS-.,.„K    „0„SH„OI.I>    „ODS    OK    T,,,,    SAMOV,M,s  _  > 
TADII5K.  " 

Every  „K„lcrn  appliance  l,a.l  l,een  leaned.    Sciomific  l„«„,„,e„l„;„. 
a...ono,„,cal,  physical,  .ne.eo.olo.ieal  a„,l  .eo^raphical    .coarclH.  ,,,,, 
bee,,  f,,,.,„«  „,  by  ,he  Royal  Aea.lcy  „f  Seie„ce»,  a,,.,  a.nple  pn.visi,, 
-de  f„,.  .  e      ealth  a„<,  welbbei,,,  ,.r  .„e  ,,„.„  ,„„„„„,,  I,,,^,   , 
Vega,  already  described,  left   the    ha,.l,<,r  .,f  Ka,l,kro„a   „„    the  .„,  „f 
.Iu„e,  ,87s,  on  he,-  ,„era„,-able  voyage.     He,-  c,-cw  c„„m«c,I  „f  seve,«o..„ 
me,,  „f  ,l,e  Royal  Navy,  i„  cha.-.c  ,.;   Lieu.s,  A.  A.  1..  Pal„,e,  a„d  I'  .  ' 
B,usewi..,  wi,h  Pala„der  i„  co„„„a„.l  of  *e  .hip,  a,  „c.i,„.  .aptai,,,;:; 
R.   N,ls,o„   a»  .aili„g.,„a«e,-.       Mcue.   A.   Ilovgaa,.!,  of  the    l.a,„.|, 
Navy,  a,„I  C.  Rove,  oC  the   Italia,,,  who  ba.l  ol,tai„„l   per,„is«i„„  ,„  ,,, 
co„,pa„y  the  expedition,  a„.l  Kerve,  ,cpeetivcly,  an  snpe,-!„tende„t.  ofi,< 
nieleo,-olosieal  an.l   hydrog,aphical  ,vork,  „e,e  also  o„   l,„a„|      „„  ,1„. 

2+th   the  Vega  arrived  at  Copchagen  to  .hip  p,-ovisl„„s,  and  Icavi,, 

the  .6th,  pat  in  at  Gothenburg  „„  the  .y.h  ,„  ,ak,  ,„oa,,l  the  scicuilic 
equ,p,„e,„»  and  the  ge,„le,nen  in  eha,ge  of  the  scvcal  depar,„,e„K  „f 
^.,t  worU-F.  R.  Kiell,.a„.  botanist;  A.  .1.  ,S,nxbe,-g,  .Mogi. ;  ,,„„, 
O.  Nordqtnst,  o,  the  Russian  Guar.ls,  assistant  .lologis,  and  i„,„p,.,,o,-; 
-Kl  E,  Alnumist,  hchcnologist  and  nu-dieal  office,  of  the  cxpediti,,,,. 
ies,dcs  the  Vega,  with  he,-  c„n,pany  of  thirty  pe.sons,  of  wh,  „,  ,„„,. 
fonr  we,-e   seamen,  the  others    being  offices,  enginecs  and  scictist;, 

the   other   three  vessels   already    referred    to,  an.l    which  be , 

the   tnerchant,  Sibiriakoff,  were   at  the  disposal  of  the  con.n.ande,  of 

700 


Tim    VEGA   LEAVES  GOTllBNnURG. 


701 

..I  flag-sh,,,.     They  were  the  sleam-tender  Lena  Ch,'  »■       ,  u 
captain;  the  steamer  Eraser  Emil  Nfikf  "  ■'°''^""'=''™. 

,r  ,      „  '^""''^''*'»°"'':»Pta'",amlthesailin„ves.,.l 

■.XP.C.S,  „,„,er  Captai,,  G„„.,er„„„,  „,.„  .heir  respective  corps  o'f  !       ' 
"Ihcers  a„.l   crew,,,  „,„1  S.J.  Seribrie„l<„ir  as  s„pere-,r.,o  an  , 
.ive  of  .„e  c„,na,ercia.  interests  of  the  owner  ^ZT^     T"''''' 
>vere  to  „,ee.  the  Ve,a  a,,.,  her  ten.ler  at  Chaharlv    0,:;::^ T"'^" 
Vai.ats  Sonn.,    „in,  between  the  isianU  of  that  naJL?;     't:^. 
■   -.ian.,,  whtch  was  also  the  appoin.c  rendezvous  of  the  Lena  sZu 
^  e  .e.  separate.,  tro™  .„e  Vega.    The  nanK-  Yugor  is  derived  from 
.  .1  name  o,  the  adjo.ning  portion  of  the  continent,  Jngaria  or  V^a 
he  s npposed  n.termednde  sea.  of  „..  „„.„,„„„„  „„^^^.„  ,„^^,.  ^^ 
.ne  ,„.,„  .„e,r  ongn.al    Tartar  ho.ne  in  Centra,  ..sia  and   their  nri!  1 

"'"""-""■'■  "■  '"^■"-  ■"--"'   '-«".",  toward    .he  close  of  the  nh  t , 

century  of  our  era.  "^" 

O..  the  ,.h   of  ,,n,y  the  Ve»a  left  Go.henbnr.,  ,,„.  eneounterin. 
"ca.,.wn,ds  „,    .„e  west  coast  of  Norway,  her  progress  was  slow,  andli 
-  ".'""...>  .he  ,7   ,  that  she  reached  Tromsoe,  where  she  was    o  tal 

;- :  'T  '  '■'""  "'  >•'""'  '"■  '''■  '-■""•     ""^'  'h-  shipped 

-c  walrns-hnnters,  and   sneh   special    Arctic  ec,.,ipments  as'  reindeer 

--.    >-.  cs  coa,  and  water.     On  .he  3,st,  about  lifteen  d.ays  ,ator  than 

™.lc.l,  .,u,.  se.  .an  on   the    regular  voyage,  ,«al<ing   for   Maossoe,  a 

am  ,s,and  ,     the  Northern  Archipelago,  where  they  were  to  have  their 

1-.   anol   ,ac,ht,es.      Here   .hey  were  detained   three  days  ,,y  adverse 

"-*,  ...stead  of  that  many  hours,  as   anticipated.     Thev  were   hospita- 

!■  >■  cntertan.ed  by  the  Inlrahi.ants,  and  Nordenskiflld  records  as  the  chief 

»lvaa.agc  of  ,he  .lelay  an  effeCive   remedy  for  scurvy.     The  cold,  we. 

.  a-..eo,  the  island    makes  the  disease  an  endemic,  which   attacks  a,l 

classes  and  conditions  of  the  inhal,itants;  but,  "  Aceor<li„g  ,0  a  statement 

a.a.  c  by  a  lady  resident  on  the  spot,  very  severe  attacks  are  cured  with- 

"".  ta.l,  by  cloud-l,erries  preserved  in  rum.     Several  spoonfuis  are  -dven 

■he  pal.ent  daily,  and  a   couple  of  quarts  of  the  medicine   is  s.aid  l  bo 

sall.ceut  for  the  complete  cure  of  child,-en  severely  attacketl  bv  the  d!s. 

ca«e."      Pbe  cl„u,l-l,crry  is  recogni.c.l  as  an  efficient  anli-scorbutie,  and 


703 


SCIENTIFIC  NOTES. 


if!  -' 


perhaps  ,n.,v  ho  tht.s  more  conveniently  taken,  hnt  it  owes  nothing,  of  its 
efticacy  to  the  rum. 

Amon;,  the  first  scientific  notes  of  the  expedition  was  one,  which  was 
due  to  their  unexpected  detention.  It  was  ohserved  that  the  sweet  hire', 
now  grows  only  in  favored  spots  so  far  north,  while  forn.erly  the  outer 
-lands  of  the  Archipelago  were  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth,  indie-, 


THE   CI.Ol.'DUKKRV. 

ting   a   gradual    lowering   of  the   general    tc 


mpcrature.        In    Siherin   it 


grows  ,o  aboue  a  ,lofr,-ce  fi„,hor  ,„.,,h,  „,•  p  V,vvi„„  ,„  ,„,.  ,.,,,,,  ,„,,„„„ 
of  wa„„  .-atc,.  ..„n,c.  l,v  the  .,-o,,t  rivers  every  sunum-,  n,.,n  ,h,.  ,„„ro 
gon,;,  s.„„l,vr„  climes  thn.usl,  wl,iel,  ,l,ey  llow.  The  .lu^.f-hirel,  i, 
foun,l  s,x  .legree.  fi„.,her,  „„  „„.  ,,,.  Fi.„,|  i„  ,Spi„l,e,-„en,  jS  -^  1„„ 
nscs  ,l,ere  „„ly  ,„  a  fe.v  inches  al„,ve  .he  gn„„„l.     U   is  ,„„.  h.l.^e 


THE    VEGA  ANn  LENA   SEP AI, ATE 

any  spcae.  of  the  hh-ch  that  ,.ow,s  Hu-thc-st  t.>  the  „onh  in  S",      •     . 
spec.es  of  the  hnnly  birch.  'Siberia,  but  a 

Leavin-    Maossoe    oi,    (he    '-(h    .1, 

SounU,   between   the    i.an,,,-;C:rT"^^'''''^ 

which    is    known    as    North  Cane  '    """    ^"^"""'^^^   "^^ 

Ve.aan.   Lena  pa...eae    !,.::;,:;       ^7''':'-''^  The 

-dea  on  its ..,  to  chabi;:::;  V  r^^^^^^^^ 

-'^'^^"    =•    ^^v    n.,es  of  the    ...    eo^     J  I^V^T^"   "^   ^^    ^ 

si^^hted   on   the   3Sth   at  70"  ,v  bv  .r  -    '  '   "'"^'^  ^"^^-^ 

^_.  _       -^^       ^5'     >^  '  ^'■•'^t'  '■»   about  seventy-five 


nWA,(|.R„  TKKKS  IN  SIMKRIA. 

hours  from  Maossoe.     This  u-m  .,luw,<      •  i 

J  HIS  was  al)out  midwav  between  fho   AT  <•  ^    1  • 
Sohar,  or   Sound,  and   Yt.-or  Schar       Tl       I  Matotschn, 

.ms;  .,1  Bare,,,,.  L.T„I  awaylo  the  „.,r,l,,  i„  ,a,i„„l,.  „  ■  .„,.  I, . 

"^^•': ;  ™;--  -"■  '"^ «-  -  ..K.  ca,.,  "•:::::: 

^■™;-..i.   A,,  acc..„„.  „r  „,  .,.,„^,.„  ,,,,  „„„     .^,_  ^;         - 

i.a,c„tz  Hay,  o„  tho  oasl  cast  „r  |ia,v„li.  L„„l    ,  ,■  ■ 


76".     On  the  yth  of  8« 


ptcinber,  1S71,  Capt.  Carl 


SLMi,  a  Norwe- 


ri 


-t  i 

li 

i  ill  ■ 

! 

I 

j   3| 

4 

■  i  ffl. 

704 


DISCOVER r  OF  BARENTZ^  HOUSE. 


jian,   while    circuinnavigatin<?    Nov: 


:bh 


discovered   the    house 
w.t.    ,nany  intorestin,.    relics,  in  a    remarkable  state    of    preservation' 
and  brou,H.t  then  home,  whence  they  found  their  way,throu,.h  the  .e.l' 
of  Barent.'s  countrymen  to   the   Ila.a.e,  ^vhere   they  are  carefully  p.-^ 
served.     ^^  No  man,"  says  Markham,  "  has  entered   the   lonely  dwellin^; 
where  the  famous  discoverer  sojourned  during  the  long  winter  of  ,-J 
for  nearly  three  centuries.     There  stood  .'.o  .o«,!dng  pans  over  the  fin.' 
place,  the  old  clock   against  the  wall,  th  the   tocls,  the  drinkin<." 

vessels,  the  instruments  and   the  books  th..  .eguiled  the  wx>ary  hours  of 
that  long  night  375  years  before.      Perhaps  the  most   touching  relic  is 
the  pan-  of  sn.all  shoes.     There  was  a  little  cabin-boy  among  the  crevv 
who  d.ed,  as  Gerrit  de  Vere  tells  us,  during  the  winter.     This   account^ 
for   the  shoes   having  been  left  behind.      There  was  a   flute,  too,  once 
played  by  that  poor  boy,  which  still  gives  out  a  few  notes." 

The  more  southern  of  the  twin  islands  of  Nova  Zembla  is  separated 
from  Vaigats  Island,  to  the  south  by  the    Kar.    Part,  or  passage    to 'the 
Kara  Sea.  The  part  of  f       island  which  was  now  sighted  by  the  Ve^.'s 
con.pany  is  known  as  Gooseland,  because  of  the  great  numbers  of  ^eese 
and  swans  which  breed  there.     By  the  end  of  June,  or  early  in  July  the 
greater  part  of  Gooseland  is  free  of  snow,  and  soon  the  Arctic  flori'dis 
closes   all  its  splendor  for  a   few  weeks.      Giving  themselves  plenty  of 
sea-room,  but  in  the  main  following  H.e  t.end  of  the  land,  they  proceeded 
to  the  southeast,  and  farther  on,  east-southeast,  to  Vaigats  Island,  of  which 
they  had  an  excellent  view,  the  air  being  exceptionally  clear.     From  tlie 
Murman  Sea  to  the  west  it  seemed  a  level,  grassy  plain,  but  on  approach- 
mg  the  Sound,  low  ridges  were  seen  on  the   east  side,   which  were  re 
garded  by  Nordenskiold   as   the   last  spurs   of  the   great   Ural    Ran<.e 
They  foimd  the  merchantmen  awaiting  them  when  they  arrived  at  Ch.' 
barova   on   the   30th,  and   the  Lena  put  in  an  appearance  the  next  day 
The   Fraser  and   Express  had  left  Vardoe  Island  off  the  northeast  coast 
of  Norway  on  the  13th,  and  had  been  in  harbor  since  the  30th. 

The  village  of  Chabarova  was  found  to  consist  of  a  Samoved  en- 
campment and  several  cabins.  These  were  occupied  by  nine  Russian  trad- 
ers from  Pustosersk,  about  400  miles  distant,  on  the  Petchora,  >vith  liieir 


the    house, 

■'^servation, 
r'l  the  zeal 
^'tully  p.e- 

■1-  of  1556^ 
!•  the  fire- 
drinkiiKr. 

ft 

^  hours  of 

^S  i-ch'c  is 

the  crew, 

accounts 

too,  once 

separated 
',^   to  the 
10  Vec^a's 
of  <,reese 
J^b'^  the 
flora  (lis- 
plciity  of 
roceeded 
of  which 
^'I'oin  tlie 
jproach- 
vere  re- 
Range, 
at  Cha- 
cxt  day. 
;ist  coast 

ned  en- 
an  trad- 
th  their 


W»«;//,/,/,M(#i''* 


'•>•»//"'*.  !//«<,  t'S'lii/'n/""-^^: 


BAKENTZ'  noUSli.        (UXTHIUOK.) 


BARENTZ'  HOUSE,        (l«TBR,l,R.) 


[  i 
I- 1 


V>'A 


B 


706 


S AMOVED  LIFE. 


SamoyccI  servants.    The  tents  wcv  ..ccupied  by  .  Samoyed  tribe,  which 
make  thi.s  its  usual  sum.ner  ren.lezvous,  Vai^ats   Island   a/Fordin.^  ..ooci 
pasturaj^e  for  reindeer.     The  Russians  who  Torn,  a  ilshinj,  artel,  or  c.>,n 
pany,  quit   Pustosersk  ..fter  Easter  an.l  return  about  the  n.i.ldle  of  Octo' 
bcr.     besides  their  equipments  fi,r  fishing  they  brin<,  such   articles  as  ■„., 
smted  tor  trade  with  the  Samoyeds;  an.l  with  barter,  fishing,  and  the  c'.re 
ol   remdeer,  of  whicii  they  own   several   hundred,  they   usually   m.le  , 
profitable  sojotun.      The   annual    produc'  of  train  oil  alone  ran-a-s  fV.>,n 
i,30o  to  1,500  pounds,  of  which  their  patron  St.  Nicholas  receives  ■,  re-, 
ular  tenth,  bein.^r  nia<lc  an  equal  shareliolder  with  the   nine  active   nicm 
bers  of  the  (Ishinff  guild.    The  summer  occupations  of  the  Samoyeds  -,rc 
snndar,  and  in  winter  some  retire  to  Pustosersk,  while  others  proceed  to 
Western  Siberia,  where  corn  is  cheap.     They   own  caveat  herds  of  rein 
deer,  the  chief  man,  or  elder  of  the  tribe,  ownin.i,^  a])out  a  thousan.l     1„ 
stead  of  dividin.g  witii  St.  Nicholas,  althou.gh   most   of  the.n    have  heo„ 
baptized,  and  are  nominally  Christians,  ,hcy  reserve  their  pious  offerings 
for  the  shrmes,  or  .groves,  of  their  ancient  idols,  of  which  there  still  ^Zi 
several  sanctuaries  on  X'aigats  Island.     They  have  been  known  to  nv.l  e 
pdgrimages  of  a  thousand  miles  to  the  more  famous  altars,  or  pl.ccs  of 
sacrifice,  of  the  ancient  religion.       The  Russians  call  the  Samoyed  idols 
bolvani,  tliat  is,  rude   images-equivalent  to  the  Samoye<l    name,  sjad.ci 
from  .9/,,,  physiognomy;  and  exhibit  toward   them  a   sort    of  reverential 
respect.      Indeed,  each  party  is  getting  remarkablv  tolerant  of  the  s.mcr 
stitions  of  tiie  others.       The   ikons  or  sacred  images  of  the  Russians  an.l 
the/Wt.r7;A.of  theSamo3-eds   hold   alnnit   the  same   relation    in    fhe  rcli 
gious  systems  of  their  respective  worshipers.      I„  domestic  life  there    ne 
two  important  difFerences  between  the  two  races,  one  in  favor  of  each  as 
factors   of  advancing  civilization.      "The    Samove.l    has    one    „r   more 
wives;  even  sisters  may  marry  the  same  man.    Marriage  is  entered  „pon 
without  any  solemnity.     The  wives  are  consider^  bv  the  men  as  lu.vino- 
equal  rights  with  themselves,  and  are  treated  aecor.linglv,  which    i.  very 
remarkable,  as  the  Rnssians,  like  other  Christians,  consider    the   uo.nan 
as     in     certain      respects     inferior     to     the     man."        \\^x,    a     Suiioved 
'wife-murderer    has    been    known    to    plead    in    his    own'  defense    th:.t 


;::::;' ."""^"'' '""" '- '- ^ -->•  -l.  ..» i.  n...  .u„ 

Tim  lilil.   h,„,|„  ,„„p,„,„.i|      „,j„,„,,i    , 
»vc.n,:   »i,„il..„- l,.,nd,  i„„.  „.hid,  ,„.,,„,  ,,;,,,  '' '■"■"""'    '"    ™=    "f 

,    .,     .     .  '"'"''^  ^'^^'••'■'^'^''>o'n  the  White  Sc-i  to  ,K 


>^'|4?t^ 


S AMOVED  SLKnr.E, 

::;;■'■  ''"-■  '''■"">■  "•^'»'™'  <"■  i"-'  -  n-- 1. ■.mc.s  t,,,,.,.  h,.,,,,,,  ,, 

unisl  vKos,,f  (1,0  I!.iroponn.;.        Thov.„.„  ,  >''>•■" "ul  the 

'' • - > « vi:n..„„Hao:,v:  .„ :  ;ix::r' 1 

''■";■"•■"■"•';:--■ •-'■^■■-....v.-.u.. :  V^,  C 

;'::"::' ;r':™-  -'--"■■"■'^" ■■> -  -„  „.,..,.  .„,.  „::,;: 

'  """""'  ■'  '""""^'  -  "'"'"■«.  '^  -■«.  -  ie  were  u,,.  of  .he  ..pea! 


708 


A    TAD/BE. 


ihl 


il)lo  II 


;imo."     Certain  it  is  tiiat  they  re-rard  him  as  far  ab 


.t)ovc  the  aflfairsof 

tnoM,  aii.l    Ihc-ir    worship   is   mainly  directed    to  the  inferior  jrods  reprc 
scMitf.l  In-  ihc  i.lois  above  referred  to.      Small  idols  they  carry  about  with 
tlieni,  and  the  lar<,'er  ones  are  kept  in    the   sanctuaries   of  the   race.        hi 
every  train  tiiere  is  a  sledi^e  devoted  to  conveyinj?  the  idols  of  the  wlicR. 
tribe.       Amon-   the    honsehold    crods,   or  /uihc,  of  a  Samoyed,  is  „ne  to 
watch  over  the  health  of   liis  family,  another  over  his  marital   relations,  a 
ti'ir.I  over  his  reindeer,  and    a   fourth   over  his  fishin-  nets  and  otiicr  i,'„'. 
plements  ,.f  the  chase  for  food    „n   land   or   water.       Whenever  tiie  scr- 
vices  of  any  of  these   is   reciuired,    he   is   taken   from    his   repository,  liis 
mouth  is  smeare.1  with  blood,  and  a  dish  of  f...h  or  blood  is  set  before  liini. 
When  his  ai.l  is  no  longer  required  he  is  hustled  away  into  his  receptacle,' 
without  ceremony.       In  his  relations  with  these  he  is  his  own  priest;  hut 
with  tile  invisible  spirits  which  hover  about  in  the  air,  and  are   hostile  to 
.nan,  he  refjuires  the  services  of  a  tadibc  or  sorccror.    This  worthy,  when 
<lischarging  the  .luties  of  his   sacred   office,   wears  peculiar  robes,' a  vcl 
cloth  veils  his  face  and  eyes,  and  a  plate    of  polished    metal   shines  „po„ 
his  breast.     He  takes  his  drum  or  tambourine  and  walks  around  in  a  my. 
row  circle,  heating  the  instrument,  at   first     lowly  and  gentlv,  then  with 
increasing  energy,  while   he   chants  a   mystic  hymn.       Soon  the  freiuv 
grows,  his  eye  gleams  with  a  strange  fire,  he  foams  at  the  mouth,  he 
pounds  the  tambourine  with  hicreasing  and  spasmodic  violence,  an-i'th. 
melody  becomes  a  raving  shriek,  or  savage  howl.    He  now  sits  down  and 
receives   the  tnessage   of  the   spirit,  and   announces   it   to  the  intercstnl 
party.       The  tadibcs  do  not  seem  to  be  conscious  impostors;  they  arc  in 
the  main,  self-dcceivcd.    Some,  however,  know  how  to  practice  the  nvoII- 
known  feats  of  jugglery  which  have  attracted  so   much   attention  nearer 
home.    A  smart  (adil>c  will  take  his  seat  on  a  reindeer  .kin,  or  on  a  chair 
with  his  hands  and  feet  tied,  an.l  having  the   light   lowered   or  removal,' 
wdl  proceed  to  summon  spirit  help  to  release  him  from  his  bonds.     Un' 
expected  noises  announce  the  approach  of  the  helping  spirits-hears  ar. 
heard  to  growl,  snakes  to  hiss,  and  squirrels  to  whisk  their  tails       The 
spirits  never  seem  able  to  do  anything  without  these  accompaniments- 
strange  that  they  never  utter  any  sounds  but  such  as  srg  easily  within 


yAT/VE  PECULlAIUTtES. 


709 

.vach  .„•„,„„-,  taiuuvo  „„„„»;„„ „,    ,„„„.,    „_.,_ 

'•"""  ■"  -J-'-,,.,.  „„  „„,e„i,„  ,„.. ,,„ ..„  j,.,„., , :, 

<!'>   as, well  without   their   ai.j.        A    ,vii,i    i      ,      ,  ,  " 

•  ">••         ,v    wild     |()()<      h;i"-"-ir(      f'l,.,.     C.  1     1 

Th.s..  ,„„.„a,i.„s   ,„„„„.    ,„..   ,„..„„.,,,    ,„■  ,„.,,  ,,,„,   „,„,  ^_,^,,.,,^,^.^ 
.,..1  .con,,,,,,.,  „„.  „„,.,.  ,,,,„  „,.,„  „„,.  ,,^,^,^,_,^     ._  ,  

'"7  ■■"  '^■^"  "'^-  >■  '-  - ^-  -'i-ly  ,l.c.„„„.,„„  ,  „,„.,   ,      ' 

'"""'^~-  -'Vv  pu.  wi>„ „„^„,,,_ :„,„;; 

";.'     "  ■'^""■'"•V"  ■'"  '"""•  "■^'   "■'-  '" .^  .•-™  l.c'i...   .-V,...  .„.  I, 

' ■,'"■  """'■  '■""^■^■""■"'  -'--'.  ^"  a  „„„„.,„•,  ,„„;,,.     ,,„^,,. 

"•-M."..n",c-„t  ,.,v„  .,,id.    li,„,  .M.,,l„d„  „.,,,„,;,„  „„i,  ,,„,„' ,,:,,,;, 

«c.„K  „,...,.  „,a»  „rn,.l,i.,„,  .„d  „,  „„„„,,„,,■„„„,'  .,,,,,„„. 
.S,„„o.v.,  ,s  c..„.e.„  if  hi,  ,x.i„,,c.o.  ,„it  U.,,  „i,„  ,,,,  „,„,  „.,„.  ^;,,^, 
c,ux.  1,,  Ic  ,,„.  .^...  .,..  ,„■  e,„.  ,,,,,„„„  „,  ,,  ^,,^.,,„,.  ,^.^^^     ,^,,^^^        •  _^ 

/c„„,lcs,  how.vo,-,  cvi„cc  cnsidcrabk.  ta^.c  i„  drc.     Thn,-  1,0,,  ,„„:;i|, 
co„s„„  .,,  a  l„„g   .a,-,„o,„  „f  ,x.i„d.,T  ,ki„,  fi,th,„  cl„..lv   al  Ih.   „.',i„ 
an,l  ha„!,n„s;  i„  ^raoc-IU  fol.l,    ,„  „„    feet.     The  pctioJal   ha,  .n-,',  ,„: 

hctwoc,,;  „„,!  ,hc  hoo.s  a,v  laslcfully  cnhroidoro.l.  I)„t  it  i,  ,„  u,,,  .,, 
,..n,o,,,atia„  ..f  .hci,-  hair  ,ha.  th.y  .Icvo.c-  .1,.  „„„.  ,na,.ke,,  a...„.|„,, 
11  „  .hv„lc.l  „,l„  ,„„  !„„,,  l„,,i.l,  „.hich  a,-e  i„,c,-u„vo„  u-itl,  l„i„|,t.„,| 
»r..l  ribbons,  beads,  button,,  a„,l  s„,„l,.j,  n^.tallic  t,i„]<ot,,.  Th"e,e  „e 
.,..,st,cal]y  co„,i„nc,l  by  ,t,ap,,  whicl,  a,o  si,„ila,ly  o,na,„c.„tc,l  a„.l  nearly 
loach  tl,c  g,-,>u„d,  giving  the  i,n|„.e„ie„  ,bat  the  whole  i,  a  lu.n.ia,,' 
.i^Towth  of  jet-black  hair. 

Their  manner  of  lite  has  developed  a  piercing  eye,  a  sharp  ear,  a 
steau,  hand  and  a  fleet  foot,  but  taste  and  smell  are  either  defective  or 
ohtuse.     They  are  good-natured,  phlegmatic,  and  inclined  to  inelanchc,] v  • 


V  ) 

mtf  mt  I. 


1 


710 


SlIUlilAKOFF  ISLAND-POUT  DICKSON. 


.Uralcfiil,  liDspitahIc,  and  kind  ;  fivi-  I 


arc  ratlicr  <,'ivL'ii  Id  iiulolci 


Vom  iiiul  or  ri'VLMij^fful  fcclin;,'s;  Imt 


\v 


hii-l 


icf  and  a  sort  of  stoical  iiidillcrcMicc 


or 


1  I'Mcnds  to  c-vcii   the  final   exit  from  this  lilt-.      Like   al 


apatliy 


and    deet'ivT 


111    oppresMN 


people  they   arc  suspicions  of  tjieir  more  crafty  nci<,'lil 


nid  are  opposed  to  all    iimovatioiis,  not    inmat 


)()]  ■■ 


I  rally 


■^iispcctinj 


tl 


icni  of 


l.enii,'  <lisir,nscd  nijnncs.      They  have    hecii  crowded  from  their  I 


tures  and    within  nan 


)Cst 


ower    limits  from    year   t 


m/m 


,1,^   their   inahility    to    cope    with    the   st 


<>   year;  and   while    reco.r. 


ronjfcr 


they 


H-rown   sidlen   an.l    suspicious.      Their   lan.i,Mia},a-   is   of  the    a--l 
type,   that  is,  tile    relations  of  words  to  each  other    in  a  scute 


have  ncccssarilv 


ntin 


iti\e 


lice  ar 


pressed  hv  sullixes  or  ten 


ninations,  ;,rliK.d  ,,m,  as  it  were,  at  th 


e  end 


V  e\- 


nrcn- 


ositions,  prefixes  and    inllections  I 


leniL'' 


1 


IV  a   < 


listinct 


ivc  sidlix 


It 


nnknown,  and  the  plin-al   niarkui 


closely  related  to  the  other  hranches  of  th 


IS,  however,  so   far  as   yet    known,  n 


ol      \\-x^; 


Nordenskiold 


c  so-called  Attaic  fa 


s  expedition  cpiil  tiicir  anchora.ije  o(F  Clial 


1st    of  Au-^nist,  and    steamed  thron-h    til 


mil\- 


KiiV)\a  on  tl 


J^^xprcss  into  the  Kara  Se 


e  sound,  the  1' 


laser  low 


in-'  llu 


1,  wl 


lich  extends  from  Nova  Zenihia  to  T 


1  eninsnia,   reccivin.i,r   tlie    watc^rs    of  the    Kara,   Ohi,    Tax,   ;,iid    ^ 
throng;!!  the  L,'ulfs  hcarinir  tl 


:nniur 


tlllscl 


le  same  names. 


It 


was  loinid  that  "n 


hie  portion  of  the  mass  of  fresh  water  which  t 

Ihe  Kara  Sea,  Hows    throu-h    Vai-ats   Sound   into    the   Atl 


o    Unta- 


lese  Lfreat  rivers  doi 


ir  mil 


inlic   ( )c 


and    that  durimr  autumn    th 


the    jd   thev   met   ii 


IS  sea  is   (|uite  avai.'ahle  for  navi"a 


tion. 


'can: 


Oi 


o    ice:   or.    tin 


<-■  3<l   only    ice   that   was   verv  o] 


and    m   the  evenin 


lotten,  |)rescntiii<^   no  ohstacli 

the   lar-e  island  of  Heli    Ostn.v.      The   Lena  had  been  d 

with   three   of  the   naturalists,   uiid 


)i'u  anil 


i,'  arrived   m  si'rju  df 


ispatcli 
er   orders   to   pass  through  tl 


c(l  alirad 


10     SOlllllI 


Which  separates  it  from  the  peninsula  of  Valmal.      0\\    tl 


SihiriakolF  Lsland    in  the    mouth  of  the    Y 


le    6th,   nassiiiL 


lerc 


Dickson— 73"    30'    l,y   8i°_on   Dickson    Island,    wl 
joined  hy  the  Lena  on  the  7th.      The  reader   will  rcco- 
patrons  o 

estuary  of  the  Yenisei.     Port  Dickson 


enisci,  they    anchored  in    Port 


tl 


ie\-   were   re- 


ni/.c  the  names  of 


f  the  expedition  in  those  assi.i,r„cd  to   those   two   isl 


uuls 


in   till 


skiold's  first  \ 


ad   1  jcn   So   named    in 


Xord 


(.'11- 


ovaiie 


thith 


er  in   r8 


/:>• 


CHAPTIvR    r.X.VVII. 


Tin;    vi:(;,\    toNTrNui;s    in  it    \-(»\- v,  .     . 

'"VA.,,..      ,.,     TIM.;      NOnTTIEAST  — CMM- 
.•A..A.,.,.:„_K,..     „s„,.      I-.V-TUK    ,„.„,„„„„,,„,     ,„,^,^.,"- 

"•"  ™— — »••■  "omT  o..  .»,.-...„,,,  ,,,,„_,:"::; 

-..  ....:...   |...,T  co.M,...„-.„.  ,.,.  „„,,,  ,„  ^,„„,,   ^,_    - 

""■■  vu..A_rc„UKrc,u»_u,.-.  ^mo.mi  t„e  nat,v.s_,..«„ 

CAI'K    OXMAN.  "liACII 

0„,l,o„„,.,A,..u,l  the  Frasei- a,„l  E.pi-os,  loft  ,>o«  Dick»„„  „„ 
the    c„,„„„      „      ,„,  „^,„^„,  „^,,,^,  ^.^^  .    .  ^^__^^  ^_  ^  ^  on 

ami  Lena,  with  which  this  w„,k  is  luoiv  ..„„.,,,ocl,  wcI.Ik,!  inch,.  ,V  ? 

......Mh.  i,.h,  while  lyii,,,.,  in  a   fo«,  .Voi,.„s,i„,a  ami  U       .  ' 

^--.whoio  c,K,v,„„i,d   .ilu..,is,..d.s,.,n„wc.,.i„«  ,„a„.,,_eL 

no.  -en  .he  iisiia,  ,„„a,    hea,-.     ,.,i,  .„en„„.,.  U,e  air  ha.l  a.aii,     ,"     ^  ' 

^K.v;  a,,.,  al  ,„,„n  ihe  iee  iiiei-ease.   ■„,.  a  ,i„,e  I.,  an  unpieasai,;    . 
''°""  '■":."-^-':  " ■"'  --  ">  »-'.  'I-".!.,-  as  i„  p.l,e  „i.  „hs,      e' 

"'r'T'::  "■?■"■■  '^^■'"""■- ■" '- wa,ei,.  onthe.., : 

p..l,ly  .,1  „,a  ,ee  „,  lar^e  di,„e,isio„s,  p„„|,  of  very  n,ae„  iee  of  .hi. 
cuiTei,.  year.       .  „„.,ne,l,  howe.ei,  „„  serious  „hs|ae>e  ...  „.,.  aclvan 
a  .1  ..ea|.e|.  .he  sh.ae  we  pi-ohahi,  wouic,  have   ha„  .pii.e  open  wa.o,  ,  u.' 
I  c,...,.se  ,.   was    i,«   „J.i,,,,|,   „   .,„   „„    „ea,.,a,ul,„.lefo,.aiu   „r 

known  waters"      La.ei,  i.  was  , .1  aeeessary  .„   ,„.,ve  .he;!^     : 

an  iee.n„e,  and  .hey  were  thus  held  through  to,  and  iee  „,..i,  the    tath 
when,  upon  a  partial  elearii.,.up  of  the  atntosphere,  they  steamed  f-' 
ward  toward  Taiiniir  .ay.     .Ml  detentions  and  stoppages  Vere  ofeo,  I- 


"tili.e.l    ^.y  th.    l,„sy    naturalists   of  the   expedition.      Numerous   small 
.slancis  an.!  ,,n-ot.ps   had  heen  discovered  since  leaving  Port  Dickson,  and 
"-ncd,  .generally  after  some  of  the  scientists  and  officers.      The  northern 
pon„  o,  the  West  Taimur   Peninsula  was  nan.e<l    Cape  Palander.     But 
they  had  not   -one   far  under  steam  on 
tlie  ifth,  when  the  fo<,.  a-ain  compelled 
thcin  to  put  into  port.      Fortunately  an 
excellent  harbor  was  found  in  what  the 
commander   named   Actinia   JJay,  from 
the    laro-e    nund)er  of   actinia',  or    sea- 
auemones,   which    the   dred-e    hrou-ht 
up    there.      It    is    an    inlet    of   Taimur 
Sound,    ruimin-     into     the     southwest 
coast  of  the   island  of  the  same   name, 
at  tlie  entrance   into  Taimur   Bay  from 
the   west.      Here  a-ain   they   were   de- 
tained  until  the  iSth,  usin- the  time  in 
explorations  and  invcstij,rations.     They 
found     the    sound     too    shallow    to    be 
passed    through    by   large    vessels. 
Animal   life  was  scant ;    some  few  rein- 
deer   were    seen,  a   mountain    fox    was 
killed,  and  a  lemming  caught;  and  ten 
or  twelve   species  of  birds   were   seen, 
among    which    were    six    waders.      Of 
these     and     souk-     young     ptarmigans, 
quite     a    number     were     shot.       Some 
thirty-four  species  of   ilowering  plants 
were   noticed,  besi<les   the    usual    num- 
ber ot  m,.ses  and   lichens.     A  walrus  had  beet,  seen  during  the  vova-. 
fron.    I  ort    D.ckson,  and    now  a  number  of  seals    were  found  floii,;- 
on  the  ice  in  Taimur  Sound.  ° 

Again    weighing   anchor    they    skirted    the    west    coast    of    Tal.nur 
Island,  thrcaditig  their  way    through  n.at.y   sn.all    isl    ^ds   still    partially 


THE   OLD  PROBLEM  SOLVED.  7,3 

enveloped  in  fog,  requiring  the  ahnost  constant  use  of   their  stcan.whis- 
tles  to  keep  fron.  separating,  but  encountering  no  obstacle  iron,   ice  such 
as  was  .etbe.ng  mostly  rotten  river  and  ba,  ice.     On  the  .,th  th  '  To. 
stdl  contnnnng,  they  steamed  by   a  large,  high,   unbroken  ieUl   of  ic: 
exten  :ngtro.asn,all  bay   on   the  west  side   of  the  peninsula,   which' 
caused      en.no  httle  apprehension  that  they.. i,htfin<l   it   i.poliblc   ., 
double  the  great  north  cape  of  Asia,  which  was  the  ,nain  pur  ose  of  the 
exped,.on.     A  httle  farther  on  they  had  the   good   fortune  to    find,   fust 
west  o    the  low-juttn.g  promontory-or  rather  in  the  fork  of  it-_an  ..oen 
lxo.wh.ch  they  named  King  Oscar,  and    in  which    both  steamers  came 
safely  to  anchor  n.  the  evenn.g.     They  had  nowhere  met  such  old  drift 
■ce  ...s  encountered  north  of  Spitsbergen.     "  VVe   had  now   reached    a 
goal,    says  Nordenskiold,  "  which  for  centuries  had   been   the    object  of 
unsuccessful  struggles.     For  the  f^rst  time  a  vessel    lav  at  anchor   o,r  the 
northernmost  cape  of  the   Old  World.     No  wonder  [hen  that  the  occur 
rence  was  celebrated  by  a  display  of  flags,  and  the  firing   of  salutes    -uul 
when  we  returned  fron.  our  excursion  on  land,  bv  festivities  on  l.oard'bv 
wme  and   toasts.      The   north   point   „f  Asia   forms   a   low   promontc'n.- 
wh,ch  a  bay  divides  into  two,  the  eastern  arn.    projecting  a  little    farther 
to  the  north  than   the   western.     A   ridge   of  hills    with   gently  slopin<. 
sides  runs  mto  the  land  from  the  eastern  point,  and  appears   within   \Z 
ot  the  western  to  reach  a  height  of  300   metres    (984  feet).     Like  'the 
pla.ns  lymg  below,  the  sun.nits  of  this  range  were  nearlv  free  of  snow 
Only  on  the  sides  of  the  hills  or  of  the  deep   furrows   excavated    by    the" 
streams  of  melted  snow,  and   in   dales   of  the   plains,   were    hu-^e   white 
snow-fields  to  be  see.t.     A  low  ice-foot  still  remained  at  most  places  alon.. 
the  shore;  but   no    glacier    rolled    its   bluish-white    ice-masses  down    the 
mountainsides;  and   no   inland   lakes,  no  perpendicular  elili;,    no    h.d. 
mountam  summits,  gave  any  natural  beauty  to  the  landscape,  which  Z.,, 
the  most  monotonous  and  the  most  desolate  I  have  seen  anvwhere  in  the 
High  North." 

Both  the  cape  and  the  immediate  tongue  of  land  back  of  it  are    now 
d.stmctively  known  as  Cape  Chelyuskin  and  Chelyuskin  Peninsula,  both 


ill  the   honor   of  the    R 


ussian 


xplor 


■t^i-   of  that   II, 


x\\\<^.,  previuusly   men- 


714 


AN/MAL    LIFE 


W 


11 : 


foncd.  The  c^rcat  Taimm-  I>eninsula,  of  winch  this  ton<,.ue  and  cape 
forni  the  extreme  northern  projection,  is  now  further  tlivided  geograph 
.caliy  into  a  West  and  East  Tainiur  Peninsula  by  the  Taimur  Lalce  and 
R.ver;  and  it  is  to  the  eastern  half  that  Chelyuskin  Peninsula  belon-^s 
Here,  facK.g  the  north  pole  and  snuffing  something  he  had  never  snuftl-d 
before,  was  seen  a  polar  bear;  l,ut  while  Lieut.  Brusewitz  was  preparin-. 
to  pm-sue  Inm,  the  salute  to  Cape  Chelyuskin  had  scared  him  ofT,  and  he 
survived  to  lord  it  over  the  animal  creation  after  the  departure  of  !,]« 


SI.\1(    Flhll    OK    NOUTIIKKN    W.\  1  EKS. 


cncn.es.  Twenty-three  species  of  inconsiderable  flowering-plants  were 
found;  son.e  insects,  chiefly  the  poduru),  or  spring-tail,  a  few  flies,  an.l  ■, 
beetle.  Of  birds,  a  large  number  of  sand-pipers  a.ul  barnacle-^ee.e  . 
loon,  some  k.tti wakes  and  ivory-gulls  were  seen;  and  also  some  rontins 
of  owls.  Of  mammalia,  the  solitary  bear  already  mcntione.l,  was  the 
only  bve  representative  of  the  land  division;  but  traces  of  the  reindeer 
and  lemming  were  found  on  the  plains;  while  marine  mammals  were 
represented  by  a  walrus,  severa.  seals,  and    two   shoals  of  white   whales. 


THE    VEGA  AND  LENA  SEPARATE. 


715 

The  position  of  Cape   Clielyuslciu    was  determined  hv      l 
i^"y^^n.t.ithana.i^cia^...,,.^,.,,,I'^;; 

Quittin<j  King  Oscar  Bay  on  tiie    ^sf     fh,.   , 
|.o,nt  ,„  ,hc  co,„p„»  i„  ,,,  ,„■„„  ,„         .  ,„_  y    °  "uy 

"-■"  ">■"'-"-' ' -"»■•  -  .'-•  ic.  ...CO  ,„ :„:  ; :;,  '::"'^' 

lo.-oc,l  dctciui,,,,,  were  mndo  u-iil-,!,!,.  c         •       ■  ■  'Wial,  these 

V     M  o.   the  „.awl  not  was  cx„„„..,i„ari,,  al„„„la,„,    |a,.,e  astcrf..     J^ 

""'"•  ^"""^-'^■^'  """"'^'"■'^" "  ^"■-"^^-  --.-^■r  (pyc„o„:;,„,,  :: ;. 

-n..S    cuslacva,  etc.     I.  was  the  ,„„s,  ah,„„,a,„   vicUl    th       the  tnw 

^-  """."'    ^^r"  "-  •■■•'™    ■'-    -a   -.<•■  .he    ,„„.the,.„    e.u,;,„i,; 

thai  oa..iMell.."      ]-iiiallv     itS-,- ■         ,  "emiij    „t 

M.la        ,hc  we..;  a,„l  we.e  „„w  ahie  .„  „,„,   ,,,„,„,  ,„  ,„^   ^,„„    '.  _ 

;''";'  ^"■'; "^■■''  7™"  •■■  •-■ '-"—-- -  «„„.  ,„ ,;,  „„,,;_,,„,„ 

land,  under  a  nortluvesierly  breeze. 

,     ";■  "r  :+'"■  '"'"" "   »'"'   »"""v--.l  a.  al„„,.    the  .,„.e   ,li.,a„ee 

""■""""'• '"^7"-'™'  -"^ •- ai„.  a  „..,e  way   i,„a„„,  ahj 

,o„„  ,„  ,,,o„„  ,ee.  ,„  he„h,,  a,„,  Hke  .he  |,lai„s „,,  ,„,  ,,„„,  ,„,,. 

"'■    '■"".'   :",""•■,     •''   " '•   "■■*   ""  i-  •«  «i,.lu,  .hev    ,-eache,l   vj. 

.■a.ehe,„e  Island  a.  th.  e„.,.a„ee  ,„  Cha„ta„,,a  liay;  a,,',!  la,„li„.   ,,;„„,, 
.».  hea,s   a,„l  .na.le  ..,„„  »,,,„„;,  „,„„,,„„„^,     ^^^.^^.^^^    _^__^^^^^_^  ^^^ 

...:,50,  a,„l  pass,,,;,  the  ,„,„,.h  ,„■  X„,,K,U  Bay  ,„  the  „i,,h.,  thev  .-eaehctl 
l-.'«l-„a,.  ,.,  the  ,„ai„h.,„l  „„    the   ..th,  a,„l  proeeetletl'.!,,..  east 

..---.hey  ha,l  sa,le,l  si„ee  :,e.ti„,.  elea,'  ..f  the  ice  t„  the  ,„„-th.     ()„    the 

2011,  at  ,i„„i,  they    were   h.    Icm.ri.mle    ,2^"     ■„„l    .„    „■    ,  . 

Shi.als  ell    .lie  iii.at.h  ,,(    .he    ()li„,eii        f>,i,l.,  ■  ■    . 

'■"<'l  l.e„a  pa,tc,l  e,„„pa„y  i„  the  upe„  sea  i„   aboa,   l„„..i„„|c    ,  ,S  •   30', 


716 


THE  LENA  HE  ACHES  lAKOUTSK. 


o/r  Tumat  Island,  abo,.t  40'    north   of  the    Lena    Delta.     Sone   rockets 
were  tired  off,  and  Capt.  Johannesen  received  his  linal  orders,  passport 
a.ul  copies  of  Russian  official   letters,  instructing  such  representatives  of 
that  nation  as  he  .ni<,.ht  fall  in  with,  to  render  whatever  assistance  n^i.^ht 
be  needed.     During  the  whole  voya-e  the  ships  had   encountered   much 
foo-,  but  no  ice  of  any  consequence  until  after  passing   Cape   Chelvuskin 
and  then  only  when  they  struck  out  across  the  Polar    Sea   toward    NeJ 
S.beria.      While  they  followed  the  coast  they  found    open   water,  always 
at  a  sate  distance  from  the  land  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  ice-pack  on  the 
other.     It  was  therefore  demonstrated  that,  at  least   in  seasons  as  favor- 
able  as    ,878,   tiie    whole    voyage    may   be   made   without   meetiu^r  any 
senous  obstruction  from  ice.     The  Lena  reached  lakoutsk  on  the  ^'^.st  of 
September  amid  great  rejoici.igs,  being  the  first  ocean-steamer  that    had 
ever  reached  that  far  inland  city,  about  Soo  miles  from  the  sea. 

After  parting  with  the  Lena,  as  stated,  the  Vega  kept  on  to  the  east 
reaching  ,33"  at  noon  of  the  38th,  and  sighting  Stolbovoi    Island  in  'the' 
atternoon.      The  39th  was   spent  in  xvorking   around  through  rotten   ice 
causmg  some  detention,  and  compelling  them  to  proceeu  to  the   north  of 
Stolbovoi,  and  then  southeast  toward    Liackov  or  Lachow  Island   re.ch 
.ng  .40"  at  noon   of  the   30th.     Finding  ice  heaped    up  in  rather'forhicl- 
dmg  quantity  on  the  west  coast  of  the  island,  Nordenskiokl  relinquished 
h.s  purpose  of  landing;  and  the  Vega  kept  on  her  way  to  the   southe-.st 
passing  the  tamous  Sviatoi  Noss,  the  northernmost  point  of  the  n.ainlnul' 
opposite   the   New    Siberian    Islands,  in   the   night.      They  here   noiicul 
new  ice  beginning  to  form,  though  the  temperature  by  their  instru>„e„ts 
was    not  quite   as  low  as   the  freezing    point.      On   the  1st  of  Septnnher 
they  were  at    150%  about  one  degree  north  of  the   mouth   of  tlu-  I.uli 
girka,  and  on  the  3d  the  temperature  fell  to  one  degree  below  xen,      ()„ 
the  3d  snow  began  to  fall,  and  when  they  arrived  off  Bear  Islands,  north 
of  the  mouth  of  Kolyma,  both  vessel  and  land  were  lightly  covered  with 
it.     The  channel    west  and   south   of  the  islands,  through  whicli   thev 
passed,  was  almost  free  of  ice,  but  a  little   further  out   ice\vas  ahu.uhnt 
and   on  the  4th,  east  of  the  islands,   heavy  masses  were  found  to  havc 
dntted  south,  compelling  the  Vega  to  bear  down  nearer  the  coast  toward 


TCHUKTCms. 
the  Greater  Baranow  Rnrt      t.,,i     i 

.he  .e  3oe„  .„,  ^z  i^:  *;':;::;";;  T"'  r'-"  "-'• 

had  hUhorto  e„co„„.„cd  „„  ,hi,  voya  e    ^  1  or'"'  '  "  ""'  '"'' 
hlock»  ha,l  been  mo,  or  ,ig|«e.l      O^.L  "  fn       ^'■^''  '"■  "''''"'  ""'"""■ 

perils  and   making  al.„,„   flfty  ,„i|e,  a  .lav      P  '  u  ^'^    "'" 

Tchaun  Hay  i„  the  ni.ln  thcv  ro  ,1    '„''''* '^  '^'""S  'h«  =""-"'.co   to 
■  ho  afternoon  of  the  e^h.         '  ^■■""•'  '^''""»'''°' ""  "  <>'='-''  °" 

The  monotony  of  the  voyage  wa»  at  ,en,th  about  to  be  .-eliev^d 
They  ,oce,ved  their  fitst  visit  from  native,,.  Two  boats  not  y  t 
..omiaL,  of  the  Esquimaux,  set  out  from  the  ,.„7fu,       '  :      "" 

women  and  ehiidren,  e.amor.,  tohe  ta.en  aW^r^C.  Then'; 
course  we,,  the   reader's  o,d   ac,„aintauce„  the   TchuUteh   of  tl  Tr 
,.ons.    "  The  typo  of  faee,"  says   Nordenskiald, .- did  not  strike  le  as 
«.  unpleasant  as  that  of  the  Samoyeds  or  Esquimaux.     Some  of  th 
youn,  ,,r,s   were   not   even  absohuoly  ugly.     I„  oomparis„„  with 
bamoyods     hoy  were  oven    rather  eloanly,  and   had  a  bcautifu,      mo' 
™ M.sh.wh,.e  e„,„p,oxion.-     Th.y  wore  dismissed  with  gift,  „    '.   C 
an     p.pes  hcs,  es  tr.nko.s  and  elotlung,  and  wont  olT  rejoicing.     On 
.S.h   l,e,ng  beset  by  fog  and  ice,  the  Vega  anehored,  and  ho,   comp ',,v 
uont  ashore,  ,„v,ted   by  the  natives,  who  oontinue,l  to  make  a  favo 
nnpross,„n  „n  tho,r  visito,,.     "Children,  healthy  and  thriving,  tonde,.|' 
cared   or    y  the  ,„hahitants,  wore  found  in  hn-ge  „,„„bers.    The  you  .l  r 

wore  treated  w,th   marked    frieudliuoss d    the  older  ones  were  no^r 

hear.1  to  utter  an  ang.y  wor.l.     The  wo.neu  we,,  treated  as  the  ec.a.s 

•"  "".  '"" '"  '"^-  '^''^  -'«  "'-'.v»  consulted  by  the  husband  wll,  a 

n,o,x.  „,,p„r,ant  b.argain  than  usual  was  to  bo  made.  The  dwellings  con. 
s,s,ed  .„  roomy  skin  tents,  which  inclose  a  sleeping  chamber,  hexagonal 
,n  form  ung  w,.h  warm,  wol,.p,.eparod  reiudoer  skins,  and  ligh.o:i  and 
warme,!  by  one  or  ,„oro  train  oil  Uunps.  „  i,  ,,erc  that  the  family  sloop 
ur,„g  summer,  an<l  hero  ,nost  of  them  live,  day  and  nigh,,  during  win 
er.  In  sum,„o,--loss  frequently  i„  „intor_n  fire  is  lighted,  besides,  in 
the  outer  ,«„,  w„h  wood,  for  which  purpose  a  hole  i,  „po„cd  i„  ,h.  ,op 


I 


718 


BORFNG   THROUGH  THE  PACK. 


o     the   raKscc.  tcnt-roof.     ,3ut  to  be  compelleci  to  use  wood  for  heatin^ 
the  mner  tent  the  Tchuktchis  consider  the  extreme  of  scarcity  of  fuel  '" 
Though  there  was  no  village  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  there  was  n'o 
lack  of  v.^ors,  and  the  report  of  their  arrival  seemed  to  have  spread  vcrv 
'•apKlIy.     The  Swedes  had  but  few  articles  of  barter,  and  soon  oot  rid  .  ' 
hen- stock  of  tobacco  and    Dutch   pipes.     Gettin,  ready  to  sad  on   ti. 
loth,  they  could  make  but  little  headway,  and  lay  to  in  the  ice  durin.  the 
n.ght;  but   by  keepin.,.   quite  close  to  the  shore   they  were  able  to  a-ec, 
along,  a,.„n  lying  to  on   the  night  of  the    nth.     This   was  at  Irkaipie 
Cook  s  Cape   North,  longitude  ,So",  whence  Wrangell  tried  in  vain  to' 
.ght  "the   alleged    inhabited  northern  country."     On  the   ,3th,  beyoud 
Cape  North,  the   Vega  at   last  found    her  way  blocked   by  the  il     '  J 
and  tunnng  back,  found  temporary  refuge  near   the  cape,  where  theJ 
were  detanaed  by  the  untoward  condition  of  the  ice  until  the  iSth      iJ 
sides  the  usual  scientific  investigations,  some   remains  of  the  Oukiion  o,- 
Coast  race,  here  occupied  the  attention  of  the  scientists.     "A  lar-^c  „u,n 
ber  of  l.H.se-sites,  an<l  implements  of  stone,  bone  and  slate,  we^  f  ...„,: 
also   nmldens,  or  refuse    heaps,  containing    bones  of  several    species  <.,' 
whale.,  and  of  the  seal,  walrus,  reindeer,  bear,  dog,  fox,  and  various  kinds 

Growing  in.paticnt  of  detention,  they  pushed   forward  on   the    ,Sth 
and  .^er  stn.ggling  ahnost  constantly  with  ice,  reached  Cape  Onman  oj 
he  36th.     At  tunes   boring  through  the  ice  with  the  strong  l>ows  of  the 
Vega;  at  otl^rs  moore.l  to  a  floe,  or  grounded    mass;  sometimes  with 
only  a   foot  of  water  under  the   keel;    at  others   aground   on   sh<.-e-ice 
awa.tu.g  high  tide,  while   axes,  picks  and   poles  are   brought  into  active 
.erv.ce,  they  worked    their  tedious  way,  making  not  quite  twentv  n.ilcs 
of  actual  advance  in  nine  days,  thur  of  which,  however,  were  lost,"i„  ,vvo 
equal    periods  of  force.l   inaction.     On   the   37th,  steering  south  a  little 
way  mto  Kolyutchin  Bay,  to  avoid  the  ice  smrounding  the  island  of  the 
^.me  name  at   its  entrance,  and    then   east  to   resun.e  their  <iirect  course, 
they  anchored  in  the  afternoon  to  a  lloe  near  the  eastern  sho-e.    The  next 
day  they  doubled  the  headland,  and  crept  forward,  hoping  to  n.ake  their 
way  through  lichring's  Straits  to  some  of  the  Pacific  islands 


CHAPTER    LXXVIII. 
AH  .,.,„.:  vc,M-.„„o„.,.  ,.,s,.,..vs-coMM„„s  o.  .,„.:  ..„,.: 

PKOACH    OK    KKLEASK. 

0„  the   .,.h,  n„<li„R  „o   l„,K,  ,e,„|  „,  „„.,„   ,,„,,, 
Vo,a  vva,  .noorod  to  a  n,a.  „r  „.„„„.,  ;,„,  ,3^  ^e^e  ,„,„  «„  .1',' 
.0  ,„«h,  w  .ch  „ffo„,e.,  .  fai,.  ...,ee,.,  ,.„.  ,„.  „,.„„„,  „„  ^     ^,^    ^ - 
over,  p,ovc.l  ...  „e  .ho  winter  <,„a,.,e,.,  e.cop.  that  late,-  ,.„  .„„.,„,  ,he 
te,-  were  pushed  hy  the  outer  ice  t,.  within  »eve„-ei,h.h»  „f  „  Le  „,  .h 
coast.     Soon  tiK.  ,ce.helt  which  ha,l  oi.tructe.!  their  a.lvance  .rew  frol 
S.X  or  seven  .0  ei.htecu  „r  twen.v  ,„i,es  wi.le,  and  there  was!  ,o„„er 
any  hope  of  gettu,,-  away  ,n,til  the  eusuiu.  ,„,„„cr.     Their  exact  po'si 
..on  was  ascertaine,!  to  he  in  latitude  r,",-  ,y  „„,,„,,„,„   ,„    ,  „;,_^, 
73    33'  .'  west-,So"  east,  half  the  circumference  fronr  Greenwich 
hadhee,.  passed  at  Cape  North.    .Jtwas  an   unexpected  disappoint- 
ment,    says  Nordenskiol.l,  "  wl,ieh  it  was  the  more  .lifllcult  to  he"  with 
equan,m,ly,  as  it  was  evident  that  we  would   have  avoi.led  it  if  we  I,  ,d 
con,c  soote  ],„urs  earlier  to  the  easte,-n  si.le  of  Kolvutcltin    Bar      There 
were  n.nnerous   occasions  during  the  preccdi„K  part  of  our  voya.^e  on 
whtch  those  hours  n.iffh,  have  heen  saved.     The  Vosa  ,11.1  not  req.dreto 
stay  so  Ions  at  Port    Diekson;  we  might   have  saved  a  .lay  at  Taimar 
Island;  have  ,lred,«e>l  somewhat   less  west  of  the  New  .Siherian  Islands 
aad  »  on;  an.l  ah..^..  all,  o,n-  Ion.  stay  at  Irkaipie,  wai.i,,,.  for  an  im' 
provement  in  the  state  of  ,l,o  ice,  was   fatal,  hceausc  at  least  three  .lays 
wore  lost   (here  without  .any  chanRe  for  the  Letter  taking  place" 
It  scarcely  needs  be  said  that,  as  soon  as  it  was  fully  u",derstoo,l  that 

710 


780 


AVERAGE  COLD-STATE  OF  HEALTH. 


i 


this  was  indeed  their  utmost  limit  for  the  year  1878,  they  set  themselves  to 
work  .lilinrently  to   make  the   hest  of  it.     The  ust.al    preparations  were 
made  for  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  men ;  an  observatory  was  erecte.l, 
and  various  scientific  experiments  were  set  on    foot.     To   -uard    a-ainst 
the  not  impossible  contingency  of  grave  disaster  to  the   sh^p  dnrin^r  ,11,. 
anticipate<l   prevalence  of  severe  storms  later  on,  a  depot  of  provisions 
was  estal)lished   ashore,  containing  necessary  stores   and   provisions  for 
sixty  men  for   100  days.     "The  stores,"  says   Nordenskiohl,  "were    lai.l 
upon   the  beach  without   the   protection  of  lock   or  bolt,  covered   only 
with  sails  and  oars,  and  no  watch  was  kept  at  the  place.     Notwithstand- 
ing this,  and  the  want  of  foo<l  which   occasionally  prevailed  among  the 
natives,    it   remained  untonche<l    by  the   Tchuktchis   who  lived   in  the 
neighborhood,  and  by  those  who  daily  drove  past  the   place  from  distant 
regions.     All,  however,  knew  very  well  the  contents  of  the  sail-covered 
heap;  and  they  undoubtedly  supposed  that   there  were  to  be  found  there 
treasures  of  immense  value,  and  provisions  enough  for  the  whole  popula- 
tion  of  the  Tchuktchi  peninsula  for  a  whole  year." 

The  average  greatest  cold  for  the  first  five  months  of  detention- 
October  to    February-was   35°  below   zero;  the    lowest  point  reached 
being  45.7",  on  the  35th  of  January;  and  for  the  remaining  five  mouths 
34",  the  highest  being  i"   below    zero,  on  the  2(1   of  July.      The  statu  of 
health  on   board  during  the  com-se  of  the  winter  was  exceedingly  good, 
there  being  but  few  cases   of  serious  indisposition,  mostly  stomach  ''cokis 
and   sliglit  lung  inflammations,  all  of  which   yielded    readily  to  medical 
treatment,  and  not  a  single   case  of  scurvy.     There   were  about  300  na- 
tives, in  the  vicinity  of  the   ship,  including  those  on   Kolyutchin  Ysland, 
all,  except  the   islanders,  within  a  distance  of  five  miles.     "  Dog  team  af' 
ter  dog-team    stood  all   day  in    rows,  or  more  correctly,  lay   snowed  up, 
before  the  ice-built  flight  of  steps  to  the   deck  of  the    Vega,  patiently 
waiting  for  the  return  of  the  visitors,  or  for  the  pemmican  I  now  and  then 
f'-om  pity  ordered   to  be  given  to   the  hungered    animals.     We  soon  had 
visits  from  even  distant  settlements,  and    the  Vega  finally  became  a  rest- 
ing-place at  which  every  passer-by  stopped  with  his  dog-team  for  some 
hours  in  order  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  or  to  obtain  in  exchange  for  goocj 


yoUDEASKlULl)    ,  7.S/7-.S- 


PIDLI.V. 


word 


781 


s,  or 


tobacco. 


at 


some  more 
som 


acceptable  wares,  a    1 


ittle 


•  Irop  of  spirits.     We  had 
est  triHe.      Iloiiesty   w; 


mes,    when   the   weath 


warm   food,  a    bit  of 


;is 


reindeer  L 


not,  however,  to  I 
:is  n.uch  at   home  I 


ler  was  very  sto 


rmy,  a  little 


iment  the  loss  of  th 


le  mer- 


apjjs. 


icre  as 


'»   the   huts  of    the 

0„  the  6(1,  ihoy  rcccivi.,!  a  visil  fr,„n  V»„ili   M..„l, ,        ,  •  .■ 

w.lh  l,„u  tr<.„,    h„  cnca„,,„„e„,,    „„,  ,ar  f„,m  ,he  shi„   I,.    , 

■i...-,  ...  I,uy  reindeer,  and  explore  the  coun.ry      The  , led  ,  """ 

I..V  -en,  nine,  and  five  d„«,  in  ehe  ra.i ■  [  „    ^^  "T     7" 

Me„,<„,  ^>:.  i::.h:;:e:r„;;::;::,:::::::  !::^;-^-  Thr„^ 

No^en.    ,01     sen.    e..ers  .„  ehe  Anadyrsk.  where  „e  arrived  „n  .he  ^  ,' 
o.    Mareh    .873      Conveyed    .henee   .„  Iako.,.»k,  „„l,„  ,„„,  „„,       ' 
,o.„  of  May    .he  firs,  news  fro,,,  ,„e  win.er  .nar.e.  of  .he  expedi.io    « 
,ece,ved  ,„    Swede,,,  by  .ele^aph,  on  .he    ,6.h  of  May-..j,„.  ,,  ,  ,^ 
wl  c,,  concern  for  .he  fa.e  of  the  Ve,.,  was  beginning  ,0  be  very  ,,re-,. 
,.n,l  .he  .|„es„o„  of  ,.clief  cxpe,li,i.„„  was  seriously  cntertaincl  " 

Matters  l,e,„s  in  stood  shape  at  the  ship,  Nordenskicild  made  an  e. 
c,.rs,o,,  t„  the  native  settlen.ent  of  Pi,lli„,  „,,  .he  eastern  sho,.  of  Koly,,," 
chn,  I  ay,  ,,.s.a„t  ahont  a  ,,o.e,.  miles,  to  Icarn  something  of  the  do,!.." 
c  Wats  and  pec„l,ar,.,es  of  .he  Tchuk.chis.     He  enjoyed   their  hospl- 
.l„y  for  a  „,«h.,  wh,ch  see,ned  to  be  as  much  as  he  conld  stand  at  one 
tnne,  an,l  re.n,-ncd  the  next  day,  having  noted   a   few  of  their  snpersti 
irons,  as  well  as  the  great  heat  and  stench  of  .heir  lents.     (,„  .he  other 
hand,  "All  sensible    people  among  .hem  had  evidently  come  to  the  con 
c  ,s,o„  that  it  was  profitless  .rouble  .0  seek  a  seasonable  explana.io,,  of 
all       .■   lohes  wh,eh   the  »..»nge  foreigners,  ,.ichly  provided  with  many 
ea,-,hly  g,.,s,  but  by  no  means  with  practical  sense,  perpetrated."     Visits 
...  a..d  from  the  natives,  hunting  and  scienlilic  excnsions.  ,h,.  ,„„.i„e  „f 


•        \ 


m 


HOPE   OF  RELEASE. 


ES* 


duties  Mboanl  ship,  filled  the  days  ami  weeks.  "One  day  was  very  like 
aiiotlie..  When  I  ho  storm  howled,  the  snow  drifted,  and  'le  cold  ])e- 
caim-  too  severe,  we  kept  more  below  deck;  wlien  the  weather  was  finer, 
we  lived  more  in  the  open  p-  -ften  payin<r  visits  to  the  observatory  in 
tile  ice-house,  and  amonjj  the  Ichuktuiiia  livinjr  in  the  neighborhood,  nr 
wandering  about,  to  come,  if  ijossible,  upon  some  game." 

On  the  15th  of  December  there  was  a   violent  movement  of  the  ice, 
but  without  injury  to  the  ship;  and  on  the    18th  a  lane  was  seen  to  thj 
north,  hut  it  was  soon  closed  by  drift-ice.     A  week   later  they  celebrated 
Christmas  in  a  joyous  and  festive  manner.     "A   large   number  of  sukiI! 
wax-lights,  whicii  we  had  brought  with  us  for  the  special  purpose,  wuic 
fixed  in  the  Christmas  tree,  together  with  about  two  hundred  Christmas 
boxes  purchased,  or  presented  to   us,  before  our   depai tuie.     At  6  v.  .\i. 
all  the  olHcers  and  crew  assembled  in  the  'tween-decks,  which  had  been 
richly  and  tastefully  ornamented  with  flags,  and  the  drawing  of  lots  be- 
gan," followed  by  supper,  songs,  toasts,  and  general  good-fellowship.     A 
week  later,  the  new  year,  I S79,'' was  shot  in  with  sharp   explosive-shell 
firing  from    the  rifled    cannon   of  the   Vega,   and    a  number  of  rockets 
thrown  up  from  the  deck."     With   it  came  some   hope  of  release.     The 
north   winds  had  recently  given  way  to  the  warm  south    winds,  creatine 
considerable  cleadngs  out  to   sea;  but  the  Vega's  ice-fetters  remained  uii'. 
disturbed.     Again,  on   the  6th  of  February,  the   thermometer  rose  to 
alM)ve  freezing  point,  and  open  water  of  great  extent  was  visible  to  the 
north;  the   Tchuktchis   killed  a  polar  bear  and  seventy-eight  seals,  and 
reveled  in  temporary  luxury,  or  abundance  of  food,  lightening  the  tax  on 
the  ship's  supplies,  and  putting  a  stop  to  the  bogging  importunitj  of  the 
poor  natives;  but  there  was  still  no  chance  of  release  for  the  ship. 

On  the  17th  of  February  Lieut,  Hrusewitz  made  a  sledge  excursion 
to  Naitskai,  alongshore  to  the  east,  about  ten  miles  from  winter  quarters; 
and  on  his  return  reported  hospitable  entertainment,  and  abundance  ot 
seals  in  the  tents  of  the  natives.  He  saw  eight  hares,  and  a  /ox,  hui  no 
ptarmigans.  On  the  20th  three  large  Tchuktchi  sledges,  drawn  by  six- 
teen to  twenty  dogs,  and  laden  with  goods  for  Nishni  Kolymsk,  arrived 
at  the  Vega.     By  these  letters  were   sent,  whicii  it  was  afterward  ascer- 


i 


'  very  li|<c 
c  cold  l)c- 
•  was  finer, 
irvatory  in 
)orho()d,  or 

of  the  ice, 
lecii  to  the 
celebrated 

!■    of  SUKllI 

pose,  wure 
Christmas 
At  6  1'.  M. 

had   been 
of  lots  be- 
-vshij).     A 
osivc-shcll 
of  rockets 
asc.     The 
s,  creatiiiif 
laincd  iin- 
;r  rose  to 
lie  to  the 
seals,  and 
he  tax  on 
it;  of  the 
lip. 
excursion 

(|iiartcrs; 
ulance  ot 
X,  hul  no 
n\  \ry  six- 
k,  arrived 
iird  a  seer- 


784 


A   HUMANE  SAVAGE. 


11 


tainc<l  rcachcl  the  Kolyma  on  the  4th  .,f  April,  an.i  Sweden  ..n  the  2d 
«'(•  Au-ust.  Early  in  March  a  numher  of  la.len  do{..sledjres  passed  to 
the  east  on  their  u-ay  from  Cape  Irkaipie  to  IJehnn-'s  Straus  for  pur- 
poses  of  trade  with  the  natives  of  the  islands  of  the  \orth  PaciHc,  and 
Alaska.  Toese  were  followed,  after  the  middle  .,f  tiie  month,  hy  liirtjcr 
reindeer-sled-cs  laden  with  reindeer  skins  and  Russian  -oods,  from  •'he 
fair  of  Ostrovnoi,  for  the  same  market. 

On  the  .7th  of  March  Lieut.  Palander  ami    Dr.    Kjellman   made  an 
excursion  eleven  miles  to  the  south,  to  buy  reindeer-flesh;  they  found  the 
reindeer-camp   and   the   owner,  by    whom   they  were   hospitably   enter- 
tained, but  who  declined  to  sell   on  any   terms,  as   the   animals  were,  he 
said,  too  lean  to  be  slaughtered.     His  treatment  of  his  stock  won  the 'ad- 
miration of  the  visitors:     ''It  was  not  the  -rim,  hard  savage  showing  in 
a  coarse  and  barbarous  way    his   superiority  over  the  animals,  but  "the 
good   master  treating   his  inferiors   kindly,  and    having  a  friendly  word 
and  gentle  touch  for  each  of  them.     Here   good   relations  prevaile.l  be- 
tween   man   and    the   animals.     The   owner   went   forward    and  saluted 
every   reindeer;  they  were  allowed   to  stroke  his  hands   with  their  noses. 
He,  on  his  part,  took  eve'ry  reindeer  by  the  horn,  and  examined  it  in  the 
most   careful    way."     A   trip,   30th    to   35th,  was    made    by    Hrusewit/., 
Nordquist,  and  three   others  of  the  ship's  company,  with  "a  Tchuktchi 
guide,  to  Lake  Nutschoityin,  to  fish  and  explore. 

On  the  19th  of  April   Lieut.    Bove   and    a   compa.iion    made  a   three 
days'   excursion  along  shore   to  the  east,  reaciiing  the  village  of  Tiapka, 
some   tifteen  miks   distant;  and  two  months  later,  he  and  Dr.  AhiKiuist 
made  a  four  days'  excursion  to  the   interior,  when  they  penetrate.l   alK.ut 
thirty  miles  southwest  to  near  the  eastern  shore  of  Kolvutchin  Bay.     h 
will  be  noticed  that   all  these  excursions   from    the    Vega    were   of'short 
duration,  whicli  was  <lue   to   the  commander's   natural    unwillingness  to 
permit  long  absences  from  the  ship,  because  of  her  exposed  concHtion.  A 
few  days'  violent  storm  from  the  south  or  southeast  might   at   any  time 
place  her   in  jeopardy.     In    May  they  had   only   a  few   hours   of  mil.! 
weaHier;  and  even   on  tiie  3d  of  June  the  thermometer  stood  14^^   below 
^ero;buton  tlie  i.^ih  it  rose  to  8'  below,  and  din-ing  tlie  day,  a  southerly 


AURORAL  DlSPLAr. 
hre«,c  ,|>r„„K  „,,  „hid,  p,,,  „„  ,,„,  ,„  „ 

HU    .„„1     c  c.„„„c    ,„v.s„,,a,i„„   „f  ,„,  „„„,„„„  ^,„.,^^„  . 

auroras  or  cxcptio,,,,,  aur, ,or™»,  .he  co„„„o„  arc  K  „..     ,       ' 

tiliitf  anck-r  their  horizon.  '      ^  ' 

I.  was  noeiccl  „,„,  „,  ,„i,.,,,„„.^.  ,  .,._,^  ^^^.^..^^^^  .  _ 

.  UC- «r...r  .ari.,  .ha„   a.    No.,  Z.„h,a,  .Spi.Her.e,.,  or  ^^. 

1.C     ,  ..  ,.l  of  the  lommn,,,  the  »me  „u,„her  of  varieties.     The  .voir  „„,, 

w.      re..,.,eerha„  a   ,,„    representative,;  traee,  of  the  hiher,  a 

i."..l-boar  ,™,    ,.,ar,n„t   were  also   see,,.     The  otte,-,  heaver  an,l  weaser 

:::  't^'^:^  *"  ^^-^-'^^^ -  -<>  -^i..^  ..f  .he  ,ast. .ei 

■"" ""  '™"  *•■■■"'  •'■■'  ■'"  'i-'^  .epresentative  of  any  of  the  three  w. 

enco„„te,.e.i.     The    ."oiar  bear,  in  a  few   instances,  .J  the  hristied  I 
;  ft    ;■"-"-«..-.-  --.; I  of  the  latter  ,.a„,  „e,e  kihe.,   h/      ! 

PC    cs  of  p,  nts  we,e   note,!,  of  „.h,eh  ,„„,.   ,han   half  are  i„„i,e,„a.s 

o  ehe    Scan.,„„v,a„    l-eniosnla;  an.,  the  earliest  .late  of  fl„„eri,„  was 

tl'o   33.1   ...  June.     .X  few  flies  ha.l  heen  notiee.l  on  a  pa,.tie„,a,.,v    ^lea,: 

-.  .lay  ,0,,,.  weeks  .,ef..,.  this  tin.e,  ,„„  i,  „.as  not  nnti,  the  en.,  of'  „,„e 

that  ,nsects  appeare,!  in  any  consi.le,al,le  „„n,he,-s 

Ou    tire    ,<,„,    „fj„„,    ,„,    ve.a    was    visite.!    hy    a    Chtistianize., 
Tchulaeh,,  ,,a,„e.l    Noah  Elisei,  „h„  „„,  ,„,„  ,„„  ,„„^„^j 
...Cais  a.  N.sh„i  K„ly,„sk  in  the  hope  of  hein,  „f  se,.vice  .0  the  e.pe- 


t!   1* 


'■%■  t: 


I 


ition.     The   chief,  if 


,  if  not   only,  advantaw  derived 


was   in  the  li.irter  of 


■*( 


AURORAL.  DISPLAY  SEEN  FROM  THK  VBGA. 


726 


A    TCHUKTCnr  GRAVErARD.  737 

three  reindeer  for  tea,  sa<.ar,  a,ul   tohaeco,  l.osides  numerous  -ratuiries  to 
Elisei,  his  two  wives,  and  his  hirjrc  lamily  of  ehildren. 

Among  the  last  excursions  was  .,ne  to  a  Tchuktchi  graveyard  by  Dr. 
Stuxberg,  of  which  lie  gives  the  foUowing  account:  "The"  Tchuktchi 
graves  on  the  heights  soutii  of  Pitlekai  and  Inretlen  (perliaps  two  miles 
from  the  Vega),  which  were  examined  by  me  on  the  4th  and  7th  of 
July,  1879,  were  nearly  fifty  in  number.  Every  grave  consisted  of  an 
oval  formed  of  large  stones  laid  flat.  At  one  end  there  was  generally  a 
large  stone  raised  on  its  edge,  and  from  the  opposite  end  ther"e  went  out 
one  or  two  pieces  of  wood  lying  on  the  ground.  The  area  within  tlie 
stone  circle  was  sometimes  overlaid  with  small  stones,  sometimes  free,  and 
overgrown  with  grass.  At  all  the  graves,  at  v.  distance  of  four  to  slven 
paces  from  the  stone  standing  on  its  edge,  in  the  longituilinal  axis  of  the 
grave,  or  a  litde  to  the  side  of  it,  there  was  another  small  circle  of  stones, 
inclosing  a  heap  of  reindeer  horns,  commonly  containing  also  broke.! 
seals'  skulls  and  other  fragments  of  bones.  On  only  one  grave  we'-e  found 
pieces  of  human  bones.  The  graves  were  evidently  very  old,  for  the 
bits  of  wood  at  the  ends  were  generally  much  decayed,  and  almost 
wholly  covered  with  earth;  and  the  stones  were  completely  overgrown 
with  lichens  on  the  upper  side.  I  estimate  the  age  of  these  graves  at 
about  two  hundred  years." 

At  length  the  moment  of  release  approached.  The  temperature  had 
remained  below  freezing  point  to  the  middle  of  June.  On  the  14th, 
however,  there  was  a  sudden  change  to  milder  weather.  A  heavy  thaw 
set  in,  ami  the  coast  land  was  so  covered  with  mud  and  slush  that  all  ex- 
cursions had  to  be  discontinued.  '  But  the  ice  which  bound  the  ship  was 
still  so  strong  that  the  explorers  did  not  expect  to  be  able  to  leave  before 
August.  Throughout  their  stay  there  had  been  open  water  seaward,  but 
usually  at  a  great  distance  from  the  ship.  «  On  the  i6th  of  July,"  says 
NordenskiOld,  "  a  heavily  ladeu  double  sledge  could  still  be  driven  from 
the  vessel  to  the  shore";  and  the  next  day  the  year's  ice  around  them 
began  to  break  up,  but  the  ground-ice  was  still  undisturbed,  and  it  was 
judged  that  several  days  would  elapse  before  they  could  get  clear.  So 
the  commander  determined  to  take   the  steam   launch    to  sea,  and  visit 


7?8 


rilE    VEGA    FREE. 


som.5  whalers  reported  by  the  natives  to  be  off  Seidice  Kamen.  But  by 
1:30  on  the  iSth,  when  ahnost  ready  to  set  out,  there  was  noticed  a 
movement  of  the  ice  which  liel.l  the  Vega.  An  hour  later  Palandcr, 
wRo  was  prepared  for  every  emergency,  had  steam  up;  and  in  another 
hour,  the  ship  was  free.  At  3:  30  she  steamed  away,  first  a  little  to  the 
west  to  get  clear  of  the  Hoe,  a.ul  then  in  the  right  direction,  castwanl  for 
Serdze  Kameu  and  Behring's  Strait,  encountering  no  fmther  obstruction 
from  the  ice  thenceforth  to  the  close  of  the  voyage.  The  detention  in 
winter  quarters  had  lasted  393  tlays. 


CHAPTER    LXXix 

FKEKD     KKOM     UKU     MOOKI  N-,,s  -  nroMKo,.       ,sr    Vvn         c 

"•'Jl.       IM.AMD ST,      I.AWKK.VCK 

ISL     MD  —  NOROENSKinLI)    liKACIIES    A    TKIFr,,  ^,M,  '        ' 

'V     1  ilLKGKAIMI    STAPIOV \  I- 

YOKOHAMA— A    SEIUES    OK    FESTrVAlS        v.-    ,r 

..OULO<,WE-T„U      «„A.V„     CE.K„„a™^ -COMMENTS      „.      ,„E 
EXPEDITION. 

No  .oo„e,  IKUI  .ho  vessel  swung:  loose  fron,  ho,-  „„„,,„,.  „„„  .„j 
outsK  e  the  ,e„  ,„ass.,  „f  ice  that  ha,l  f„n„„.l  her  winter  hav'en  than  'Ihe 
fou,,.l  an  ,ee.£ree  lea.l  ,„  the  east,  and  enconntered  no  .Wther  oh.tacles 
on  her  way  ...  the  Pacific.  In  ten  hours  .hey  passe,!  Scr.I.e  Kanten,  in 
7  west  „n,l  s.eerins  thence  sou.hcas.,  .hey  arrived  „ir  Cape  East  in 
Uehnn,,  sbtratt.n,  the  morning  „f, he  .oth,  and  a.  ,,  oVlnck,  ,«.„, 
ahnut  inalway  t.e.ween  the  Arctic  ami  Pacific  Oceans,  "The  Ve...  .nee.ed 

.  '''  '"; ■'^-^-    ^^"■■'•'»   ">■  "  ".»pl^.y  or  H..S the   l^in: „;  ;I 

Ssvechsh  salute."  Thus  linally  was  reached  the  ,,oal  towar.1  which  so 
many  nat.nns  had  st,-„.gled,  all  aU.ns  frtnn  the  tinre  when  Sir  Un^h 
W  tUoughhy  with  the  tiring  „f  salutes  front  cannon,  and  with  h,nr  ,l,s 
irotn  the  festivc-elad  seamen,  in  the  pr..,ence  of  an  innnnterable  crowd  of 
.mlHlant  ntcn,  certain  of  success,  ushered  in  titc  long  series  of  Northeast 
Voya<res,  326  yciirs  liefoic. 

The  prevalence  ..f  (o^  ren.lep..!  unadvisahle  a  huuliuj,,  ..therwise  murh 
cl.sn-e.i,  u,,  Oi,„„,,,  ,,,,„,,^  ^,^  ^,,,^^^^^_^  n,arket-place  of  the  polar  tribes 
situated  .n  the  narnnvest  part  of  the  Straits,  nearlv  halt^wav  between 
As,a  au<l  A,neriea;  and  probably  before  the  tin.e  of  Cohunbu;,  a  station 
tor  traihc  between  the  "  Old  and  New  Worlds."  They  lirst  cast  anchor 
n.  bt.  Lawrence  Bay,  where  various  expeditions  and  investigations 
amon<,.  the  tribes  on  the  east  coast  of  the  Tchuktchi  Peninsula  were  .eal 
ously  taken  up,  but  only  for  a  sinj^le  day,  as  the  co.nmander  was  anxious 

739 


7!J0 


AN  ARCTIC   COLONT. 


u'iii 


to  reach  ;i  tclejjraph  station  io  communicate  the  safety  of  the  expedition 
to  the  king  and  people  of  Sweden,  and  the  world  at  large.  Steainin"- 
across  to  the  American  side  they  anchortii  in  Port  Clarence,  where  tluv 
were  soon  called  upon  by  the  Esquimaux  for  interchange  of  civilities 
>  gifts,  and  barter.  Here  they  remained  until  the  36th,  when  the  Ve^a 
recrossed  to  the  Tchuktchi  peninsula,  fartiier  to  the  south  than  before 
and  anchored  in  Konyam  Bay  on  the  38th.  The  mountains  were  hit^h 
and  split  up  into  pointed  summits  with  deep  valleys  still  partlv  iilled  with 
snow;  but  no  glaciers  were  seen.  The  inner  bay  was  still  covered  with 
an  unbroken  sheet  of  ice,  which,  suddenly  breaking  up  on  the  30th,  they 
beat  a  rather  precipitate  retreat,  just  in  time  to  escape  the  last  chance  of 
conflict  with  the  great  enemy  of  Arctic  expeditions. 

Steaming  away  to  St.   Lawrence  Island   the   Vega   anchored   in  an 
open  bay  on  the  northwest  coast  on  the  31st.     Notwithstanding  its  very 
considerab'"  size,  eighty  by  thirty  miles,  the  island   has  no  good    Iiarbor- 
and  the  Vega  left  her  exposed  situation  on  the  3d  of  August.     The  next 
anchorage  was  made  on  the  14th  in  an  almost   equally   exposed   l)av  on 
the  west  of  Behring's  Island.      In  the  dreary,  treeless   land    where  Beh- 
ring  and  companions  met  notining  but  desolation,  sand  hills,  and  ravenous 
foxes,  Nordenskifild  and  party  found  a  thriving  colony  of  American  and. 
Russian  traders,  with  dwelling-houses,   ofHcial    buildings,   storehouses,  a 
schoolhouse,  and  church.     Behring,  Copper,  and  ToporkofF  Islands,  he- 
sides  several  islets  and  rocks,  constitude  the  group   known  as  Conunand- 
er's  Islands.     "  The  part  of  Behring  Island  which    we   saw,"   says   Xor- 
denskiiild,  "forms  a  high  plain  resting   on    volcanic    rocks,    which,  hi 
ever,  is  interrupted  at  many  places  liy  deep  kettle  vallevs,  tiie  bottoms 
which  are  generally  occupied  by  lakes  which  communicate   with  the  sca 
by  large  or  small  rivers.      The  banks  of  the  lakes  and  tlie    slopes   of  the 
hills  are   covered    witii    a    luxuriant   vegetation,    rich   in    long  gia-^s  aii'! 
.  beautiful  flowers;  and  might  without  difficulty  ^qgOl  large  herds  of  c:lttk^ 
perhaps  as  numerous  as  the  herds  of  sea-cows  that   ibrmerlv  pastnivd  on 
its  shores." 

Finding  here  a  steamer  of  the  Alaska  Company  bound  for  Pettopau- 
lovsky,  Nordenski()ld  was  somewhat  relieved  of  his   anxiety   to  itaili  a 


low- 
of 


AT   rOKOIIAMA. 


781 


telegraph  station,  whence  to  dispatch  news  of  the  safety  of  the  expe 
chtion.  He  had  of  course  no  means  of  i<nowing  with  certainty  that  his 
letters  through  the  Tchuktchis  had  been  safdy  forwarded ;  and  he  wished 
to  reheve  the  suspense  of  king  .nd  people,  and  of  the  world  at  lu^e 
and  save  the  expense  of  .uinecessary  relief  expeditions.  After  ■.  short 
but  pleasant  sojourn  at  the  civilized  colony,  they  left  their  moorin-.s  on 
the  19th,  and  on  the  35th  struck  the  Gulf  Stream  of  the  Pacific  On  the 
31st  the  mainmast  of  the  Vega  was  struck  by  lightning,  and  tne  vane 
w.th  some  inches  of  the  pole  was  thrown  into  the  sea,  while  all  on  board 
received  a  violent  shaking,  but  suffered  no  serious  inconuenience.  On  the 
3d  of  September,  at  9:  30  in  the  evening,  the  Vega  anchore.l  in  the  harbor 
ot  \okohoma,  Japan;  and  Nordenskiold  at  length  had  access  t..  a  tele 
graph  station,  and  also  a  little  experience  of  official  obstruction  in  ..ettin-^ 
h>s  messages  off.  Here  he  learned  that  a  relief  steamer,  called  by  hi"s 
name,  had  been  sent  forward  by  his  friend  Sibiriakoff,  and  had  been 
stranded  on  the  coast  of  Yesso,  fortunately  without  loss  of  Hfe,  and  with 
a  l:iir  prospect  of  being  got  off  safely. 

With  Yokahama   began  the  series   of  fesdvities  and   celebrations  in 
honor  ot   Nordenskiold  an<l  his  companions  which  soon  encon,passed  the 
world,  either  actually  or  by  sympathy   of  feehag.     One  unsolved   prob- 
Icm-by  -nany  deen.ed    insolvable-had  not   only  been  worked   out   but 
the  task  iiad  been  achieved  without  loss  of  life,  and  with  little  more  actual 
inconvenience,  except  from  cold  and  the  accidental   .letention   in   the  ice 
than  men  often  experience  on  an  inglo.ious  fishing  excursion.     Civilized' 
■nan  every wliere  rejoiced.    "  The  great  things  left  undone  in  the  world  " 
had  been  din^inished   by  one,   and    another   hero,  representative   of  what 
can  be  done  by  man,  was  enthroned    amid   the   plaudits  of  an  admirino- 
world.       The  first  formal  ovation  was  by  a  .,and  .linner  at   the  Grand 
Hotel  on  the    H,th  of  September,  followed  the  ensuing  dav  by  a   break- 
h.st  with  the  Japanese    ministers.       On  the  ,3tii,  the  German  Club,  and 
on  llie  .5th  the  Tokio   Geographical  Society,  were  the   hosts,  while  on 
the  ■7th  the  members  of  the  expedition  were  formally  presented  to  the 
Mikado  at  his  palace  in  Tokio.       With  fetes,  excursions,  balls,  and  si<.ht- 
seeings,  their  stay  at  Yokahama  was  rendered  very  enjoyable,  but  holi- 


783 


THE   CONFUSION  OF  BABEL. 


days  must  coine  to  a  close— indeed,  they  derive  their  chief  zest  from  the 
consciousness  of  hard  work  hefore  and  after—and  the  Ve<ra  wei-hcd 
anchor  on  the  nth  of  October,  hut  it  was  not  until  the  27th  that  iliey 
finally  took  leave  of  Japan  at  Nagasaki.  The  Vega  had  meanwhile 
been  overhauled,  and  copper-bottomed,  to  protect  her  hull  from  tiie  hor- 
ing  mussels  of  the  tropical  seas,  besides  receiving  some  light  gener.il  ic 
pairs,  and  some  changes  in  interior  outfit. 

On  the  2d  of  November  our  voyagers   arrived   at    Hong    Kong,  ami 
received  of  course  an  ovation  from  a  settlement  which  represents  the  iia- 
tion  that  has  contributed    most  to  Arctic  exploration  ever  since  the  time 
of  Cabot.     They  remained  five  days,  and  were  not  only  well  entortaiiied 
by  officials,  but  were  much  interested  in  the  glimpses  of  Chinese  life  th.ey 
were  able  to  calch,  especially  in  the  neighboring  city  of  Canton.    Leav-- 
ing   Ilong   Kong  on    the   9th,  and  proceeding  south  through  the  China 
Sea,  they  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Labuan,  off  the  northwest   coast  of 
Borneo  on  tiic  17th.    On  the  21st  they  sailed  for  Singapore,  at  the  s„uth. 
crn  extremity  of  the  Malay  Peninsula,  where  they  arrived    on    the   2Sth. 
Here,  as  elsewhere,  Nordenskiold  and   the   scientists  availed  thenistlvcs 
of  every   opportunity  to   study  the   manners  and  customs  of  the  ])cople, 
ethnological    characteristics,    and    whatever    strange    or    peculiar  ihuv 
were  able  to  detect  in  the  social  or  political  life  of  the  races  they  oiuoini. 
tered,  besides  the  direct  scientific  investigations  they  had  prosecute!  tVnni 
the  beginning.       Singapore    is   situated   exactly    half  way  in  the  drcum. 
navigation  of  Eurojje  and  Asia  from    Sweden.       A  Habel-like  coulusion 
of  speech  prevails  in  the  town,  owing  to  the  great  numlK-r  of  nationahtics 
represented— Chinese,  Malays,    Klings,  Bengalese,   Parsees,    Sin  .halose, 
negroes,  Arabs,  besides  Americans  and  Europeans. 

Entering  on.  the  second  but  well-known  half  of  the  voyage  on  ihr 
4th  of  December,  1S79,  they  arrived  at  Point  de  Galle,  on  the  southwest 
coast  of  Ceylon,  on  the  15th,  "having  had  during  the  passage  fmm 
Singapore  a  pretty  steady  and  favorable  monsoon.  While  sailiii- 
through  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  a  strong  ball-lightning  was  often  seen 
a  httle  after  sunset.  The  electrical  discharges  appeared  to  go  on  princi- 
pally from  the  mountain  hcigiits  on  both  sides  of  fho  straits,     hi  the  sea- 


A   NEIV  TEAR'S   CALL. 

,o,-t  towns  the  Singhalese  a.-e  insunb.-anle  by  th.  ,-  he,,in,,  thei.-  :  ...ac- 
:.y,  ml  the  unpleasant  custom  they  have  of  .,skn>.  .p  to  ten  tin.  s  as 
.nuch  wh,le  .nakn.g  a  bargain  as  they  a.e  pleased  to  aceept  in  the  end. 
In  .he  .nter.o,-  of  the  eountry  the  state  of  things  in  this  .cspeet  is  ,...ch 
-■.t.M-.  "Durn.,.  our  stay  in  Japan  and  our  voyage  thenee  to  Ceylon,  I 
l.ui  endeavored,"  says  Nordenskiold,  "  at  least  in  some  de.^ree  to  p,'e 
scnc  the  character  of  the  voyage  of  the  Vega  as  a  scientific  expedition 
an  attempt  which,  consicU-nng  the  short  time  the  Vega  remained  at  each 
place,  could  not  yield  any  very  nnportant  results,  and  which  besides  was 
rcn  ercd  difficult,  though  in  ,,  way  that  was  agreeable  and  flatterin<.  to 
>.J.y  I  n.ay  almost  say  the  tempestuous  hospitality  with  which  "the 
\  ega  men  were  everywlu  ,e  received  durin,  their  visits  to  the  ports  of 
J;i])an  and  East  Asia." 

Leaving  Galle   on   the  33d  of  December,  they  celebrated   Christmas 
at  s.a   m  a  modest  but  comn.emorative   way,  being  tired  of  festive  enter- 
tauunents  and    luxurious  banqueting.     A  New  Year's  call   was  made  on 
th.  olHcers  by  the  men  of  the   f,  .ecastle  in  the  character  of  Tchuktchis, 
ollermg  the  compliments  of  the  season,  and  complaining  bitterly  of  the  " 
uncn,lurable  heat,  while  they  lavished   unstinted  praise  on  the  beautiful 
lauds  o(  the  heaven-favored  Tchuktchis  of  the  Polar  Sea,  where  one  could 
wear  n,ce  fur   clothes   all  the   year   round.     They  reached    Aden,  at  the 
entrance  of  the    Red    Sea,  on  the   7th  of  January,   1S80.     "  No  place  in 
tlK.  Ingh  North,"  says  Nordenskiold,  "not  the  granite  cliffs  of  the  Seven 
Islands,  or   the   pebble   rocks   of   Low    Island   on    Spitzbergen;  not  the 
ni'.untam  sules   on  the  east  coast  of  Nova  Zembla,  or  the   figure-marked 
;^.ou,ul    at  Cape  Chelyuskin,  is  so   bare  of  vegetation  as  the^nvirons  of 
Aden,  and    the  parts  of  the  east   coast  of  the   Red  Sea   which  we  saw. 
No,  can  there  be  any  comparison  in   respect  of  the  abundance  of  ani.nal 
l.te   l.ctwee,>    the   equatorial    countries   and   the    polar   regions  we   have 
ua.ncd,  being  much    richer  in   the   latter."      Setting  out  on  the  91)1,  they 
traverse!  the    Red   Sea,  about    ,400   miles  in   length,  and  being  delayed 
In- adverse   winds,  did   not    reach   Suez    till  the   27th  of  January.     Here 
were  m.>re  receptions,  excursions  to  Cairo  and  the  Pvramids,  banquets 
'■•on>  geographical  and  scientific  societies,  a  ball  from  the  Swedish  consul, 


m 


MM 


734 


AT  BOULOGNE. 


and  a  trip  to  the  Mokaltam  Mountains,  for  specimens  of  the  petrilicl 
wood  for  which  they  are  famous.  "  These  lie  spread  about  in  tlie  desii t 
in  incredible  masses,  partly  broken  up  into  small  pieces,  partly  \wy^, 
fallen  tree-stems,  without  root  or  branches,  Init  in  a  wonderfully  ,t,n).„i 
state  of  preservation." 

vSteamin;^  throuj^h  the  Suez  Canal  on  the  3d  of  February,  and  touch- 
in''  at  Port  Said  on  the  Sth,  thev  arrived  on  the  14th  at  Naples,  the  lirst 
European  port  they  were  to  visit.  The  various  incidents  of  a  most  en- 
thusiastic reception  followed  closi'  on  each  other's  heels  every  day  and 
night  until  the  19th,  at  Naples;  antl  from  the  20th  to  the  35th  at  Rome. 
National,  civic,  scientific  and  social  demonstrations  and  courtesies  of 
everv  kind  were  showered  upon  the  members  of  the  expedition.  Drs. 
Kjellman,  Almquist  and  Stnxberg,  with  Lieut.  Nordquist,  now  set 
out  for  home  by  rail,  and  Lieut.  Bove  remained  behind  at  his  home  in  , 
Italy,  so  that  on  the  departure  of  the  Vega  from  Naples  on  the  la^t  day 
of  February,  18S0,  the  members  of  the  expedition  on  board  were  the 
commander,  Nordenskiold,  Capt.  Palander,  and  the  Lieuts.  Brusewii/ 
and   llovgaard. 

The  Vega  passed  through  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  on  the  (jlh  of 
March,  and  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Lisbon  on  the  nth.  Here  they 
were  welcomed,  feted  and  decorated  as  at  Naples  until  the  15th,  when 
they  sailed  for  Portsmouth,  England.  Meeting  headwi.K's  as  she  en- 
tered the  English  Channel,  th.-  Vega  put  in  to  Falmouth  on  the  35th, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  month  was  occupied  by  Nordenskiold  and 
Palander  in  various  receptions  a?Kl  courtesies  from  representative  intlivid- 
uals  and  societies  of  "the  land  whi.  ,.1  stands  first  in  the  line  of  those  that 
have  sent  out  explorers  to  the  Polar  Seas." 

On  the  ist  of  April  there  was  a  reception  breakfast  and  dinner  at 
Boulogne,  whence  tliey  proceeded  to  Paris,  arriving  on  the  mornin;^  ol' 
the  2d  at  7  o'clock.  "Our  reception  in  Paris,"  says  Nordenskiold, 
"  was  magnificent,  and  it  appeared  as  if  the  metropolis  of  the  world 
wished  to  show  by  the  way  in  which  she  honored  a  feat  of  navii,'a- 
tion  that  it  is  not  without  reason  that  she  bears  on  her  shield  .1  ves- 
sel surrounded    by  swelling    Inilo.vs."       Dinners,    halls,    receptions,  iia- 


THE   FINAL   CELEBRATIONS.  73., 

t-nal  municipa.  .„<!  scientific,  honors,  attentions,  decorations,  wuv 
crowded  fast  upon  the  two  distin^nnshed  leaders  of  the  Swedish  expe- 
a.t.on,  Nonlenskiold  and  PahuKler,  beginning  promptlv  on  the  ,.orn- 
■ng  o,  their  arrival,  and  closing  only  on  the  eve  of  U.eir  departure 
On  the  yth  they  left  Paris  to  join  the  Vega,  which  had  meanwhile 
hcen  taken  forwar<l  to  Vlissingen  (Flushing),  in  the  Netherlands,  by 
LK-t.  Hrusewit..  In.nediately  on  their  arrival  aboard,  the  Ve.^a 
wcghe<l  anchor,  the  voyagers  respectfully  declining  the  proffered  ovl 
t-Ms  of  Holland  and  Befgiun.,  "from  want  of  time  and  stren-nh  to 
take  part  .n  any  nu>re  fbstivities."  As  they  approached  Copenha-^ei. 
however,  they  encountered  another  wave  of  popular  enthuHiasm,^hc' 
co.mtrymen  of  Lieut.  Ilovgaard  of  the  expedition  ofTering  their  con- 
gralulat.ons  in  a  spontaneous  outburst  on  the  15th,  fbUowed  by  more 
formal  and  oflicial  recognition  of  the  already  repeatedly  described  pat- 
tern  until   the    lytli. 

The  final    celebratio.is   were  reserved    for    the    capital    of    Sweden 
which  ha.I  received  such  distinguished   renown  from   the  great  exploit 
of  licr  sons.     Leaving    Copenhagen   on   the   evening   of  the    Tpth,  they 
arrived  ofT  Dalarve,  twenty  miles  from   Stockholm,  on   the  3,d,  where 
they  awaited  the  time  appointed  for  the  formal  entry  jnto   ihe  ^harbor  of 
the  capital  of  the  nation.     Meanwhile  at  Dalarve  they  were  rejoined  by 
then-  families  and  the  absent  members  of  the   expedition.     On   the   24th, 
at  S  A.  M.,  the    Vega   again   weighed   anchor   and  steamed   slowly   past 
Vaxiiolm  into  Stockholm.     "We  met  innumerable  flag-decked  steamers 
l)y  tlK-  way  fully  laden  with  friends,   known    and   unknown,  who   with 
.houts  of  rejoicing  welcomed  the  Vega  men  home.    The  nearer  we  came 
to   Stockholm,  the  greater   l,ecame   the  number  of  steamers,  that,  ar- 
ranged in  a  double  line  and  headed  by  the   Vega,  slowly  approached  the 
liarl.or.     Lanterns  in  variegated  colors  were  lighted  on  the  vessels,  fire- 
works  were  let  off,  and  the  roar  of  cannon   mingled  with  the  loud  hur- 
■ahs  of  thousands  of  spectators.     After  being  greeted  at   Kastelholmen 
w.lh  one  more  salute,  the  Vega  anchored  in  the  stream  in  Stockholm  at 
'"  !■•  M.     The  Queen  of  the  Malar  (Stockholm)  had  clothed  herself  for 
the  occasion  in  a  festive  dress  of  incomparable  splendor.     The  city    was 


r;!« 


COMMKNTS  ON  N()R/)!::VSl\  fOLD. 


illumiiuitcd,  the  l)uililin,i^s  around  the  harbor  bcinjif  in  the  first  rank. 
Specially  had  the  kin;.f  tionc  ovcrytiiin<j  to  make  the  reception  of  the 
Vey[a  Expedition,  wliioli  he  had  so  warmly  cherished  from  the  first 
moment,  as  ma<^niliceiu  as  possible.  The  whole  of  the  royal  palace  was 
radiant  with  a  sea  of  lights  and  flames,  being  ornamented  with  >vmbols 
and  ciphers,  among  whicii  the  name  ot  the  youngest  sailor  on  tiic  Vega 
was  not  omitted.  An  estrade  had  been  erected  from  Log.iorden  to  the 
landing-place.  Here  wc  were  received  by  the  town-cou'icillors,  ^vhose 
pre.-ident,  the  governor,  welcomed  us  in  a  siiort  speech;  we  were  thun  con- 
tlucted  to  the  palace,  where,  in  the  presence  of  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen 
of  Sweden,  the  members  of  the  royal  house,  the  highest  otllcials  of  the 
state  and  court,  etc.,  we  were  in  the  grandest  maimer  welcomed  in  the 
name  of  the  fatherland  b)  the  King  of  Sweden,  who  at  the  same  time 
conferred  upon  us  further  marks  of  his  favor  and  <jcod  will  (commem- 
orative medals,  etc.)  It  was  also  at  the  royal  palace  that  tlie  series  of 
festivities  commenced  with  a  grand  gala  dinner  on  the  25th  of  April,  at 
which  the  king  in  a  few  magnanimous  words  praised  the  exploit  of  the 
Vega.     Th^iw  fete  followed  fete  for  se\eral  weeks." 

And  greater  than  all  festivities,  the  triumphant  fact  was  duly  regis- 
tered as  one  of  the  great  pivotiU  events  in  the  records  of  humanity.  The 
success  of  the  Vega  is  one  of  the  grand  liistoric  achievements  of  the  race, 
and  may  lead  directly  to  tiie  discovery  of  the  Pole.  The  more  expe- 
ditions there  are  wliich  owe  their  success  to  well-designed,  carefully- 
executed  plans,  the  more  likelihood  there  is  that  a  broad  national  or  inter- 
national polar  expedition  will  be  organized  in  such  a  manner  as  to  com- 
mand success.  The  wide  experience  and  characteristics  of  NordenskiOld 
mark  him  as  the  leader  of  that  great  achievement,  if  projected  soon 
enough.  He  is  now  fifty,  ;uk1  there  is  na  time  to  lose.  The  frozen  north 
is  no  Held  for  freezing  age,  but  demands  the  vigor  of  manhood  com- 
bined with  the  experience  of  mature  years.  NordenskiQlcl  is  the  man, 
and  the  world  calls  him  to  the  task.  Should  he  fail  of  reaching  the 
Pole,  he  will  not  fail  to  make  the  feat  more  feasible  for  his  successors. 


P  \RT  VI, 


THE    JEflNNETTE. 


♦       I 


5:  ] 


it:  .-a   M 


m'm 


''''Thcv  should  have  died  in 


their  own   loved  land. 


With  friends  and  kinsmen,  near  them; 
i\'ot  have  zvithered  thus  on  a  foreign  strand^ 

With   no  thought  save  Heaven  to  eheer  them. 
But  what  reeks  it  now  y  Is  their  sleep  le 


ss  sou  He 


In  the  plaee   where  the  zvild  waves  swept  the 


m. 


Than  if  home 


'reeii  turf  th 


eir   <>raz'es 


had  bou)uL 


Or  the  hearts  they  loved  had  wept  them. 


I 


' V-.„„.,.,„.„„,.,,,„:  ;    -  '""^    """•    VAC. 

•\I{KI\  I,    AT    I'OKTSMOUTII. 

Tl  •  carcfiil  reader   must    hiw  I,,,,,,     ■ 

!'"«"•»  Ifay,  .Ik.   <;r.c.„la„.|.,Spu.|,e,.,„„  So,    -„„1        ,  ,'    "         ""' 

llif  hi-'hwav  to  the  Pole       J>.,..,.     i     i         ,  '^      '■^nait,  as 

NIL  I  OIL,      1  arry  had  pushed  thiou-rh    fl-,,.         .     i 

I'v  S,,it/heprcn  to  8^  '  J-'  .  l„.  ,i  t'ln.u^h   the  ceutral    route 

■       '  "^"  ^"  ^^-     43    ,  In-  the  western  route  of  BamrV   M,  i  ■ 

-tlcls,  Nares  had  reache<l  S-  .<>'   ^6"-  and  w  ,  ^  ''' 

••^  considered  a  contiuuatiou    >r  the  li       ,        T'^  ''    ^^'^"  '"'^'^^ 

Su-ait.  -the  line  hein..  as  it  were     d  7    '     '   "'''   "^'  i^^'-".'« 

••-"■,-,  .IS  u  WLie  taken  un   whcic    it    I-...  i    i  ■ 

"V   C'""^   -d    others-ha.!    arrived   at  7   ^   ^^^  ^ ^r         '''' 

-M.^unvhiie,    the    \   rthwest  P.  1         .  ^      '''''"    "'''^'• 

'   .    '    -^    'thwcstlassa-e   had   heen   found   and  surveyed   in 

:'-">'  ■"  "-  nuen.ts  of  ,eo,raphy  and  general   Unowled-.         :        v 

-  "npract.eal,ihty  as  a    eon.nereial    route  to   the    Fast   Ivid 

■•-'^■nix.ed.    And  now  the  Northeast  Pas  .  "     ""^ 

.Noithtast  1  assa-e  was  once  more  hein-  tested 

::'"r  • "-"  """""■■■""  """■■■'"*^ -■"  -w.  .;.„.  ,„. ; 

'■"';!■'  1^-  '!-■-  t„  ,„c,x.,so   ,„o  .„„,  .,;■  „„„,„   ,„„„,,,,,  ,,  ,, 

'-"'^'-'-'«  -'■•lor  .<■  onlm-se  the  vol,„„c  ,„■  .«crui„ed  .,uth  for  i„ 

789 


-^"rmmiiiiiiiiiL 


740 


CIIARACTElilSTICS   OF   THE  ARCTIC  REGIONS. 


own  sake,  have  constituted  the  inspiration  of  these  heroic  endeavors. 
All  tile  '^reat  nations  of  modern  times  have  liad  their  representative^  in 
the  loiii^  li>l  of  navijrator^  who.e  names  adorn  tiiesc  pa;^es,  slio\vin<,^  tlmt 
in  tlie  <^n-eater  prohlems  of  humanity  tiie  whole  world  reco;^nii/.es  a  coin- 
inuiiity  of  interest,  and  an  instinctive  unity  of  purpose  and  elFort. 

Encompassed  by  hitherto  insurmountable  obstacles,  ami  bristlin;^' wiih 
almost     inconceivable    dan<jers,     Polar    navi<,'ation    has    ori<>:inated    and 
develop'^d  more  varied  skill  and    heroic   darinj^   than   the    discovery   and 
exploration  of  all  the  rest  of  the  jj^lobe.      It  has  had  and  still  has,  a  pucu- 
liar  fascination  for  the   bravest   and   most    adventurous   of  the   race;  and 
offers  manv  of  the  iijrandest  and  most  sublime  attractions    to    conii)ensatc 
for  its  (lans^erous  and  monotonous  tlesolation.     The  North  I'olar   rci^nons 
offer  an  ever-wideninij:  field  of  investigation  to   the   scientist;  and   many 
problems  of  meteorology,  light  and  magnetism  are  receiving   elucidation 
trom  the  tliscoveries  made  in  high  latitudes,  while   the  artist   Ihuls   much 
to  enlist  his  enthusiasm   in  the  grandly   picturesque   scenes    presented  in 
this  huge  laboratory  of  Mature.      The  vastness   of  her  operations   is  ex- 
hibited on  every  hand  in  I'ne  huge  icebergs  and  immense  glaciers,  clad  in 
dazzling  whiteness   in   the   light   of  the    long,   unbroken    Arctic  day,  or 
glittering  in  the  moon's  silvery  rays,  at  intervals,  in  the  Arctic   night,  or 
displaying  a  weird,  melancholy  beauty  under  the  gentler   radiance  of  the 
bri<'-hl  stars.      Ever  and  anon  the  amoral  arch,  varied  uith   tlMating   Imn- 
ners  of  iri-hued  light  and    fantastic    gleams  and    fiickerings   of  its   cvtr 
active  and  restless  forces,  flashes   over   the   scene.      As   the   bergs,   paclo, 
and  floes  drive  before  the  wind  or  lloat  with  the   current,   they  are  ever 
assuming  new   appearances   and    presenting    new   combinations,  demon- 
strating that  activity  or  energy  is  the  law  of  the  universe.      In  all  iialniv, 
inanimate  as  well  as  animate,  unrest  ever  prevails;  idleness    or   sloth   h,K 
no  place.      Even  where  man  attemi)ts   to   i)ervert    this   law,   he   ofily  ex- 
hibits his  utter  imiMitency;  the  indolent  are  left  behind,  and  the  -.ecivt  lor- 
ces  of  nature   forthwith    institute   a   series   of  special   activities   tn  di'^cn- 
cumber  the  earth  of  their  presence.      The   icebergs,   under  tliis   resistlc- 
law  of  force,   will   at   one   time   present   the    outline    of  some    me  lia'v;il 
cathedral  or  feudal  castle,  and  at  another,  a  park    of  pyramids,   mountam 


T\'\\\« 


MR.  BENNETT'S  PROJECT.  741 

peaks,  ori<.antic  broken  columns,  colossal  fij,nires  of  men  and  animals,  and 
in  fact,  the  frozen  counterfeit  of  almost  everything  grand  or  magnificent 
which  man    has  constructed  or  nature  produced  in  more   tavorcd"  climes. 
Again  they  are  hurled   against  each   other   with   a   crash  like   appalling 
thunder  or  the  roar  of  a  thousand  Krupp  guns  on  a  modern  battlefield.  ^ 
Much  had    been   done;  much   remained    to    be   done.     America,    the 
voungest  of  the  great  nations,  had  contributed  her  quota  of  distinguished 
Arctic  and  Polar  navigators,  but  naturally  wished,  if  it  might  be,   to  ,k1<1 
iVcsh  laurels  to  those  already    won.     In   conformity    with   the   genius   of 
her  free  institutions— which   tend  to  direct   the  activities   of  government 
int.)  their  appropriate  sphere  of  execution  of  the  laws,   while    leaving  to 
individual  or  associated  enterprise  of  her  citizens  such  pursuits  as  the  love 
of  tame  or  fortune  may  impel  them  to  embrace— a  new  Polar  expedition 
was  set  on  foot,   at  the   expense   of  one   of  her   wealthy   citizens,  James 
Gordon  Bennett,  proprietor  of  the  New  York  Herald,  and   only  son  of 
the  founder  of  the  paper,  and  the  great  fortune  which  those  very  institu- 
tions had  enabled   him    to  accu-nilate,  became  its   patron.     A   not  dis- 
similar enterprise,  a  short  time   before   the  death  of  the  elder   Beimett, 
received  the  support  of  the  Herald.     It  will  be  remembered  that  Henry 
M.  Stanley  was  dispatched  with  300  men  and   all    necessary   supplies  in 
search  of  the  African  explorer  Livingstone,  in  1870,  and   that   owing   to 
the    timely    thoughtful ness    and    public   spirit   01    the    Bennetts,   lie  was 
enabled  to  reach  the  great  traveler  at  a  critical  moment,  on   the    loth  of 
November,  1871,  and  supply  the  resources  which   in    his  enfeebled   con- 
dition   were   absolutely    necessary  to   his  safety.     In    1875    Stanley  was 
again  sent   out  by  Mr.  Bennett  on  an  independent  expedition   to  the  in- 
terior of  "  The  dark  continent." 

The  vessel  which  Mr.  Bennett  now  set  his  mind  on  for  an  American 
Polar  expedition  had  previously  made  an  Arctic  voyage  in  command  of 
her  owner,  Captain,  afterward  Sir  Allen  Young. 

VOYAGE  OF  THE  PANDORA. 

The  Pandora  was  bought  of  the  British  Naval  Department  by  Capt. 
Young,  and  specially  fitted  out  by  him  for  Arctic  navigation.     Although 


J  i 
1 


f>^' 


tk 


THE  PANDORA. 

■"    hrs  „,ccc,sft,l  »c.rcl,    lor   relics  „r    Fn.nkli,,     i„    ,s-, 

..CO  ...  .ce.pres,„re,  an.,  her  „„„„„,  „„,,,,,.,,,„   „i,        ,„„      "* 
A    enca,,  eh.  l„„r  an.,  .,„e.ha,f  ,„„,,  „.,,^  ^^,  .,_,  ,^^^       J  '^ 

.,..»■..-,    "-ere    «,pp„»e„  .„   rculor  her   ea,„h,e  .„■  re..,,;  „,;        ii 
«,nee.e,,     ha.  w„„,„    e,.,.,,h  a  e,„„.o„,,„i,.  „•,  ,1,,.  a„  e^ghel,      S 
;- a     -  .r„ge.,    ve.e,  „f  f...,r  h„„<,re.,   a„.,    ,hir.v.ei«,r,„„;  re' 
.    ,  w,.h  .oa,„,,ower   „hieh   e,.,„,l  „„  e,„er,e„cy  be  w^-ke,,  ,,„  .,.  t. 
l"..K.re.l    hor,,e  power.     „er  o.fieer.s  a„.l  ero.v  ,„.,„,,ere.,  thirty   a,„, 
vaspr„v,,„o,.e.,  ,„r  eighlco.,  ,no„ch,,.     ..The  promoters   .,f  ,he  expe. 

::  Zt  A,r""v' ""  "^'"■""■^""'  ^  -  "=™'"  --p-™'" 

-,eCapt  Allen   X  oung,  „„  wh,.,„   fell  .he  prineipa,    bur.,e„  a,,.,  ex- 

,-..-;  Mr.  Jame,  Gor.l„„  Ue„„e„,  ,vh.„„  1  ,„.,  the  ,,..„„r  ,.,  represe,,.- 

!-«»(.  Innes  Liilin-toii,  R.  N     w,,o   w,.„.   .,  ,■  H>'"e„t, 

(h.  I„.    L«.y    Fra„kl,„.     .She    „a.,  i„.si„e.l  .,„  c„„.ribu.in.,  ,„  .he  ex- 

,>c,«s  ^  .1^  e.xpe.,i,io„,  alm„».  a,.ai„s.  Cap,,  Young's  wishes,  wh.,  fel. 

hy  no  ^^  eo„».„.  of  .loin,  any.hin,  .ha,    w.,.„.,  en.i.le  hin,  ,.,  ac 

«,..  her  Wm^  ca„.rib„.io„,"     Lie.,.,  iieynen  aceo,npanic,l  her  as  rep- 

-n,a..veV.i.,    On.eh   navy,  ,„  ,ai„  experienee  in  Lctie  naviga.,: 

w..h  a    v,ew  perhaps  ,o  son...   fn.nre  expedi.i.,,,  .„  ,ho  north  „„.,er  .hj 

aus|)ice.s  .)f  that  Kovernment. 

O.,   .he„r..rnin..,f,,n,y  .S,  ,875,  they  sigh.e.l   Cape  Farewell,  and 
oun.1  ,he,^selve»  ,urro,„„i..,,   ,,,  ,    „„,,   „f  .^^^  ^,.^,_  j^.^^^,  ,   ,^^ 

dangerously  near,  whi,e  i,  s.retchc.l  away  ,.,  the  distance  a,s  fa;  as  the 
o.ve  could  reach.  The  near  ice  presentcl  ahnost  every  inraginable  ap. 
IK-arance-old  castles  with  ru.ne.l  towers,  e«.el,«ed  ba.tIe,non.s,  Sow ,. 
.ng  fortresses  with  broken  loopholes;  massive  cathedral,  with  fantastic 
carvnrgs  .an.l  .lelicatc  tracings;  triumphal  arche.  with  spires  an.,  pinna- 
cles  as  wcl  as  heavy  architraves,  frie.cs  .„,d  cornices.  The  animal  an.l 
u.cahlc    k.ngdonrs    were    not    without  their   representatives.      ilu„e 


■    ! 


744 


A  T  DISCO— A  r   UPERNA  VIK 


i 


imiJirDoins,  with  sluiKier  stem  .ind  broad  (lr()()piii<^  tops;  <jreat  masses  of 
imnuiisc  r()lia<.^c-cn)\viiu(l  trees;  irniceful  swans  with  slender  necks  poised 
at  case;  lions,  liorses,  and  eai^les;  in  short,  one  might  faney  a  resemblance 
in  some  ice-mass  to  anythin;g  he  had  ever  seen  (jr  read  of,  all  sparklim'- 
and  i^leaniinL;'  in  the  brit^ht  morning  sun.  Treading  their  way  labori- 
ously and  cautiously  through  the  narrow,  they  finally  got  completely 
hemmed  in.  They  now  drove  straight  through  the  floe,  across  a  narrow 
ice-isthmus.  The  wind  was  favorable,  and  they  were  proceeding  at  the 
rate  of  five  knots  an  hour.  In  a  moment  the  iron-clad  bows  of  the  Pan- 
dora plunged  into  the  obstructing  ice  like  a  battering-ram.  There  was 
a  loud  crash;  the  ship  quivered  and  groaned;  the  masts  rolled  up  before 
her  in  great  blocks,  which  fell  into  the  water  with  a  loud  splash  and  an 
answering  spray,  and  she  was  securely  jammed  in  the  ice.  A  moment 
of  awful  suspense  followed,  but  there  was  scarcely  time  to  take  in  tin; 
situation  when  it  was  founil  tliat  the  iron  prow  had  quite  demolished  the 
ice,  and  it  only  remained  to  squeeze  <^^hrough  the  fissure  that  had  been 
made.  The  ship  wriggled  through  like  an  eel,  and  then  shot  forward, 
free  and  uninjured,  into  the  lane  of  open  water  ahead.  With  many  sim- 
ilar experiences  they  worked  their  slow  way  to  Irgtut,  where  they  were 
warmly  welcomed  by  the  Danish  colonists.  Proceeding  forward  they 
soon  arrived  at  Disco,  and  were  again  cordially  welcomed  by  the  colo- 
nists and  officials  at  that  port.  On  the  way  they  had  been  boarded  by 
some  trading  Esquimaux  in  their  frail  kayaks,  which  drew  from  Mac- 
Gahan  the  reflection,  "Imagine  a  man  getting  into  a  canoe  and  paddling 
across  the  English  Channel  from  Dover  to  Boulogne  or  Calais,  to  sell 
half  a  dozen  trout!"  Some  of  them  had  rowed  fifteen  or  twenty  miles 
to  barter  a  little  fish  for  cofToe,  biscuit,  and  tobacco.  At  Disco  Muc- 
Gahan  had  occasion  to  indulge  in  some  reflections  of  another  kind. 
Speaking  of  a  local  belle,  he  says,  "It  was  a  pure  delight  to  watch  her 
little  feet  flitting  over  the  ground  like  butterflies,  or  humming  birds,  or 
rosebuds,  or  anything  else  that  is  delicate,  and  sweet,  and  delightful.  It 
was  not  dancing  at  all;  it  was  flying;  it  was  floating  through  the  air  on  ;■ 
wave  of  rhythm,  without  even  so  much  as  touching  ground." 

At  Upernavik  they  look  aboard  some  tlogs  for   the   expedition;  ami 


REUCS  OF  ItOSS  AND  DliLCIER.  -j, 

lean..,,  ,,.,.,,     .,,„.  „„,  ,„,„„.„,, „.  ^.^^.^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  ■" 

"      ..h.lv.      h,   ,.„.„,.„     „.,  »i„„„l    ,„c  ,,..„    ,;,„, ,   ,„_ 

;"';'?:'"""' ■'■^"'■"■^ -.  r„r  „.  A,.- „;..,„„,; 

"7v "":",": ''•■"•'""■ ■"■'•  ^"">- "I , , 

''T  :?■ . ""  ■"■■ ^'^  ""■"'■'  '-'■ ^  "'■  P--.VC.,,  ,„™„ 

an     vegetable.  ,„,,y,, ,  ,„.  „,  ,,„„,„,^,,„_  ^.,.^,^,,  ,^,^„^    ^. 

c.o.„,  „a,.,  .„  ,„a,„<e.s  an.l  c„H „  ■ „„„,,,„,  ,.,  „^,„^,  ,„.  ^,_^-^^ 

m.tto„s,  ,.ese„,,,,i,,„  u,o  w,x.cl<  ,.,• ,..  ,■,,,„,„  ,„,„_   ,,,„„   ^^.,,^^.,^   ^  J 

a...l  ca,-,  had  ...sappear..,,    'Hk.  „„,•,.  „f  ,„c  „.,...k..  „,.,.„.,,..,„.. 
l.o,v  haa  .,„awc.d  i,„„  Uu.  ,„„..*  „rsal.  h...,;  ,„•  „,,,„  ,„„  ,  „„;,^.,,  „,,,; 
l.'lt  beh„„,;  tlK.y  had  punched  hok.  i„,„  ,h..  hcavv  p.,„„,ioa„  .,.„   h,„ 
were  n„,  «,„„,  ,„  ,h.  ,»,  ,„■  ,.„„„„„..  ,„^,„    ,„.  ;,^^.^,  ^^^^^^^^^^^        '.^^^ 
.he  h,n,      „  ,„  ,„„„„„,„  „,  ,.^^_^    ,^^,,^^^^  ^__^^^^  ^^_^__^  ,_  _^^^    ^^^^    ^^^     . 

..I  St  John  Franklin;  .hre.  ,nilos  far.!,.,-  „p  are  .he  ,.-av..  „r  Mvc  ,..., 
n>en„f,heEroh„»,Te,-n,r,a,.d    N„,-.h  S.a,-.     ..  Thi:  A,«l..    ,„-„,,,,,;,; 
.«  s,.„a,e.l  „„  a  ,,ravolly  sh.pe,  „hleh  rise.  „p  r,,,,,.  ,h.  h..,.  I,;.  ,„„:„-,, 
the  foo,  „,  a  h.gh  hl,.ff,  U,:..  ,V„w,.s  down    „p„„    ;,    ,.«  .„„„^,,    ,„^.,„,,„, 

.hen,.n...o„„f.he  hnn.an   dea.l    i„    .„,    „,,    „„,,,      ■,^„,    [^^^^^J 

looked  ehe  p.,„,-  headd,„a,-d,  a.  ,he  l„„.-,i„ki„,  ,..„  „„,„,  ,,  __.^,„„„.  ,.  ^^ 
...hw.,r,  ,hen,,  casti,,,,;  „„.,  »h..,l„u,,  .„.,■  .h.  shingly  s,„p.,  «i|.„.,  ,„,  ,„•„, 
mo„n,l,.l  as  eve-ythh,,,  cl«.  ,„  ,hi«  d.-c.a,-y  „.,„,,|..-  ,,„„„.  „„  ^.„^,,^ 
Somcse.  .hey  discvered  .h.  cai,-,,  .,ve.„l  l,y  Ko.s  .„„,  yvuU,,„k  i,. 
1S49,  w.lh  the  rcconi  addrc«si-.l  1.,  Frankli.i. 

Ar,.ivi„g  ..  ,he   cauranc.  „r    ,....1   s„,,i,,  ,„.  ,1,,,  37^,  of  A,.,..s., 
'-■"""•'  .e  way  hi.,,:.,,!,,  an   i,„,„.„.„    ,,„,„„,,    „,„,.„    ^.^.^„  „J    ■ 
an,„„-a„..„d  „.,.  h„ro  .h,.,a,d,,  and  „..,-e  in  da,.,.c.,„r  ,,c.in,  i,„p,,.„„,., 
'or  an  .n.lehn.tc  pcriC,  wi.,„„„  a  ha,-,.,,,-,  ,„„,  „,,h„.„  p,„.p,e,  ,„■,,„„ 
,>en»a„ns  achieven,en,.     li.arinj,,  „„av  f,,,,,.  „,i,  ,,.,„,,„,,,„,  ,„„,„,,  .  ,,, 

"I  ",„.  t„  „s<;..pc.  ..ntm.ani  a,„,  „„p,,,H,.,,,,,  do,c,„i„n,   Ih.-v    a,Tiv;,,     „ 
La  ll.,g..et.e  I,«i.,n,,,  , ,„.„.,„  ,„  ^„i,„  „^^^,  „.,_^,,^,  ^_^.^.,^    ;^  __^_^^^  ^ ,  ^^^  _ 


i  !' 


I-      .It 


# 


746 


ARRIVE  AT  nORTSMOUTll. 


fornia  before  the  close  of  the  season,  l.y  ll.e  n.uU-  mapped  out  l„,  iMauk- 
li„__southvvest  from  Cape  Walker  to  Behring's  Straits.  Instead  of  tJc 
anticipated  open  water  and  plain  sailing,  they  encountered  an  immense 
ice-field.  After  three  days,  vain  search  for  a  leail,  Capt.  Voun^.  re- 
linquishe<l  the  hope  of  completing  the  Northwest  Passage,  and  conchidcd 
to  return  to  England. 

With  high  winds,  hea.y  snowstorms  an.l   obstructing  ice-packs,  thev 
had  a  rather  diificult  homeward  voyage.      On  one  occasion,  ii.  a  monienl- 
ary  lifting  ofthe  snow-clouds,  they  saw  close   at   hand,  and    as    it    were, 
threatening  to  fdl  upon  them,  a  precipitous  cliiF,  presenting  a  most  ghost- 
ly appearance,  siiys  Young,  -'the  horizontal  strata  seeming  like  the  huge 
bars  of  some  gigantic  iron  cage,  and  standing    out    from    the   suow-fac'c. 
In  fact,  it  was  the  skeleton  of  a  cliff,  an.l    we  appeared  to  be  in  its  grasp. 
For  a  few  minutes  only  we  saw   this   apparition,  and   then   all  was  again 
darkness."     They  barely  had  vi^nw  to  pass  between  this  cliff  and  the  ice- 
pack, and  after  three  hours  of  intense   anxiety,   a  fortunate   movenuMit  of 
the  ice  displayed  a  weak  spot  througli  which  they  hastily  tbrced  the  ship, 
and  thus  escaped.       On  Sept.  lo  they  passed   through   a   terrihle   gale,  in 
which  the  Pandora  was  converted  into  ''one  huge   icicle;"   hut   they   -ot 
safely  to  Carey  Islands.      This  time  they  fnmd  Xares'  cairn  and  a  record 
addressed  to  the  Britisii  Admiralty,  which  they  conveyed  home,  anivin- 
at  Portsmouth    Oct.  i6,  £875,  after  a  successful  cruise  of  100  days. 


g^L'. 

^^■;^ 

rifc^  =^ "- 

5=---  - 

-  %_=^  --^^ 

-  'T;,.r=.-- 

'f~      ' 

~  ~:     ■--,  .  -  - 

^- 

.:      — 

^S^T^-: 

-'    -,"^ 

= 

-5^-^. 

-      -l^. 

'_ 

■-    ■     — 

*ji    -  -     -  - 

■=iV^:=rrrs^ 

-.--       ••» 

'  ■Sr\^J- 

-'-«?S:. 

m. 

""^iiS-ifei^aj^p-" 


CHAPTER    N.VWI. 


Matos  navy-y.nl  a,  Ma,.  I,,a,„|  ,„,„  ,s,,,„  j-ranci,  ■ 

■— "... .ncha„i, ,.,,, ,„,,  .,.,„,„.  ,1 :'"; "'"'■'■" ■'  -- "«-■• 

ll-o  .Sec,-e.a,-v  <,f  the  N aw   ...VK     "  "  '  h«  co„clus„.„,..  ,ay, 

'.^ ^^..  w.,  .„„...::  ;„::,  :;::;::7 '---  ■"— » *= 

\,.    ■        ••        ..  "-*""'>  possess  oil  narvslrcii.rth" 

■\"    ...■|.".-y    <r„,„    the    secretary    clici,.,!    ch,    „„„,,     ",h.,r  ■ 

...v  p,..ca,.«„,.  „...  ,„..„  ,„  „,.„„^,„^,„  ,„^,  ji;„;'-^-  -;;■;- 

^-      ,a„c,.,c„;  .ha.  ,o,.  feet  of  »„„  .„,„„,  „„,  „„^„,  .  ,  „^,,. ,;    'l^ 

,r;,:;:  :;,r- -- '--^ "■">-" ■  *■ .- «■!.> »„.,.,:„,:;: 

•'11(1  mat  hci    hilire  was  stren; 


748 


EXPENSE   OF   THE  EXPEDITION. 


such   force  :is  to  ho  raised  several  feet  ahove  the  surface  of  the  waici'   Imt 
she  escaped    vvithoul    sulleriu-,'  the   slijrhtcst   (lama<,'e.     She   was  further 
streu-rtheued  aj^ainst  ice  pressure  hy  haviuL,^  teu  feet   of  Ikt  1„,\v  iUkd  in 
with  sohd  (lead  wood,  lieavily  hohed,  just  ])efore  leavinj^-  Sau  I'rancisci) " 
From   the  outset   the  national    American  cliaracter  of  the  expLdiiioii 
was  i^rovided  for.      By   special  Act  of  Con<rress  she  received    an  Ameri- 
can re;jfister,  with  all  the  rij^hts  and  privile<,'-es  of  a  .government  vessel,  ami 
was  re-named  the  Jeannette,  in  honor  of  Mr.  Bennett's  only  sister.     The 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  was  authorized  to  accept  her  without  expense  to  tin. 
,t,'overnment;    the  cost  of  the  expedition  to   Mr.  Bennett  was  estimated 
at  $300,000.       Slie  was  put   in   char;.rc  of  oiHcers  of  the   navv-- [Jeiil. 
Geo.  W.    I)e  Lon-^r,  commander;    Lieut.   Charles   W.    Chipp,   executive 
oHker;  Lieut.  John    W.  Dancnhower,  navigator;   George   VV.    Melville 
chief  engineer;   and  J.    M.    Amhler,   sm-geon.      With   these  v/ere  asso- 
ciated Jerome  J.  Collins,  meteorologist  and  correspondent  of  the  llenild- 
Raymond     L.    Newcoml),     naturalist;     and    William     W.    Dunhar,   ice 
pilot.      The  other  memhers   of  the  ship's  company— carpenters,  machin- 
ists,   and   seamen— were  Jas.    H.    Bartlett,   Geo.    IL    Bovd,   \y m.  Cole 
Adolf  Dressier,  Hans   H.  Erickscn,  Carl  A,  Gortz,  Neils   Iverson,  Peter 
E.  Johnson,  Albert  G.   Kuehnc,   Henry    H.   Kaach,   Geo.    Laudurhach, 
Herbert    W.   Leach,    Walter    Lee,    Frank    Manson,  Wni.    C.    F.  Nin- 
derman,   Louis  J.    \oros,   W.    Sharveil,  Edward    Star,   Alfred    Sweet- 
man,   Henry   D.   Warren,  and    Henry   Wilson;   and   three   Chinese,  Ah 
Sam,  Long  Sing,  and  Ah  Sing,  as  steward,  cook,  and   cabin-bov— in  all 
thirty-two  persons.      In   selecting  the  crew  choice  was  made  from  1500 
applicants,  no  one  being  accepted  under  twenty-five,  or  over  thirty-llvL', 
and  care   being  taken   that  all  were  of  average  height,  size,  and  weight, 
sound   in   all   respects,  and    without    tendency   to  consumption,  of  L;ood 
character,  northern  born  or  raised,  inured  to  cold,  and   accustomed  to  the 
sea.       The    seamen    were   to   receive    $25   a   uKMith,   and   the   others  in 
proportion. 

At  a  farewell  reception  tendered  the  officers  by  the  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences of  San  Francisco,  on  the  16th  of  June,  Commander  De-  Long  re- 
ferred briciiy  to  the  manner  in   which  private   liberality    and   enterprise 


Was  r.)iiil)iiK'(|  with 

•It'i-  till'  husl  p()ssil)lc  auspices 


DB  LONG'S  MESSAGE 

f,'<)venimc-nt  assistance  to  send  ..m  tl 


749 


tile  fact  tiiat  lli 


:<s  a  national  undertalv 


niL'. 


11-  present  was   the  first  atte.nnt    I 


le  expe(h'tion  nn- 
lle  dwell  upon 


uf  Mehrin-'s  Strait,  and  „„  the  dilf 
.irround   to  l)c   traversed 


pt    I)  reach  the  Pole   1 


lenities  likclv  t 


iy  way 


o  l)e  eneonnteiXM 


th 


ev  were 


was   entirely   new,  hesai.l;  f, 


Tl 


lie 


,^<)in^r  ont   into  a  j,n-eat   l)laid 


;  for  after  passinj^  71 


was  water,  ice,  or  lan.l.      Ik-  deemed  it  1 


\<  space   to  determine  wheth 


ler  1 1 


th 


ey  wonid  do,  hm 


wh 


lioped  to   he  held  in  rememl 


•otter  not  to  say  at  present  wl 


lal 


L'li  ;i  recital  of  what  thev  had 


'ranee  until  their  return 


done  would  he  of 


(reater  interest. 


On    the    Sth    of    |,ilv     ,,s 


y,    1.S79,   De 


-ori<r  wrote  to  the  Secret 


:iry  of  the 


av 


■y— "  I  have  the  honor  to  inf 


orni 


you  that  the  jeannette,  hein-  in  all 


res 


pects 


ready  for  sea,  will   sail   at 


o'clock   this   .-d'ter 


to  the  A  ret 


the  h 


'loon,  on  her  cruise 


ic   rej^rions.      I    have   ab 


'•nor  to  acknowledirc  ,he  receipt 


o(    \()ur 


orders   o 


'f  I  he    I, Sth  of   J 


une 


111  I't-'iatioii    to  t 


A 


ie   mo\einents  of  the 


ITllC 


xpedifioii    iiiuIcM-    in\- 


eoni- 


iii;iiid;    an, I    while    1 


'ppreeiate    the 


i"ra\(.'   rrsni 


ihil 


ponsihiiuy  intrusted  I 


ernv, 


1   1. 


o  niv 


li'a\e   to  a 


ssure  vou  that 


will     I'lK 


IKI'I.    rlirf),    w.    ni( 


^■;:\<>r  to  pert 


orni    this  ii 


to  rellec-t  credit 


upon  the  ship,  the  iia 


portant    diii\ 


111  .1  nianne 


r   eaieulated 


\\-,  and  t 


leave  to  retm-ii  thank 


le  country  at  lar'^e.     1  h 


lor  th 


:u-tonl\ 


e  eoii||,iei,ei.  i>\prc>ssed    i 


•-'ondnet  sue 


11  my  ahilitv  to  satis- 


I  a  lia>^ardou 


i'<-''''>id  my    coMxiitiou  th; 


I'^peditiou,  and   1  desir 


lal    uoth 


m; 


onteipnse  and  liherality  of  M,-.    |, ,,„,.,    ^ 


^^  I'een    le|i  tmnn 


I'lU'e  o|"  ,,i:r  Aret 


•  ordon   l>i-nnett 


u-  nn 


(ii'oessor- 


(  ) 


could  su'4"-est. 


V  to  place  upon 

prox-ided    which    the 

;md  the  experi- 


\'l'l      IO,<)()( 


I  0,nO( ;,';()()   Wat 


)    people    \\itnes>ed    the   depar 


vrv    of  tl 


ehed  with    interest    for 


leannette:   and 


Ih-  iiri'iimstances  ai 


hi'    announeemi'nt    of  the    event. 


e  i'fa 


phically  descrihed  1)\-   ihe   d 


lepartin^-  journalist 


^  -..av^ 


7.10 


THE   JE ANNETTE   DEPAUTS, 


%■ 


of  the  cxpcililion,  as  follows:  "  The  anchor  is  up,  and  tlie  pi()[H'llfr  is 
slowly  ruvolviii<j,  givinjjf  the  [cannettc  just  enouijh  motion  thnniLfli  the 
water  to  make  us  fuel  that  we  were  oil" at  last.  The  friendlv  waving  dI" 
hats  aiul  handkerchiefs  from  the  wliarves,  the  shippinL,%  and  even  fiDin 
tlie  distant  points  of  vanta<^e  in  San  Francisco,  tell  us  tli;rt  tiie  t^ood  peo- 
pie  of  the  city,  as  well  as  the  men  ol'  the  sea,  are  ^ivin;^  us  a  lieariv  sciid- 
oir,  althou;jfh  we  cannot  hear  the  cheers.  Oui' captain  and  tirst-lieutenaiit 
are  on  the  hridj^e.  The  word  is  <^ivcn.  'All  hanils  <^ive  three  cheers.' 
Up  into  the  port-ri<jf<jin,i^  scraml)le  the  crew,  tiie  steam  whistle  marks liiu 
time.  '  Hurrah,' '  hurrah!'  Now  we  are  off  in  earnest.  The  yacht  cluh 
of  San  Francisco,  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Harrison,  accom- 
pany us.  How  <^racefully  these  pretty  crafts  skim  ahout  our  vessel,  like 
white-win;^ed  seaj^uUs,  as  she  solemnly  moves  toward  the  Narrows.  Wo 
will  leave  them  at  the  bar.  (Jnc  of  tiicm  will  take  ofF  from  us  a  ladv 
whom  we  have  all  learned  to  respect.  It  is  Mrs.  De  Loulj,  llic  wife  of 
our  jj^allant  captain,  who  is  now  spendiuLf  with  him  the  last  sacred  mo- 
ments before  partiii;^.  Tiiis  amiable  and  charmiu':^  lady  has  been  the 
life  of  our  Jeannette  family  since  it  was  organized.  If  we  wanted  to 
bu\'  anvthing  for  any  jjurpose,  we  went  for  advice  to  Mrs.  De  Lou^'. 
The  steamers,  crowded  with  well-wishers,  arc  now  closing  about  us,  as 
we  wave  caps  and  handkerchiefs  to  friends  on  board  them.  The  Jean- 
nette plows  onward  in  tlie  teeth  of  a  smart  breeze.  Hill  tops  and  wharves 
in  San  Francisco  are  crowded.  It  is  a  pleasant  farewell  scene  on  the 
Jeaiuiette.  Now  we  are  approaching  the  Narrows.  The  fmal  leave- 
taking  will  soon  be  given  in  cheers,  then  awav  to  the  great  Pacific  nn 
our  \'ovage  to  the  Arctic  seas.  Not  a  man  on  l)<)ai"d  has  the  shadow  of 
a  melancholy  thought  on  his  face.  Feojile  remark:  'What  a  good- 
humored  lot  of  fellows.''  We  are  happy  in  tlie  knowledge  that  ir.illioiis 
bear  us  friendlv  wishes.  The  sky  aheail  looks  foggy.  We  will  make 
ofFthe  coast  to  avoid  the  |)revailing  nor'wester  and  get  into  fiir  weiitlicr 
about  fiv*,'  hundred  miles  westward.  Then  our  good  ship  will  point  her 
prow  to  Ounalaska.  Now  we  are  abreast  of  the  tortifications.  We  now 
see  the  old  tlag  waving  high  on  its  mast  over  the  stronghold  ol'  I'nclf 
Sam.      We  >alult'  it.      A  verv  interesting  meeting  is  taking   place  in  tiic 


''^■-:*feMj; 


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IMAGfc  EVALUATrON 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  I4S80 

(716)  872-4503 


c\ 


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^  \  WrS 


v»:^\r^ 


^1} 


'ib 


753 


THE  LAST  ADIEUS. 


c;il)i;i  l)(.;tvvucii  Mrs.  Dc  Long,  Mr,  Wm.  Hradford,  the  Arctic  artist,  and 
Mr.  Brooks,  of  the  Academy  of  Science.  Wc  discuss  the  future.  Mrs. 
De  Long  is  enthusiastic.  She  ..ays  we  must  succeed,  and  offers  some 
sensible  advice  on  the  subject  of  temperature. 

"Puff!  Bang!  There's  a  salute  from  Fort  Point.  The  barbette 
battery  is  belching  away,  and  fat-looking  lumps  of  white  smoke  are 
rolling  down  to  the  sea  below.  Our  gallant  friend.  Major  Hasbrock,  of 
the  fourth  artillery,  is  on  the  ramparts.  We  hear  the  cheers  and  re- 
turn them  heartily.  It  is  a  handsome  compliment.  Blood  is  thicker 
than  water.  The  army  salutes  the  navy.  Farewell,  brave  bpys,  may 
your  guns  always  salute  friends,  and  terrify  enemies.  The  yachts  are 
now  passing  astern.  As  each  passes  she  salutes  with  dipping  flags  and 
cheers.  They  then  scud  off  to  come  round  again.  The  little  tugs  feel 
the  motion  of  the  sea-,  and  begin  to  put  back.  The  people  on  them  cheer 
vigorously,  and  the  tugs  blow  their  whistles.  These  scenes  occur  every 
few  minutes  as  our  ship  passes  through  the  crafts  around  her.  Wc  are 
now  opposite  the  Cliff  House  and  Seal  Rocks.  The  sea  is  calming  down, 
and  we  bob  along  pretty  steadily.  Captain  De  Long  just  now  asked  me 
to  give  his  love  to  all  of  you.  I  know  you  will  accept  the  offering  of  a 
gallant  seaman,  who  goes  out  to  win  honor  for  the  flag.  The  hour  is  at 
hand  when  we  musi  part  from  our  shore  friends.  Leavetaking  is  the 
duty  of  the  moment.  We  shake  hands  with  noble  friends.  We  send 
our  warmest  wishes  for  the  welfare  of  those  we  leave  behind.  Time's 
up.     We  part  company  with  civilization  for  the  present." 

On  the  voyage  northward  the  Jeannette  encountered  a  succession  of 
head-winds,  alternating  with  equally  untoward  calms,  and  after  passing 
45",  no  less  unfavorable  fogs,  ilcr  course  was  for  Akoutan  Pass,  hc- 
tween  the  island  of  that  name  and  Ounalaska,  both  of  the  Aleutian  group. 
Thev  made  land  in  a  dense  fog,  on  August  ist,  which  a  party  ^oiiij^ 
ashore  fountl  to  l)e  Ougalgan  Island,  a  formation  of  basaltic  granite,  licar- 
in<»-  a  surface  deposit  of  scoria,  and  evidences  of  a  comparatively  recent 
volcanic  disturbance.  An  active  volcano  was  observed  on  the  :!eii,dil)or- 
in*--  island  of  Ounalaska.  Passing  through  the  Pass  and  rounding  C^'pe 
Kaleghta,  ihe  Jeannette  anchored   at    Port   lliouliouk  of  that  ishuul,  i;i 


latitude   5^ 
Collins,  " 
of  snow; 
and  the  de 
bold  heaill 
variety   of 
which  are 
harbors  are 
formed  Ijy 
shore,  and 
whites,  the 
land.     The 
From    ( 
Secretary  o 
2'\,  at   this 
good  health 
States  rever 
George,  the 
paiiy,  of  Sa 
said  steamer 
Timandra,   1 
Nounivak  L 
of  this  place 
here  on  the 
occurring   Ivj 
although  no 
crew  built  a 
feet  beam  an 
having  volun 
on  the  36th  ( 
day  to  rescue 
"  The  ste; 
hringing  the 

northern  settl 

48 


,    A   BRIG    WRECKED. 

7o8 

latitude   53'-    y.'    ly.    longitude    ,66-    ,3'       ..  tI,,.   I„.  ,1 
Colli,,,,  "is  vcrvimnosin,,      ti,  ' ''^    '"cal    sccmTy,"   s.ys 

vuj  „npo.,„g.     The  great  gre™  hills,  c-ovure<l  with  patches 
»-w;    he  lu.un„.„g,,„,  .,„.„,,„„„_, ,^,  ^       - 

...  -  cletae  ed,  peaked  ,,,e,<s  a.e  the  pfiueipa,  features.     Ne,„.lv  al,  a,- 

l.old  headauds.     The,,   i,  a  tot I,se„ee  of  ..ees.     There  is 'a  |    ! 

vane  y  „,    flowenug  p|a„t„  ,o,„,„o„    ,„   ,„,.  ^^  J'^ 

w  itch  a,.e  very  pre..,.  This  whole  .gio,,  is  voleauie;  so™e  ot^he  lar^e 
a,ho  s  are  ev.den.ly  old  erate...  Part  of  the  harhor  we  „„„.  ,ie  i'n 
....med  by  a„  extensive  subsideuee  as  late  as  .853,  has  .leep  water  ij 
si  o.e,  and  .h.rteen  ,a.ho,n,,  a.  the  buoy.  There  are  no.  ,„al,y  residen" 
whnes,_th„  population  being  ehiefly  Aleuts  and  Indians  fron,  ,he  ,nai„ 
lanA      There  ,s  a  Russian  ehapel  and  a  priest  in  ,l,e  settlement." 

Fron,    OuualasKa    Co,„,„a„der    De    Long  wro.e  a,  follows    .„    .he 
^eeretary  of  .he  Navy :  .  I  have  .be  honor  ,0  ..port  the  arr,val,  on  Aug. 
-'.■;'  .1>.»  place  of  the  ship  under  ,ny   eon,n,„ud,   and    the  eontinued 
Sood  health  o,  ,he  omee,s  and  e,ew.     ,  found  at  anehor  he,e  the  United 
States  revenue  eutter  R.,sh,  the  stea.ner  ,S..  Paul,  and  .he  sehooner  S. 
George,  the  las.  .wo  nanred  belonging  .„  ,be  Alaska  Co,n,„erei„l    Cotn- 
pa,,y,  o,  San  Franeiseo.     This  letter  i,  -arrie.!  .0  San  P,.anciseo  by  the 
.nd  steatner  St.  Paul.      ,  lea.ned  upon  a,.rival,  of  the  wreek  of  tbJbri. 
T„na,rdra,  belonging  to  J.  C.    .Merrill  S   Co.,  of   San    Franeiseo,  o^ 
Noun,vak  Island,  about  four  hundre.l  and  twen.y  tniles  ,0  .ho  northwa-d 
ot  th,s  place.     The  second  n.ate  and  three  sea.nen   of  said   brig  .eaehed 
,.,.Te  on  the  30.1,  of  July,  b.inging  tiding,  of  the  .lisas.er  to   that  vessel 
"ccnrriug  May    .5.     The   vessel    they    .-eport   as    being  a  total    we    „' 
although  no  bves  we,-e  l,„t,  an.l  the  ea,-go   was   nearlv  all   saved.     The 
crew  built  a  boa.  fon,  a  po,.i„n  of  the  week,  eighteen  fee.  long  aud  si.x 
oe.  bean,  and  partly  deekedove,,  antl    .he    four   ,ue„   mentioned  above, 
havtng  vo  untoered  to  e„„,e  here  in  ,eareh   of  a„istauee,  left  Nounlvak 
on  the  36tb  of  ,[uly,  .aud  ,e„ehed  he,,  on  .be  30th.     The  Rush  sailed  ,0- 
<lay  t..  resene  the  balanee  ,,f  Ihe  crew,  eight  in  number. 

"The,.ea,„,bipS,.    I'anl    ar,-ive,l    from   S,.   Paul',  I,land,  .\u...    , 
'■""SutSlhe  en,i,e   collection   of  fur,  bom    the    .Seal    Islands    and"  the' 
"orthern  ,e.tlen,ents-abont  one  hu„d,ed  thousand  skins-an.l  will  leave 


rcMnMmw">^vTC 


754 


DE  LONGS   COMMUNICAXION. 


?J 


to-morrow  morning  for  San  Francisco.  The  revenue  cutter  Rush,  dur- 
ing her  visit  to  St.  Michael's  and  her  cruise  to  the  northward,  passed 
through  Beliring  Strait,  some  twenty  miles  to  the  northward,  and  cast- 
ward  of  East  Cape  in  Siberia,  without  having  encountered  any  ice  what- 
soever. Supposing  that  Professor  Nordenskiold  had  already  pa^-scd 
south,  no  communication  was  had  by  the  Rush  with  .St.  Lawrence  Hay. 
No  communication  from  St.  Lawrence  ]?ay  had  been  received  at  St, 
Michael's  at  the  date  of  sailing  of  the  Rush,  July  33,  and  consequoiilly 
there  was  no  knowledge  of  the  safety  or  movements  of  Professor  Xor- 
denskiold's  jiarty. 

"  It  was  my  intention  originally,  as  communicated  to  you  in  my  letter 
of  July  8,  to  step  at  .St.  Paul's  Island  after  leaving  this  place,  but  as  the 
fur  clothing,  which  1  was  to  have  received  at  that  place,  can  be  furnished 
here,  I  have  concluded  to  proceed  directly  to  St.  Michael's,  in  Alaska, 
leaving  here  Aug.  6. 

"  From  all  the  intelligence  received  from  the  northward  it  appears 
that  the  last  winter  ha .  been  an  exceptionally  mild  one,  and  that  no  oh- 
struction  to  navigation  in  the  shape  of  ice  has  been  encountered.  I  eaii 
but  deplore  that  the  necessity  of  loading  this  ship  so  deeply  at  San  Fran- 
cisco has  made  our  progress  thus  far  so  slow,  owing  also  to  head  winds 
and  swell,  as  to  make  it  doubtful  whether  we  shall  be  able  or  not  to 
profit  by  the  open  water  in  the  Arctic  Sea  in  our  efforts  to  gain  a  high 
latitude  this  season. 

"If,  upon  our  arrival  at  St.  Michael's,  nothing  has  been  heard  of  the 
party  under  the  command  of  Professor  Nordenskittld,  I  shall  proceed  to 
St.  Lawrence  Bay,  in  Siberia,  to  obtain  tidings  of  them  and  shall  proceed 
subsequently  in  accordance  with  the  general  plan  delineated  in  my  letter 
of  July  8. 

"I  would  respectfully  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  charts  of 
this  region  are  very  meager.  The  most  reliable  is  one  published  by  the 
Imperial  Russian  Plydrographic  Office  in  1849,  which  chart  was  fur- 
nished me  in  San  Francisco.  The  prevalence  of  fogs  and  the  rapidity  and 
uncertainty  of  the  prevailing  tides  make  an  approach  to  any  of  the  passes 
between  the  Aleutian  Islands  hazardous  in  the  extreme." 


!l^ 


St. 
4% 


CHAPTER   LXXXII. 


'■'<OM     OUNAI.ASKA     TO     ST.     KAWKFNCF      Mvv 

WATCHES         n,-,-  ,  "^'^  -  ^WM'INC^S -„,;,.,  ,,..■ 

WATCHES  -OM.       sTUAKT's      ISI.VNn  -  tHK      STOCK      OK      uor  S 

cn.....  ...,„,._,  ,,^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^_^  „..T..;: ;: 

^HOM      T„K     ,KA.XKTTH-A     KUSSXA.      ..tU  -  tHK     „..;;;; 
— -A    KOKCKn     TK.ATV    n.T,.     T„K     CA.X.KS  -  V  .^       .^ 

TCHUKTCHIS-I,E  LONG'S    msi-Arci,. 

Colin.     .  1  h,  ,han,e  t,-o,.  th.  s..ooth  water  of  the  harbor  to  th.  rou^h 
sea    outside    was    very    markcti      ukI    ..  L.tntiough 

K.,.e,ht,„a,u,w„*i„^  „„„;:;;  ~::  '=^'7'->-  <"-"•'  ^-=1- 

„.  ,„.,r-      1  .  .."lll>"l^  a,i;a.i,,  rolling  a„,|  pitdii,,,,  „,  .„ 

."  m.ke   l„c„,„„„„„  „ifli„,H  ,,,,,„    ,,,.,„,^,^„_  ,    .  ^ 

-  *„c ,  ,„..  .„. «,,. .,, ,.,,  ,„„ .» .„.  .„„.„,  ,,;„„.„:'; 

"...Ic  ..,..".lcs  ,„  ,„.,«,.,,„,.  h„,„.s,s,„„„„i,„u,„.  ,,av.  ,„  „„,c,„a„i 
>».-jo,c,„«.     T,,ec,„,„.„,  a.    0„.,a,a.,.„  a,.h„,,,„    ,  ,„,JZ 
an-  ™.,e  ,..,..., aid.,,  a,K,  ...„.  .,„„„„   ,„„„„^„„^   „.,,,„„,., 
1..  Molvllc  „h„..  ,.,  ,„.,,  ,„„,,,,  „,^,,      ,,^  ,„„,,„„„„.^.,  J 

■c  o,o,x,  .,.,  a  probable  ,„,,k  ,,,„  .„  St.  MichaelS  ^ukI  ,„>U,1„..  ..,      ,' 
.  .h,.oa.on  cola,  b.,.  Uk-  possible  ,.o,..a,.Hval  „f  o„,.  .,,,„  .,„:„ 
F.™,c.A.n.v„e,   „fSa„    F,.a„c.c„.     ,ia.   i„   ,b.,e    la.itadc,    a„ce  .„  ^ 
...»     are  u..  ™le  .lari,,,  .1,.  „„„.,„.-  «„,,  .„  .^a.  ...  ,„,  .  „.„,„  ,„ ^ 
.  o  th„,l  „,a,.  ,„  .„„.  ,„.di„a,v  speed  of  fca,-  k„„„,  „„ich   .ve  carried 
....   h..  por.   ,„ald„«  dK.  r,.„  i„  »,.  da>.»  e.acel,  fro„,   Cape  Kalo.h, 
10  .Stuart's  Island,  Norton's  Soin,d.  ° 

••The  i.nportance  „f  detern.ming  the  character  of  the  bottom  a,  we 

755 


:| 


756 


DA  IL  r  OB S  Eli  VA  TIONS. 


p 


proceeded,  rendered  :i  daily  stop  necessary  for  soundinfj.  We  also 
dr»jd<^ed  every  day  except  when  the  water  was  too  rougfh.  Soundinos 
ran  from  eighty  to  five  fathoms  as  we  came  north  on  a  bottom  composed 
of  fine  jj^ray  sand  and  ooze,  covered  with  moss-lilce  ve<jetation  winch  was 
inhabited  by  an  extraordinary  variety  of  marine  hfe.  We  also  used  tiie 
deep  sea  cups  and  thermometers  for  determining  the  densities  and  tem- 
peratures at  various  depths.  These  I  found  to  work  very  well,  consider- 
ing that  our  men  are  as  yet  a  little  awkward  in  handling  the  lines,  hut 
are  improving  very  rapidly.  Our  hourly  meteorological  observations  arc 
made  each  day  with  the  utmost 
regularity.  We  have  divided  up 
the  time  into  watches,  und  the 
work  goes  on  steadily.  For 
instance,  1  begin  at  noon  and  stanil 
watch  (meteorologically  speaking) 
until  6  I*.  M.  I  am  then  relieved 
bv  Mr.  Cliipp,  first  lieutenant,  who 
observes  at  7  and  8;  then  Dr. 
Ambler  at  9,  10,  11,  and  midnight. 
M\'  turn  comes  again,  so  I  oliserve 
at  1,  -,  3  and  4  a.  m.,  and  am  re- 
lieved bv  Mr.  Danenhowi.T,  who 
takes  5  ami  6  a.  m.  At  7  and  8 
Mr.  Chipj)  observes,  and  from  nine 
to  noon  inclusive.  Dr.  Ambler. 
Our  hours  of  dutv  per  day  in  making  observations  are  theretbre,  Mr. 
Chipp,  four  hours,  Mr.  Dancnhowcr,  who  is  navigator,  two  hours;  Dr. 
Ambler  eight  hours,  and  mvself  ten  hours.  Besides  this  I  keep  the  regu- 
lar meteorological  record  and  note  sea  temperatures  and  densities,  ar'l 
make  up  my  journal;  so  that  you  may  see  there  is  no  time  for  doing 
nothing  left  for  us  on  board. 

"On  the  evening  of  the  i  ith  we  sighted  land  on  the  starboard  beam 

that  is  to  say  to  the  eastward — and  by  continuous  sounding  determined 

our  locality  to  be  off  Stuart's  Island,  in  Norton   Sound.     The   land  was 


lEUOli. 


CDI.I.INS. 


five  good  d( 


THE  STOCK  OF  DOGS.  ^^^ 

low,  and  discernible  only  hv 'I  si i^rhf  ,•;  i  •,,      , 

horizon.     Wc  ..oamcl     ,       '  '"'  '"'  ""'*  "''''"'"'  """^  "» 

-  on  the  ,..,,  C  1     •    """'"'":  '"" •'^*''  »"<l  V  'en  A. 

-..  u„o„„ .  ml:::::  ~i;  :..;r'  tt"i; '°"- 

the  Americ-.n.       W  ^^''ssians,  and  as  St.  iMichael's  by 

w  ..,,1  a(r„„l.     Co,,,.  „,,h„,,  ,„„„  „,,„  ,  - 

con..c.,„,.  „,  „„„.„„  ,„„„„^,^,  ,„,.^,„^,  ^,  ^,^^_„ „■„„„.,;„,: 

ncrs  of  wh,ch  a,o  li„,..  ,„„„,  „„„,„,  „|,,^,  w„    „„„„,,"„,  „      '     ,  ""• 
non  „„n,,,  .he  R„..„  ,_«.„„  of  A,a»..„  ,„.  „Hic    J      .:':;:. 

.   o  the  poroho,.,es  a,„,  .,„.,„„,,,     The  ,«,e,.  are  oeo„pi„,  ,,.,-  M.  ^^ 
.na„„,    he  co„,pa„y..,  „,,.„,,  an,,  Mr.  Nelson,  a.,  e,„p,„;,  „,  ;,„  ,,^,    ' 
"n,a„  I„s.,.„.,on  a„.,  ohsen-e,.  of  the   United  States  Si,„a,    Set    la 
.ow  Ru»,.a„  „„,,.„ten,  and  «,nte  Indian,  who  „„,.,  abo.:  the  fott.    Th 
.,na.U..  of  the  agent  and  the  Sn,i.h.oni„n  eoMeotot  are  plainly  ,n,t  e!  n 

'*>•;-"■»"«'.  ■■"'"  .'  i»  oleat  that  these  «ent,e,„en  !„.  pL,o»ph    s 

™     .     to  content  .he,„.e,ve.  pretty  we„  with  thoi,.  isolated  positio,! 

All  „.„.  doss  wete  at  St.  Mieh.aol's  when  we  artived.   They  are  a  line. 
o*n«   „t  o   annnals,  hnt  inelined  for  a  general  ro.  at  the  shortest  no- 
.0  .     They  lol,  aronnd  the  inelosnre  or  sit   ont  on    the    roeks    near  the 
■t,  and  ooo.a„o„ally  set  np  a  long,  peenliar  howl  that  s„,n,.,s   a,    ni„h 
l<o  a  sn,„,„„„s  of  Satan  to  his  satraps  for  a  general  conncil.     At  teedh, 
l.n.o  the  dogs  ge,  their  daily  allowanee  o,  .Iry  Hsh,  an.l  while  that  is  hj. 
mg  thrown  to  then,  the  sot.nds  of  battle  rise  and  float  on  the  bree.e     On 
genera   pnnciple,  the  Ksc,„in,an.  dogs  will  flght,  an.l  it  is  often  a  nn.t.er 
0  wontler  what  .he  row  is  abont.     The  dogs  will  he  walking    or    Ivin.. 
*ont  tpttetly,  when  snddenly  one  will  ,nake  a  rush  at  anotbjr,  and  -the^ 
the  whole  paek  pitches  in,  every  .log  for  hinrself.     In   these    remarkable 
co.nbats  nine  of  the  .logs  .niginally   pr„v,.le,l    f.,r    ,.s    by    the   Al.aska 
Cmmorcial  Company  have  been  kille.l  l,y  their   fellow    canines        We 
|"o  gettntg  some  recrnils  now  an.l  e.peet  to  leave  here  with  ab.„,t  fortv- 
l"o  g„o.l  .logs  on  boar.1.     Of  course  we  will  have  native  drivers  with  n. 


7r58 


EVIL  SPIRITS. 


to  inauM'^e  these  imnily  brutes,  and  I  lielieve  arranjremcnts  are  now  bc- 
w^  matle  with  Esquimaux  liuiUers  to  act  in  that  capacity.  The  store- 
house of  the  Alaska  Company  here  is  tilled  with  a  collection  of  trade 
j^oods  similar  to  that  we  found  at  OinialasUa,  except  that  tl-,e  assortment 
is  not  so  varied,  nor  the  (juantity  as  j^reat.  The  furs  brou;^'ht  to  the  post 
aie  from  the  lower  Yukon  Iliver  re,i,non  anil  the  adjacent  coasts.  The  In- 
dians come  In  liy  villa.u^es,  and  under  the  .!^rj;nL-ral  control  of  a  chief,  who 
directs  tlic  netjotiations.  In  this  way,  foy,  hear,  sable,  wolf  and  scpiirrel 
skins  are  procured  in  exchan_<re  for  collee,  sui^-ar,  tobacco,  powder,  Kad 
(shot  and  bullets),  <runs  (muzzle-loadini,'-  riMes  and  sh()t-,i,nins ),  clothing- 
and  notions.  Whalebones  for  sle(i.i,'e-rnmiers  are  sometimes  bou'^ht,  but 
these  come  frorn  the  northern  or  Siberian  coasts,  and  are  ret^'arded  as 
valuable.  Dogs  are  jjurchased,  as  in  the  present  instance  for  us,  for  i,ains, 
the  averai,re  price  of'a  i^ood  doir  bein.t,' about  $7  in  jj^oods.  Extra  good 
dogs  are  worth  as  much  as  $15,  but  that  is  a  top  price,  and  is  sometimes 
given  for  a  highly  trained  team-leader. 

"As  soon  as  tlx;  natives  complete  their  trade  they  return  to  their  vil- 
lages to  enjoy  their  newly  acciuired  property,  and  the  little  fort  is  dull 
again  until  another  party  arrives  from  the  interior.  The  experience  of 
the  agent  and  white  residents  here  is  a  favorable  one  as  reganls  the  na- 
tives, but  sometimes  the  latter  become  restless  and  inclined  for  war.  Last 
year  a  chief  residing  about  sixty  iniles  to  the  northwaid  made  repeated 
threats  to  come  in  and  clean  out  wSt.  Michael's.  The  place  was  put  in  a 
fair  state  of  defense  by  Mr.  Neumann,  and  preparations  were  made  to  give 
the  coming  warriors  a  right  hospitable  reception  at  the  rifle's  muzzle. 
Hut — they  never  came.  The  warlike  chief  pin-chaserl  two  barrels  of 
whiskey  from  some  traders  and  went  on  an  unusuallv  heavv  spree,  which 
resulted  in  his  iiaving  his  head  split  open  with  an  axe  bv  his  lirother-in- 
law,  a  similar  fate  overtaking  his  son.  Since  this  domestic  tragedv  oc- 
curred the  people  of  the  fort  have  heard  no  more  threats  from  up  the 
coast,  and  '  Peace,  gentle  peace,'  ])revails.  The  surviving  relatives  of 
the  chief,  associating  the  valiant  man's  death  with  /the  jiroi^rietorship  of 
two  barrels  of  whiskey,  wisely  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  whiskey 
was  the  cause  of  the  violent  taking  olF,  so  thev  knocked  in  the  heads  of  the 


barrels,  an 

the  deciin: 

«  The  ( 

iience  in  si 

which,  in  i 

in  some  pi 

surface  anc 

tines  exhih 

the  beach  i 

into  the  sai 

to  the  settle 

lake.     I  ha 

along  the  si 

(|iiaiitities  o 

and  on  the  i 

River,  whic 

Yukon  draii 

iniles  from  i 

to  the  bavs  ; 

natives  haul 

tide  until  the 

vals  of  a  few 

overlying  th( 

bianco  to  pet 

tation  that  ch 

shrubs,  grass( 

latter,  which 


"  Up  the  s 
the  shores  are 
lireeding  plac 
To  get  somet 
iiuii  ;i  party  1 


A   HUNTING-PARTT. 
Darrcls,  and  let  the  evil  snints  nn,       Tn; 

Hk.  dcd,naei„n  „r,h.  X.  "'""""""  "™""'"'-  l>--"'"l 

"  The  co„„try  ,u,Tou„<li„sj  tin-  ,„»t  i,  wholly  volcanic      Ev-v        • 
"once  ,„  ,i.he  is  the  cone  of  a„  e«i„c,  volcano       Tl  r  «ks  , 

".  s,.,„e  place,  Iho  evidence,  of  pre,„„e  in  the  ,h,„e 

^..H-..cc.  an.l  o.he,.  „i,.„,..i.,„,.     ^he  e.pose,,  L  '  2    a    ,   ^  Tof";  ''"^ 

;;;":  ='■*''  ""^=  '^=  ^o^^^^^ ......  „ .coon  ,;„,„,; 

tlie  beach  is  composed  of  pulveri/cd  liv.    ..„  i  ..  ■  -      ^  "^  '^•"'^1  "J 

"•'"'- ----.-.e  CO..  Co::;;;::;:: —r---:^ 

.;>  me  ««e™en.  .he.  i,  a  Ce.  „hich  now  fo.,.,  .He  ^al  o^  1 

l.iko.  I  have  rece,ve<l  specimen,  of  lava  from  .liffercnt  ooint,  in)  7  , 
».on.  .he  ,ho.c  which  will  ,o  .o  n,v  .eolo.lcal  colic  Z  " 
'"■!"""T  "'  ''^"*""''  -y  ''e  s.'cn  alon,  .he  ,hore  of  Norton" 

-;>..". Cslanclbcache,.     Thi, .,  con,e,  chiefly    fro.n    ,h      V     o  i 

R.ver,  wh,ch  empHe,  In.o  .he  Behrin,.  Sea  by  .overal  n,„„t,„.     Ah 
^  ukon  ,lran„  a  srea.  .imbcr  cotnury,  and    i,   navigable   for    over    ,  Soo 
-  ^-^    .on,  ..,  ,„onth,  the  ..nan.i.y  of  drift  „ro„,ht  down  and  carried  ^ 
■    he  bay,  and  ,o„„d,  to  the  northward  and  ea,tw„rd,  i,  i„,„,e„,e.     T  e 
.ue,  hani  on.  ,he  larger  piece,  an.l  pile  .hem  np  „,.  of  reach  of  .he 
..  o  u„.d  they  dry  ,„,„cie„.,y  for  fnC.     Snch  pile,  can  bo  seen  a.       t^r! 
val,  of  a  few  hnndre.1  y„„l,  all  aro.nul  .hi,  great  bay.     The  ,t,r,ace  ,„il 
oi-crlyrng  .he  lava  formation  i,  ,no,tly  peat,  an.l    War,    a   cl„,e   rcem 
n,ce.o  pea.  land,  el,ewhere,  excep.  in  .he  bcanty  and  varie.y  of  vce-" 
.."..  .I.at  clothe,  .he  Whole  conn.ry.     There  are  no  .ree„  bn.  the  lo^w 
l-K,,  gra,,,c,,  flowering  plant,  and  mo„e,  .,e  very  fine,  cpecially  .he 
iw..,  whtch  vary  ,no,e  in  color  .ban  I  have  ,een  In  any  o.her  placed 
A  HUNTING  PARTY  FROM  THE  JEANNETTE. 
"Up  .he  ,o„n.l  which  .livide,  S..  Michael',  I,land  from  the  mainland 
.<•  shore,  are  chiefly  ,alt  m„r,h  tract,,  .lotted  with  pon.ls,  which  a,,  the 
-chng  place,  of  „i|,|  ,|nck,  an.l  gece,  ,nipe,  an.l   other  water  bird, 
lo.'Ot  something  tbr  the   lanler  by    way  of  change  fro,n  the  canned 
'»-.  a  party  of  ,„,.a,-,e.l  np  the  'Crooke.1  Canal,' a,  it  i,  c.dled,  in  the 


I'! 


700 


//  PERILOUS  posiriow. 


sU'.iin  cutler.      \Vc>  airrii-d  a  tciit  and  prov 


j,Mi!is  am!    aminunitioii,  blankets,   ele.     Our  luck 


sions  for  two  days,  hcsi<l 


cs  our 


among   the    wildfowls 


pn.ve.l  indifFet-ent,  the  hi.ds  heing   scared   off  hy  the  steam   escape  tVon, 
our  cutter.      We  secured,  however,  about    fifteen  ducks   and  some   thirt. 
snipes.      An   Indian  hunter  acted  as  jruide  and  pilot,  In.t  the  uiau  was  i,", 
poor  health  and  did  not  prove  ecjual  to  a.iy  ..f  us  whites  in  eudurauce  of 
fati-ue.      We  camped  for  the  ni-ht  o.,  the  marsh  eil.iro  and  under  a  heavy 
••ainfall,  wiuch  soaked  the -round  and  made  us  about  as  uncomfortable  a 
lot  of    sportsmen  as  ever  huddled  to.irether  under   canvas.      Next    nin,,,- 
iii,t,'  the  weather  continued  l)ad,  and  the  Indian  l,ein-  nse.l  up  with  an  at- 
tack  of  ague,  we  started  back  to  the  shii,.      In  cr<,ssing  the  bar  in  face  of 
a    heavy  sea   the   cutter   took    water  so  rapidly  that  we  came  near  bein.^ 
swampeil,  and    reached  the  ship  after  a  long  and  most  fatiguing  struggle 
tor  life.      We  had  all  removed  our  outer  clothing   an,l    boots  preparahuy 
for  a  swim,  and  when  we  got  on  board  the  jeannette,  worn  out,  hungry 
and  wet,  I    can  assure  you  the  cabin  tire  and  a  hot  breakfast  were  thor- 
oughly enjoyed  by  the  party.      I  must   say  that  to  the  pluck  and  skill  of 
Mr.  Melville,  the  chief  engineer,  who  had    charge  of  the  running  of  the 
cutter's  engine,  and  to  Mr.  Dunbar,  the  ice  pilot,  who  steered  us,^are  due 
the  safety  of  the  whole   party.     Our  signals   of  distress  ^^■ere  misunder- 
stood on  the  ship,  and  it  was  not   until  we  were  withni  a    hundre.l  ^•a^ls 
of  her,  with  our  cutter  half  full  of  water  and  her  boiler  tire  extinguished 
that  a  boat  was  lowered  to    rescue   us.      The    party    thus   imperiled   con- 
sisted of  Mr.  Melville,  Mr.  Dunbar,  Dr.  Ambler,  myself,  and  onr  Indian 
hunter.     To  show   the  quickness  of  perception  of  the  natives  on  shore  I 
may  mention  that  while  we  were  struggling  with  the  sea,  and  working 
to  keep  the  boat   afloat,  the  natives   recognized  our   position  and   at  once 
reported  it  at  the  fort.     The  ship  was  a  mile  nearer  to  us  than  tl.e  native 
village,  yet   no   one   on   board  seemed  to  understand  the  meaning  of  the 
jacket  hoisted  on  a  boat-hook,  which  Dr.  Ambler  was  waving  for  nearly 
an  hour  before  any  stir  was  made  to  lower  a  boat. 

"  Our  shallow  bay  has  afl:brded  us  a  fair  supply  of  excellent  fish,  in- 
cluding some  superb  salmon.  We  have  a  net  set,  and  daily  get  a  good 
number  of  dounders  and  other  small  fish,  besides  an   occasional  boaiity 


<i 


A   /fC/SS/AA'  BATH. 

:;it:::;;:i!:t  .:-''■ - • ^ • - 

Hncl  .lo„r  ,„a,ie  f,      ,        i  "'         ^""''^'  '""'■  '"  ^' ''•  "-  »'-'" 

"■";" "  '™'>"-'™'-  i»  ™--i-  The  ,„,.„,,  „„„„». , .,;':"■ 

CCS,  <.r  ,1,0  Ru»i„„  ,,.„l,  i.  .,,„„,  „,„,„„,    ,   .      "  '•     '■'  ""■  I'— '■  I"- 
-    into  .,,0   a„.e:  ,:„.     ':':Z:":  """-';■  -" *•■■•  "^  ™«i.c, 

""'-o<r, I  an„we.,  .;a:::  x^^^^^^^^^^^        

>•""?,.      i.  ntse   aic    iihso  Uitc  \-    ncc.>.  en-,,    . 
thou,.h  the  bathhouse   a  St     Xi  ,     ,  '  '"'  -,oymcnt.      Al- 

"O.,    .ho    ,8,h   ,„„.    l„„j,.e.poc,o,l  s,.pply   sohoono,,    ,ho  Fa,,,,,-     v 
llxlo  ..t  Sa,,  F,-a„cisco,  hulon  with  coals  a„,l  o-a,-,  „'.o,  „,        ",       I 

.;;r  s..a„.s  ,s,a„.,,  ,.,.,„  «„.  „,„.  .„„„,,,^,,,  ^::' :  •  -  j  -' 

--.  ..h.,00  proso„eo.l  .„  h„pa,ic„.  „,a,.i„o,.s  ,ha„  ,ho  ,ai„  sch„„„o,  ,,", 

:"■■■"""'  "-l>oi....,rS,..Miehao..r,, ,„  , ,,  ,„  / 

■'■    ""'"-h— ■l-n.si.ie, ,0,.  oap,ai„   ,„  ,.„,.  , ,,,,,,„„„ 

~     .    o,a,  h,  a,.Hvi„„     c, s,  ,o,s.  oto.,  ..n,,,.,,  , 'a^hl:     ^ 

""  ''"'"  "'■'■""''■  "'■'■'".v-..„o  .lays  ,V,„„  Sa„  r-,-a„oiso„  „,a,l,.  I,v 


a) 


.3 


769 


/t   FORCED    TlUiATY   WITH  CANINES. 


one  of  the  fastest  schooiu-is  niimin<,'  out  nfthat  port.  Similar  c.uiis  d,.. 
tained  us,  althoii;,Hi  wo  liad  steam  to  propel  us.  Hut  the  Fanny  A.  llvdi- 
had  come  at  last,  and  that  meant  we  mi},'ht  ;,'o  on  oin-  way  rejoicin"  in  a 
fow  days,  and  it'ter  tin  eoals  and  stores  have  heen  transferred  to  om 
bunkers  and  holds.  We  wctaX  the  anthracite  coal  that  has  just  come  virv 
much,  as  our  present  stock  of  so'ft  coal  would  not  last  us  any  time,  should 
we  need  to  use  it.  To  save  delay  we  take  a  heavy  deck-load  of  coal,  as 
well  as  the  cpumtity  in  our  well  packed  hunkers,  and  the  JeannettJ  is 
a<rain  laden  down  to  her  douhlinjr,  as  deep  as  she  was  when  leaviii-  San 
F'-ancisco.  The  schooner  <roes  with  us  to  St.  Lawrence  liay,  in  Eastern 
Siberia,  and  about  thirty  miles  south  of  East  Cape. 

»  We  have  oin-  doj^s  on  board,  about  forty  in  number.     They  raise  a 
tremendous  row  about  every  tifteen  minutes,  space  on  our  crowde..  ,ieck 
alone   <,'over-nn<,'   the   nmnber  of  combatants  en<rajre(l.     \    thiid<   if   wo 
could  <rive  these  unruly  brutes  room  enouj^b  to  fi<,rht,  the   battle   would 
continue  until  ihe  last  pair  died,  chewinfj  each  other's  throats.     This  don- 
war  illustrates  very  amusin.i,dy   the  value  of  armed   intervention   at   the 
rifrht  moment.     When  the  bitterness  of  the  combat  reaches  its  hcit,dil 
one  of  om-  men  interferes  with  a  rope's  end,  and  with  the  utmost  impar- 
tiality lays  about  hmi  vi<,rorous)y.     A  suspension  of  canine   hostilities  is 
the  immediate,  but,  I  rejrret  to  say,  temporary   result.     The  do-s  make 
rcm;nks  and  confer  in  a  lii<,rh  key  and  retire  for  consultation,  but  like  the 
conferences  at  Ccjiistantinople  these  interchan<,'es  of  diplomatic  conluleii- 
ces  only  seem  to  make  matters  worse  in  some  other  quarter  of  the  deck, 
and  the  din   of  the    battle   Is    heard    soon    a<,raiii.      Still    the    Hismarckiau 
rope's  end  works  wonders,   even    thoujjh   it   enforces   a    Treaty  of  Ver- 
sailles fifteen  minutes  after  the  Treaty  of  Prajjue  has  been  ratitied  by  the 
do<r  powers,   and    ominously   swinj^'s   like   a    Treaty  of  Berlin  over  the 
Esfjuimaux  do<^s. 

"  We  have  with  us  for  the  voyage   north   two   natives   from   Norton 
Sound,  or  the  St.    Michael's  district.     One 


these,  Alexai,  as  1 


ie   IS 


useful  as  a  (lo<r- 


called,  speaks  a  little  Enjiflish,  and  is  both  intelli,<,re!it  and 

driver  and  hunter;  Ani.iTuin,  the  other  and  younger  native,  is  a  finc- 


|0()|. 


m< 


fell 


ow,  ^vith  a  liroad,  boyish  face,  and  pleasant  expression.     lie  spcik 


MH.  AND  Mtis.  ALEXAI 

""  '■•"■■''"•'■■  '"■'  «'■"  "1""-'  very  well  „.„|,  „„.  „;,,  „,■  „     ,  , 

"..crprcc,-.     The.  Ca,„,„„   l,„,  .,„,,,.,,   ' ">™"^  «'  - 

llK».  advcmur,,,,,  MVi,.,c-,     l,vw /'    "S-'"'"   "UTOma,!   wi(h 

'™'<. ."  ^"PP..«  .„e  „;:,;  '■,;,',;; '•"'"•-"■  ■ i-.  m,™ 

""■  "•'--  ■■'■  -  i.». , :,;    , ;  :^-^  ■■'■  -^^'^ •« 

"^- --^^^^^:::::^'^::::::--'^'-- 

was  too  modest  to  face   the    pencil       M.r   •     ,        •  '"''*" 

s.™,c,l    „vcTp<nvc,-c,l    wi.h    ..,„.„i„„   ,,   „„   „„,„;,„""■    .'"'= 

t  -SU.CS,  and  at  once  hid  then,    in    the   an.ple  folds,  or   .-uhe, 

places,  of  her  fur  ch-ess.  '  ^''"  /towage 

"  As  we  left  tlie  Hav  of  St.  Mich'.(>I'«  nn  fi, 

>  I.  micn.ici  s  on  the  cvenui''-  of  th<.  -.ict  fu 

..".a., he  ,„„  a„<,  aC  .he  a^enc.v   ,.f  .he    V.-e..e,.n    n  •  ^     , 

C.npany  acro«  .he  l,ay,  belehe.l  fo.U,  a  pa,.!,,,,  v,l,„e     Th  . 

;"."....- a»  .,a.,  a.,  .he  .y  a,,,,.,  p..  A  Cr'thl'X::: 

;.    a.     nonhern  h.„v.     This  .ve  ,.,.  „,.  ,he  ,3.1,  when  i  eleare.   S  e 
W  ".1  a,,.,  c„mn,ence,,    .„   e,„,s  the   vva-e.  of  .he  ..n.i...     „  „,;,;  ^^ 
«a.e      (n,e,oo,.„,„,iea„    f,.„,„    ,    ,.    ,„,   .„   ^   ,,    ,      ^,„„    , 

"laau..l  a.  o„ee  a  .lis.u,ha„ce  of  .he  wea.her  .„   .he   „o„h   a,„l   „•„. 


764 


MORE   TCHUKTCHIS. 


Later  in  the  day  the  sea  rose  to  a  very  -:  jat  hei-ht,  washing  our  decks 
and  carrying  away  some  of  our  light  works.     The  forecastle  got  well 
drenched,  the  bridge  stove  by  a  sea,  and  the  captain's  window  broken  in 
and  his  room  flooded,  by  another.     On    leek   we  were  part  of  the  time 
knee  deep  in  water.     The  wind  howled  for  hours  and  sharply  cut  off  the 
wave  crests,  so  that  the  spray  flew  like  small  shot  across  the  decks.     The 
ship  was  hove  to  and  we  rode  out  the  gale  pretty  well,  considering  that 
the  Jeannette  had  all  she  could  carry  on  board.     As   the   sea   moderated 
we  got  under  way  again  and  arrived  here  on  the  35th,  experiencing  very 
fine  weather  when  entering  the  harbor.      Skin  boats  (baidaras)    filled 
with    dirty  looking,    skin-dressed  natives  of  ine  Tchuktchi  tribe,  came 
alongside.     They  thought  we  were  a  trader.     From  these  we  learned 
about    Prof.    Nordenskiold    what  I  sent    you    by    telegraph    from  San 
Francisco.     I  need  not  repeat  here  what  I  then  told  you,  as  it  was  suli- 
stantially  as  the  native  chief  told    the    Captain  in  my  presence.     Our 
schooner  arrived  yesterday  (26th)  with  the  balance  of  the  coal  which  we 
could  not  take  at  St.  Michael's.     The  Captain  also  desired  to  have  a 
means  of  sending  the  very  latest  news  regarding  our  movements  ar.d 
what  we   could   learn   about   Prof.   Nordenskiold.      All  before  us  now 
is  uncertainty,  because  our  movements  will  be  governed  by  circumstances 
over  which  we  can  have  no  control.     If,  as  I  telegraphed,  the  search  lor 
Nordenskiold  is  now  needless,  we  will  try  and  reach  Wrangell  Land  :iiui 
find  a  winter  harbor  on  that  new  land,  on  which,  we  believe,  the  white 
man  has  not  yet  put  his  foot.     At  the  worst  we  .r.ay  winter  in  Sibeiia 
and 'go  for' the  Wrangell    Land  mystery   next  s'pring.     I  am  in  -^reat 
hopes  we  will  reach  there  this  season.     We  are  amply  supplied  with  fur 
clothing  and  provisions,  so  that  we  can  feed  and  keep  warm  in  any  event 
for  some  time.     Our  dogs  will  enable  us  to  make   explorations  to  con- 
siderable   distances  from    the   ship,  and  determine  the  character  of  the 
country.     Feeling  that  we  have  the  sympathy  of  all  we  left  at  home,  we 
go  north,  trusting  in  God's  protection  and  our  good  tbrtune.     Farewell." 
The  following  is   Commander    DeLong's  dispatch  of  the   aytii  of 
August,  from  St.  Lawience  Bay,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  at  Wa-h- 
inglon:  "Arrived  35th;  leave  for  Serdze    Kamen   to-night.     All  well. 


DE  LONG'S  DISPATCH. 


7ftt 


Natives  report  Nordenskiold   passed  south  three   month 

iK-.e  one  day,  hav.n,  wintered  It  Ko.yutchin  L   !      M       •"''"',  ""'''"^" 
^  >.•  ..    r->       •  ,  ^  "i<-uin  i^Ay.     Mentioned  one  offi 

cei,a   Russian,  who   snoke   tho    nit;-.,   i  "  "uc  om. 

1*1.1,  who  «,i<,  the  ,,  ip  ;„  „„„:        ;  "•"^'  »-<™P-y.n.  Ncden. 
1  .1  XT  "       '■'  ^'^''^'^  ^^'-''•e  to  verify  account 


'A-,,- 


■i^ 


^^^^?*v     :^\5^ 


^  --— ^-' 


CHAPTER    LXXXIII. 


lit 
m 


Tin:  .IKANNKTTK  KNTKUS  TllK  A  KCTIC  —  AKIU  VKs  A  T  KOLYIMTI  | ,  s- 
HAY— FIRST  UKAK  AXI)  SEAL  KILLKD— THE  JKANXr.TTK  KrK.Mi.y 
KKOZK.N     IN— UAXENHOWEk's     STATEMENT —THK    WI.VTKJt    NKJin 

HEOINS  — llEKALD     ISLAM)     IN      SIGHT THK     JKAWKTTK     HI-LI'- 

LESS     AND     CRIPPLED  — CONJECTURES     AS     TO     THE     JEAWLTTk's 
KATE CONTINITED    A  IM'REHENSION. 

The  ship's  company  was  now  thirty-three,  one  of  the  Chinese  haviu'r 
been    permitted  to  abandon    the   expedition  a;   St.  Michael's,   because  of 
ill  health,  while,  as  has    been  stated,  two    Indians  had   l)een  added  to  the 
crew.      With   the   whole   company  in  <,rood    health  and   excellent  spirits 
the  Jeannette    steamed    away    from     St.    Lawrence    Bay    on    the   eve- 
ninj,-    of  the    37th,    at    7:30,  and    passinjr    East   Cape    on    the    38th,  at 
3  I'.  -M.,    reached   Cape    Serdze   Kamen,  that  is,  Stone   Heart  -so  called 
from  a  large  heart-shaped  rock  off  the  cape— on  the  39th,  at  :;  i-.  m.    Here 
De  Long  deposited  papers  and  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  which 
came  to  hand   thirteen   months  later.      In  this  letter,  after  detailing  their 
departure  and   arrival,  as  above,  and  the  confirmation  of  the   opinion  al- 
ready foimed    that  the    Swedisii  Expedition    had   passeil  safely  south,  he 
adds,  "The   oiHcers   and  men   under  my  command   are  all   well,  and  we 
expect  to  sail  to-night  for  Wrangell  Lantl  v/a  KolyutchiiL"      It  was  now 
obvious  'hat  the  Vega  was  tlie  vessel  reported  by  the  natives  of  St.  Law- 
rence Bay  as  having   been  seen  in  the  outer   haven  or  roadstead  "  for  one 
day  three  months  before  "—in  reality,  for  a  few  hours,  about  thirty-seven 
days  before.     The  Jeannette  arrived  at  Kolyutchin  Bay  on  ihe  ^ist,  and 
it  now  only  remained   for   her  commander  to  push   forward  before  the 
close  of  the  season,  to   such    winter  (jnarters  for   his   vessel  as  fortune 
might  supply  on    Herald  Island  or  Wrangell    Land,  discovered  or  redis- 

covered  by  Capt.  Kcllctt,  in  1849.     Accordingly  they  pushed  nortliwcst 

760 


^rjiST  BEAR  AVD    v//^,     ., 

^tvzj  ^tAL  KILLED. 


^'t  4  •■•  M.  the  same  day.      After  ,<. .   i  •        .  ^^  '^^^ 

oral  mtorvicw,  with  tlio   native,  ,„„,      .    ,  "'  "'"-^  ''"''  *^- 

»k,„.boat,.     Among  other  th.n.,,  „,,  l'     "  "  ""•■  J"^"">«!^'  "■  'hoh- 

""■"'«•'  ""'.  -<1   .hoy  ,bun,l  ,h;n...i^e   r     ■  '""T'  "'  '''  ^''"'  ~-- 
™no,"  warmly  da,l  and    ,eemln„i,  '°'P""Wo. -talwarl  an,l    han.l- 

.-ersed  a  barren,  rorMd<,in.        rd:."""^"";"'-  *""»""   "^  vi-..r,   „ad 

O"    .he  .d  of  Sep.en,be;  .         r  ,  I'T'  "'™- 
.'head    l,y  the  w,,„,er  Sea    Hree,e   in     I             """  "■■""   "''"'"  "'^    "'»-- 
channel -beeween  an  eastern  floe  and  'T"/"'  '''  ''''  ''■*°'  '" '"'■" 

'■'tlle  north,  malting  we,t-northwe^tf„rHr,T'r'r''''™''^'"°'''"l»'='' 
>""  a  fe.  miles  nearer  southeast  "^      ;'""'""■ '^''-S''''^  Land, 

'-^■noon  of  the  3d  she  „as  seen  sele  ^^  ,"  '""  '""'"■  °"  "- 
'■->■  >he  same  bark,  .hieh  „a,  fol  Wi„,:  rCI  r""'  '"'""  "''"'- 
'"  nine  or  ten  miles.     « On  th,.  ,ft  ^  '  '*^  ''  tlistance  now 

"'■  'ho  Sea  ]iree.e,  .  i,  elea  ed  T'""7  "'  ""  +'" '"  '"^'  ^apt.  Barnes 

'"  -"  -■"••"  This  was :::;  's::^'.;:';  "-""^ "  ^'^""  ^■■'  =- 

-lo  of  her    own  company  ■'"'""'■■"'-•  ''J'  '"V  »"o  ont- 

-»■  'ho    whaler  alrea.ly  referred    to  ""  ""  +"'•     ^hoy 

"-'  »he  would  approae      exel  "''""'  *-'"»""■"  "'  "^  '"'K- 

-'-  .yh,  to  1,  u:;>:t:;::zr:T  T '"""- ""-  ■-"• 

11.0  6th,  with  Commander  DoLon-  aloft       ,.        "    ""  ""  """""     O" 

'he  entered  a  lane  whiel    h     °  ,'       '  "'"^''■"'^'^''  ™  '^o  look- 

.otween    the  east  w    .  """T    ""'  ""'   ""'""'"'™'  "^  '"^ 

"--  "^-  '-po.!  might  1,:  .lied'  ;::,;:■  t"  '■^■"■'  '■""° «■  -■ 

'"■• ■  oxpanses  of  open  w.ter  f,         "    ""'"'«=»'■ 'ho  many  ^„/,.. 

.-.r»    and    sle.l.-e.e.l ,  T  "'"■'"'   '"   ''^"^"»-'"   -"- 

'■-'"..  ..ow  iee"th  '"        ""    ''''"•"■     ■'■"■■■'""''  "-  "Pi'liy 

rt         '    '>-^   t"c   lion    nrow    oT   tK,.    r  •'^ 

"■»>    ""lil     I    in     the    aft  ■   """°"'-'    '■■■""'""'    '>'■■•    "'«« 

'^"- '"  p'ih  o  »,,,:::;•  ""^"  f ■ '-'- -ab,e.  ..h 

"-  --.  .'-oy  we.  "X:):":z ':;:  ■-"?  "-'^  ™ 

of  the  mornino-.     11,.,.  ,;,.  ,     ,  '  ''"''    "'^^"^    ^^'^   ^-lianccs 

""»•      iici    nios  vycre  on  v  Kinl,    i 

"'^  ^''"''^•^'  ■''^  ^'«  l*^  be  ready  to  push 


708 


THE   JEANNETTE  FROZEN  IN. 


forward  at  a  moment's  notice.  The  night  jii'oved  exceptionally  cold 
for  even  those  hi<^h  latitudes,  and  the  new  ice  could  he  almost  seen 
to  grow  thick  and  strong  as  they  helplessly  looked  on. 

0\\  the  morning  of  the  7th  the  Jeannette   was  found  to   he   firmlv 
frozen  in.     A  full  examination  showed   that  she  was  surrounded  by  aii 
accuinulalion  of  ice-floes  frozen  together  by  the  neyv  ice,  and  exten(iin<'- 
perhaps  four  miles.     The  old  ice  was  in  pieces  ranging  from  ten  square 
yards   to   several   acres,  with   narrow    veins   of  water   now    frozen  over 
with  new  ice.      In  that  one  unlucky  night   she  had  involuntarilv  formi^d 
a  nucleus  around  which  the  moving  floes  were  arrested    lon<>-  enou"-li 
to  be   yvelded  into  one  solid   mass  by  their   mutual   impact,  the  new  ii-c 
serving  as  an  effective  solder.      Herald   Island  was  in  sight  at  a  distana' 
of  twenty-one    miles;  but   when   an  attempt  was  made  b^^  Chipp,  Dun. 
bai',  Melville  and  Alexai,  to  effect  a  landing  there  on  the  13th,  it  ]:)n)V(.'(l 
inaccessible  because  of  open   water  within  six   miles  of  land.     The  ik:\i 
day  the  party  returned,  it  being  deemed  inadvisable  to  prolong  the  effort 
necessarily  attended  with  much  danger,  for  the  barren  achievement  of 
landing  on  the   island  while   there  was   no  chance   of  working  the  ship 
thither  into    harbor.      There    was  the  further  risk    that    such  exploriii«- 
partv  might  be  left  behind,  as    the  vessel   was    entirely  uncontrollalilc 
and  might  be  carried  away  with  her  ice-dock  before  their  return.     Drifi- 
ing  norlhw^esiward,  they  sighted    Wrangell    Land   to   the   south,  on  the 
2ist  1)1"  ( )ctober,  and  indeed  saw  il  frequently  afterward,  to  the  south  and 
west,  and  on  the  2Stii  and  icjth  of  October  were  so  near  that  thev  could 
distinguish  some  of  its  mountains  and  glaciers,  which  eventually  grew  to 
be   like  familiar   acquaintances,  as   they  remained  so   long   beset  in  those 
waters.      The  ^vhl>le  month  was   very  cpiiet,  the  nights  being   \erv  clear 
and    beautiful.      l'2ven    in  September   there   were   no  e(|uinoctial   gales  as 
anticipated. 

"About  the  6lh  of  November,"  says  Danenhower,  "  the  ice  began  to 
break  u]).  We  had  previously  observed  considerable  agitation  ;il)()nt  the 
full  and  change  of  the  moon,  and  attributed  it  to  tidal  action.  Tliis  was 
ol>ierved  particularlv  when  we  were  between  Herald  Island  and  \\  nin- 
gell  Land,  and    when  the  water  was  shoaleil — that   is,  about  tifteen  fath- 


DAN  EN  no  ]yp,. ,  „    p ,,.  ^  ^ 


"m«_,hc.  ice   be,..,,  ,„   ,.,„„    , 

h.-oke„  ,„„„,,„  ,„,„„„       ,„„„^^       "      '^   »"■!',  =.u,  „  ,e.u,ar  «.,„,„„  ,„■ 

.'-'  •^PPoa.e,,  „.  „„if„,,„  „  ,^^,  JJ^;-         -  -     F,.„,„  ,„„,  „„    „„^,  ,,^^^^ 

be;.-..    e„  ,.„.,(,.,  ,,.,„„    .h,  ,,i      ,„     '       '  T"^.»h   ..avey,,,,.     Tr„ek, 

••■™,„i„.  were  .e,.nfie,   makinJ    ve„           T  •■""'   ^"'™"  "f  .H«.nn, 
-In,,  ,,,,Hig,„  ,„■.,,,      ,       ,     ;  ■'-  -log-s  v.hi„e.     Nov.  .,  „. 

^l,„  ,  .,     ,  "-^    '"  ^'^'-"  P"'-t  side-  liad 

^^         ';'^;::'"^' '-in.  the  ship  ,.„,.,,, 

;   ^^^^c,-adle,.n  her  ..,uWd  bile 
T'-  -ate,-  looked  s,.ooth  and  he^,: 

1^"''  -i   there  was   „o  „oise  save 

hat  ot-t>n.,.do,s  which  had  drifted 
«« -tl'  the  port  iee.  VVe  had  pre- 
--■^'y  taken  in  the  ohservatorv 
'""'    '^^"'   l"-^M^^n-ed  fo,.  such   an   .J 

-^'^^"t,  hnt  o„  the  starboard  side  the 

^t-"  cutter  and  the, .en's  outhouse 
'""'   ''^■^'"   '^■^•t-      We  ,.ot  the  stean. 

7"7:  '•''^'>'"-"'  '-t  left  the  outhouse 
stanch,i,<r.     This  was  Nov=  ,,^» 

^^^^  The  N-essel   ^vas  at  all  times  in 
""-^T.  JO,,.,  w.  i..v.vK.v„owHK.  J""""  "''  '''''    '^'ninent    dan-er  of 

•"-ve,nent  in  the  surrou,Kii„.  ice    whiI^  ""'1^^^^     ^'^    '""''    ^'■"'^^"^ 
-l.rthechan,in,  p-cssu,.  ;f  wL^   ^     "'^        '  '''"''  ^'^  ''^^'^ 

K  >*11H1S  lUKl    CUrrpnfi.-  T? 

heavy  tru.ss,  with    which   she  had   b  E,ig,neer  Shock's 

.-.e.vea,,e...„,,,,,,,,;r,:rnrr  ;;"■''' '^'^"■■'- 

spccilly  severe,   nippi,,.,   ,„.,,„„,      .  ,        "-'*'•      After  :,   week    ,„■ 

™  "-  ...!„  „„„  .  ,,ae>,  ,.      .    X"'"it  ''^-  "•"'  •■°-''  "•">  <-.-.  «a,er 

« -    ...a.ie,-„..   .„  „,  ,;:::". '7"  ^■°"'~ '"--cin^whe,, 

rt.™lv  l,e,e,.  '"'^^   '"  "*•'  "I'-e  she  wa,  »„„„  „,,,,, 

"Several  <>ale-  "    -our  r- 

,„  -■-      ■"'"""-   Da„e,.„„we,,...„e   heaviest  „ei,„,  ..„„„„ 


THE    WINTER  NIGHT  BEGINS. 


iifty  miles  :in  hour,  occurred  lathe  f:ill  of  1879.  The  long  night  com- 
inenced  ahout  the  loth  of  November  and  lasted  till  the  35th  of  Jaiuiaiy, 
iSSo.  On  Noveinher  i  the  winter  routine  commenced.  At  seven,  all 
hands  were  called  up,  and  fires  started  in  the  galleys;  at  nine,  breakfast; 
from  eleven  to  one  guns  given  to  all  hands  to  hunt,  and  for  exercise  on 
the  ice;  at  3  i'.  m.  dinner,  then  galley  fires  put  out  to  save  coal;  luuwceu 
seven  and  eight,  tea,  matle  from  the  Baxter  boiler,  which  was  used  con- 
stantly to  condense  water,  we  having  found  that  the  floe-ice  was  too  sail 
for  use,  and  the  doctor  insistetl  on  using  condensed  water.  The  boiler 
was  originally  intended  for  the  electric  light,  but  it  was  found  that  we 
could  not  afford  to  run  the  light,  so  we  used  the  coal  in  condensini,' 
water.  Twenty-five  pounds  of  coal  per  day  was  allowed  for  heatin;,^ 
the  cabin,  twenty-five  pounds  for  the  forecastle,  and  ninety  pounds  lor 
the  ship's  galley  for  cooking  purposes." 

From  the  date  of  imprisonment,  the  story  of  the  ship  and  her  com- 
pany is  one  uniform  record  of  her  stout  resistance,  with  some  variation  iu 
incidents,  and  of  their  good  conduct  and  sustained  courage.  The  dis- 
cipline was  excellent,  there  being  but  one  instance  of  punishment,  tor 
thoughtless  profanity,  during  the  whole  period  of  detention.  OlHccrs 
and  crew  were  well  quartered  anil  fully  provisioned,  and  the  general 
health  was  unimpaired.  There  was  a  formal  medical  examination  on 
the  first  of  every  month.  With  a  school  of  uavigation  and  occasional 
amateur  theatricals,  besides  the  routine  duties  and  the  special  labors  hcn.'- 
after  mentioned,  the  weary  days  sped  on  with  greater  cheerfulness  and 
contentment  than  could  have  been  expected.  The  commander  v/as  care- 
ful to  have  religious  services  every  Sunday,  it  Ijeing  now  very  generally 
admitted  that  such  devotional  exercises  possess  a  very  specific  value  to 
persons  so  circumstanced.  Thanksgiving,  Christmas  and  New  VcarV 
were  observed  aboard  the  Jeannette  with  subdued  festivity  befitting  her 
perilous  position.  Unfortunately  the  opening  year  brought  them  only 
fresh  perils.  Nips  and  squeezes  from  the  besetting  ice  became  a^ain 
frequent  and  severe,  and  early  in  January,  iSSo,  the  fore-foot  of  the  ves- 
sel was  violently  wrenched  out  of  place.  On  Jan.  19,  after  several  days' 
anxiety  from  the  crushing    strain   of  the   ice  on  the  ship,  and  the  noise 


^v^-^'^^  ni^.wa^,^r.  r^.uvn. 


"■»•!>.•  I>7  .ho  dsinj,  a,„,  ,,„„,      „  .  "' 

were  ho.,e.,  „„.  „f  „e  ,„„  „„,  ^,„  ;^  '       -  '-,,  f™„,  „„.„,     ^J 
-treat  to  VVran.dl  U,,.,  ,-,■  ,,,,„,  ,f  ""■""" ^  '"-''■-  ".  .nnke,,o„,,  ,„„ 
-'  -  .ir:.-.  ,.,«h..,,  ,,,.,  .ea  ::'°"  "■^-  '"■>•     Th.,  .„,„„. 

ll\'^'^°-  "■•■   '"  '"""P  *e  ship  „,„i, 

:;'""  "">•  "■"-  '■">"■  .1,0  plaoo  V  '^"'■""■■•"  --  -ere  fo„„.,  ,„  ho 
'»'^'-;'---i''-l.^.vohoo;h,  J:;."^-  '-'  "— .  -cl  Hota,,, 
;""'"":  -^-  '"■■'  •'"•fe.i  ovo,.  a„  i,,,;         '  "^  ■"■^'  •">■■     «■"■"..  .ho.o  „.,. 

We  c„„t,„„,.,   ,„  ,,,.    .  _    ^1  .^   ^,,^J      •""    >-  --seel    i,  a,  U,a.  ,:,„,. 
»<>;P  alwa,.,  to..,<    „p  ,,  „„.,,    „,.,  '"   ■   -".e.-.      Wo  „„„,,,  .,,.,.  ,„^ 

"■"■  '-•     Souunvo.,  wi„.l„  „„,  „'      •  '"   '''™""="  I»la..cl  hcin,  ,„„,,, 

"■^,  f;>  ^"  '- ^  -■  .he  .,a,  „:,:':;■'•;:     "■■  •"^'  -•'  «^e,  ....e 

;!"-^,^'"*- ^"l  ^.»  .1,0  ha„„„.o,  :"  '«"'^-  -"".■!.«  on,,,,,.. 

•~l.     Tho  o„l.,o».  „„,„„„  ,,„,,.  ;,7  "•":'■■•«  '■PPer..i„i,«  ,„  th,.  fc,. 
'-""""  «c„n-o.l  ,■„  „„  ,„„„„,  ;,;  —'  ■'""".'  .he  „,„.,o  p„, ,„.  „^,_ 

"^■'p'- -" -ipp,o,, ,i„ ai,,,..:;  ,:;:':' "•'":■•  "■'"•  "--'--euo 

.^erou,  pack.     Ap,-!!  foilowo.1  ,vi,h,„  '  "    '  ""'  ""^■'•■■'•""  -'>'  'la.,- 

'•■'"  "•■'^"-' '-,  „oo ,•;:,;;;:  ;:"^^'''  "-■ "---.« a  wa.o,.. 

»P--»  ..oewoo,,  ,„o  ,„.„,  ,,„„^.,  ,„,;     ™.    P-«  ■;'■  'he  »„ip,a,„  e„. 
'«""".  '<>  Keop  „„t.,„  „,,„,.^  '     '  ""'  ".eal,  .allow,  ashos  „„.l 

™h..wo,-,,Hvo,-opa.so.l,,.,io,u.  a„.l  „  "  ""''  ■*°'"  -«  "^a,,. 

"'•  "--1'™...  n,is,-a,i„„  ,,;,,  ,.,„  ,„„  '       ""'  ■^"'-  '"  .'s  expoc.e.1  ,0  soo 
■'"■-■^  '■^■"  e.l,a„.o,l  „oa,-  .l,o  »,„,     '         "  '"'  ■■'';''"^"--      0„o  p„„,.  ,„„,, 

:;::'  -^-  ;"'n>h,i.oH,.,  ohio,.,„;;;,r  ::::"■:  -:-™  ^ho.  a.  i,, 


bird 


^  seen  later  in  tlx 


le  season 


inoviiu 


^•u-cmnhed.      There 
^^  tile  westward,  but  tli 


were   s 


oine 


>-'}'  Wen 


e  not 


773 


CONJECTURES  AS    TO   THE  SHIP'S  FATE. 


numerous.  A  <jrcat  many  mussel  shells  ami  quantities  of  mud  were 
often  found  on  the  ice,  which  indicated  that  it  had  been  in  contact  with 
land  or  siioals.  Our  hunters  ranged  far  and  wide  and  of  en  brouj-ht  in 
small  pieces  of  wood — on  one  occasion  a  codfish  head,  and  on  another 
some  stuir  that  was  very  much  like  whale  blubber,  all  of  which  had 
been  found  on  the  ice."  Early  in  May,  under  the  influence  of  j^entle 
soutii  and  southeast  wind.;  they  drifted  steadily  to  the  northwest.  After 
iViay  iS,  iSSo,  the  water  was  pumped  out  night  and  day  by  hand  pump  or 
windmill  pump  until  the  ship  was  destroyed.  In  June  the  snow  nielted 
from  the  surface  of  the  floe,  but  it  would  have  required  a  cargo  of  torpi- 
does  to  set  the  ship  free,  so  firmly  was  slie  embedded.  The  birthday  of  tiu' 
nation  was  duly  celebrated  by  the  usual  display  of  bunting,the  vessel  ])cin<4 
gail  V  decorated  in  her  holida}-  attire,  and  by  a  festive  entertaiimient  for  olli- 
cers  and  men.  The  thoughts  of  home,  whicli  tiiey  had  now  ahuntlant 
reason  to  apprehend  they  might  never  see  again,  must  liave  mingled  pain- 
full v  or  been  no  less  painfully  thrust  aside,  so  as  not  to  mar  the  current  of 
their  transient  merriment.  For  about  fifteen  da\'s  in  July  the  weather 
was  verv  bright  and  pleasant;  but  the  latter  part  of  July  and  the  whole 
iif  August  were  very  bail,  being  raw,  foggy,  and  unhealtiiv.  AlUr  a 
short  release  from  hei  immediate  ice-envel()[)e  in  the  height  of  suininer, 
the  Jeainiette,  which  liad  in  the  meantime  drifted  far  to  the  northwot  of 
Wraiigell  I^and,  became  again  firmly  embended  in  ice  eight  feel  thick, 
on  the  6th  of  September,  just  one  week  before  the  relief  ship  Corwin 
relinquished  the  search  for  her  on  the  east  side,  as  relatetl  in  the  next 
chapter. 

Meanwhile,  conjecture  as  to  her  fate  had  become  life  at  home.  In- 
deed, the  public  alarm  developed  early,  one  might  say  prematinelv.  It 
was  understood  tiieoretically,  that  the  vessel  had  got  beyond  the  channels 
of  regular,  or  even  occasional  commimication;  but  even  this  did  not  pre- 
vent a  sort  of  instinctive  feeling  of  apprehension,  wiiich  manifested  itself 
within  a  few  months  after  her  disappearance.  Attempts  were  made  by 
press  and  platform  to  allay  the  public  alarm,  by  showing  its  unreasonable- 
ness, and  drawing  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  was  exactly  what  had 
been  anticipated.     "  \o   news  is   good    news,"    was   repealed    again  and 


-'xpccted  to  jro,  into  ,viM ^'^-"  Jeannctte   had 


7T;( 


It  m,„t  he.  confcsscl  elv„  ,1,  "'^^'"■".g's  .Strail. 

"^'ho.,.  ..,ro«.  M,,.  .,,:,,,^,  :;;«;<'  -  n„„.,... ,  _  „„, 

"-  --),,„.,,  ,,,„„,„„  „„„„,;    7  '-'"'   'Sro  hn,,  rc.„„„. ,,.,. 

'- ;"  .hoi,.  „„„„„,  ,,^  ^^  -      v„c.„  ,,  „as  f,„,H,.,.  ,.„,,„,  ,„^„ 

.'"'■'■""  '^""  '-«"len  th.  „„,e,  „„;,  ,'";'"  ■■'I'l'-l-n.lo.l  .!,».  .  ,;,,„  „„,. 

-ho  ice.     The  .,„,,.  „„.;,  „,  .   7.  ' "  ■■-on,,.!,  ,,.,.,,„, 

P«;t.on.  wore  f„rvva,,,e„  ,„  „„■  ,         '  "  "»""''  -'  "'  '!-  »pri.„. 

^"»  ■--"e '"  C„,„.e.  h,  ,he   Geo.     L'T:'"  ^'""^-     '^"»-'^  -« 

"'"""-  -"M  he  ve,  h,e,  i:;-:;:::::;::.;;;::-"- '"  ""-^"  -- 


CIIAl'TICR    LXXXrV. 

IKANXETTK      RKLIKF     KXPKmi'IONS     IN      1 8So — TUK      CORW^X  CAI'T. 

HOni'KK  —  AT  ()IT\ALASKA--AN   ir.tPKNKTll AHMi  WAI.I. — A   KHKJIIT- 
KUI,  SCKNK  OK   nKSOI.ATION A   SHIP  A.l'KKIIKNDED TlIK    I.OTU.A 

—  A    WRKCK  —  Tin;    foiiwix     sunns    vvkaxgell    laxd Tin: 

EXCILISII     RELIEF    VACWT     KIRA  —  KAIMMIE    OK    THE     EXPEDITION' 

—  SECOXD    AMKRICAX    RELIEF    KXPEDITIOX,    THE     GULXARE— .\\ 

ADVERSE     REPORT REFITTED     AXD     MANNED A     DISASTROUS 

DELAY — FURTHJiR    HINDERED    HY  THE    ELEMENTS — AN    AHORTIVE 
EFFORT. 


Early  in  April,  iSSo,  the  steam  revcnuo-cuttcr  Thomas  Corwin,  was 
ordered  from    Astoria,  Ore<,'on,  into  dry-dock  at  San  Fr-'ncisco  to  he  re- 
paired and  strenjjfthened  before  setting  ont  m  search  of  the  Jeannette  and 
the  missin,<,'  whalers.    She  was  sheathed  with  oak  plank  an  inch  thici<,  and 
was  furnished   with   an   adjustable  ice-breaker   made  of  boiler-iron.     A 
new    steam   windlass    was    put   in,   all    her    macliinery   was    thorouj^hlv 
overhauled  and  renewed.     The  Corwin  was  built  at  Albina,  Orej^^on,  in 
1S76,  of  two  himdrcd  and  twenty-seven  tons  Custom  House  measurement, 
one  hundred   and  forty-five  feet    loni^',  twenty-four  feet  beam,  :\nd  eleven 
feet  depth  of  hold.     Slie  was  constructed   entirely  of  Orej^on  llr,  copper 
fastened,  and  unusually  stronif.      Capt.  Joim  \V.  White,  one  of  the  most 
experienced  olHcers  in  the  Marine  Revenue  cutter  service,  superi.iteiuled 
her  construction,  and  for   once,  at  least,  the   .^-overnment  '^ot   the   vessel 
that   was  ordered,  without  "a  steal.'"      She   is  a  Iteautiful  craft,  and  with 
steam  up  slie    <,rlides  tlirouL,di  the  water  "like  a  thhvj;  of  life."      Ilei-  [iro- 
pellin,L(  power  is  a  vertical    inverted  cylinder,  steam  jacketed,  tliirty-four 
inches  scpiare,  with  a  surface  condenser.     She   has  an  expandin^j  i)itch 
propeller  ten  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  capable  of  makinj?  eleven  knots  an 
hour  under  steam— the  mean  pitch  of  the  propeller  being  sixteen  feet. 

774 


She   was  placed    iindcr  thr  .r.  ,  ""* 

,^'"'■-■■1  .^-c,  „..,. ,.  ,„::, ;';,:::::;/  '->.•  ^  c.  „„„,..,  „,  ,„„ 

f-y  yc,,.  „,.,.  ca,«.  a     s  ,;V'"';: '"'.  ■""■"'"""•  ""^"^'  -  <  .i.c 

-Si't   otlKT,,  ., nicer,  a„,l  ,„c„_i„    V "'' ■"^^'""l-'y  campriscl  thi,,,.. 
»i""-l    for  .wclvc  ,„„„„„,  „,„,   ^,.„   ;'  ,      -'>■  I'-™--     SI,o   was  pn.w. 

•>""''-«■     TIK.  Alaska  CV,  ,,,:;::'  '■••^'  ""'"'-'  -■«  "'■  ».l  in  Ik. 
'I"«">..  ...  .lK.i,.  a,.,,,,  ,„  „„  '  ^'""'»">:  '■-■■■i»l-.l  ■o„c„  ,„■  ;,„„,. 

».W.  assistance  ,0  ,„e  c.p.ain   :^ZT'"'^ ''  "'""  '"  ■'•■""'■■  ^'"  i'°- 

tics  i„d,„le,l  attentio,,  ,„  ,|„,  ,„„,,,  ,^   "'""'"■     ^■'l"'    """P^l's  i.>st,„c. 

'ho  alle,.e,l  ,.„„,„,,  e Ii,i„„  ,„.  \,^^  '^^^^  "^■"•'-.  -'  -  i...,..i,v  l,„„ 

'-i.l-  ,„akin,-  s„cl,  o,„e,.va.i,  ,  s  "''  "■  ''''^'''^^  ■»'-'. 
•^^.  '.•^.  ..  ei™„ns.a,,ces  w,,,,,.,'  pi  :;:,::■;;-"'-  -■-.-»-.  a,.,l 
:"""■  ""'•|"'«  "f  'he  oxpclitio,,,  u,'    relic,'  ,      ,  '  """'""' '"  "'^• 

•ions,  -.vhich  were  s„bs,„„,ia,lv  1^1       ,      "I"'  ^'"■'^"^"  "■'■  ■"'-.• 

"'-"■-Mhe.Haie;:;:  7;" ;';'',''' '"^*™«'°'- 

">"i.'h»'   ralions  a.   leas,;  i,-  .i,,,  .^        ""','""  '  ^■"'   "'"'■•  "'-"  two 
"-■  Arctic  ,  win  ,.«,„.„  'w,,.  .  J:     :;\;  "  'r ^'  "^-  „„.  of 

'"V  .n,„.h,..l  ,„1,,.  ,,,  „  ,„^,  ,X,  ;:"""■  """•  -'  I  'hi,.k  I  ca,.  s,a„.l  a 

Arrival  a,  0„„alaska,  (he  Corwi,,  shi,,,,,.,, 
loft  ■...  the  .S,l,  ,-„r  S,.  Pa,.,,  u.,.U  '  '  """  '"''"'"'  ^""' 

i"..  '■".•  offices  a,.,l  .„e..,  ,.„,   „„„;„„  ,;"    '"■■•;■  '"■""-l  -alsW.,  cl„,l.. 

'■>■     .67"    50-,   ,„„,,,  .„.    .       -.    "^'/■"™""'o,-c,l    ,hc  ice,  .„  ,,„  . 

"...voLit:„,j:r^::;::t :;; ■  —  <>=,„  ,„e  „„::. 

"■''■■■^■'V'"'''''^-'^''--'--''ho^...o;:,i:,::;:7"::,;^'^ 

:;-^:;-::ri:;:;;/r;::,r-:— ^^^ 

'.    the    ^c.sscl   from   destruction   l>y  the  floe,  with 


77rt 


/f    NATIVE  MESSnXCER. 


which  thoy  drifted  helplessly  liitljL-r  and  tliitlicr.  Utuler  a  fierce  iiortli- 
cast  wind  and  snowstorm  on  the  17th,  they  succeedeti  in  anchoriii' 
in  the  shelter  of  Cape  Koinaii/oir,  and  nnle  there  in  comparative  safe- 
ty until  the  morninj,'  of  the  18th,  when  :he  wind  shiftin<^  to  the  1101  ih- 
west,  they  were  in  danjjer  of  hcinjj  driven  ashore  hy  the  returning 
ice.  They  wei<^hed  anchor  and  stood  out  to  meet  the  ice-pack  whiih 
presented  an  impenetrable  wall,  apparently  without  lead  or  openint,'  of 
any  kind.  Driven  hack  by  this  formidable  mass,  the  Corwin  soon  fuMnl 
herself  well  in  shore  in  only  sixteen  feet  of  water,  where  they  had  tho 
{footl  fortune  to  spy  a  lead  into  which  they  hurriedly  shot,  anchoriiii^  to  ;i 
piece  of  ice  which  was  ajjroimd  in  over  thirty-two  feet  of  water,  and 
covered  about  four  acres.  When  the  <^ale  subsided  the  ice  be<^an  to  drift 
away  from  shore,  K'vinf?  them  an  open  channel  to  Norton  Sound,  wluiv 
they  anchored  on  the  19th,  but  at  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles  from  St, 
Michael's,  the  sound  beinjf  filled  with  ice.  The  vessel  came  verv  ntar 
losing  her  rudder  in  the  conflict  with  the  pack,  and  Capt.  Hooper  now- 
devised  and  .adjusted  a  contrivance  whereby  it  might  be  unshipped  in 
two  minutes.  The  ship  had  shown  gootl  power  of  resistance,  and  liad 
come  cut  of  the  ordeal  uninjured. 

They  were  soon  visited  by   a   native    messenger  dispatched   by   tlic 
agent  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  who  reported  that  tiic   win- 
ter of  1879-S0    had    been    terribly   severe,  with   an    -.innsual    ninnber  of 
heavy  snowstorms  a...!  high  winds;    and  that  the  ice  iiad  broken  up  un- 
usually late.     A  break  occurring  in  the  ite,  they  were  enabled  to  rcath 
the  harbor  of  St.  Michael's  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  the  19111  of 
June.     In  compliance  with  that  pait  of  his   instruct-'o'is,    Ca])t.   Hooper, 
on  the  3^(1  of  June,  steered  across  Behring  Sea  to  vSt.  {.v.w  K.i.ce  Island,  1 
little  over  midway  to  the  Asiatic  coast,  where  the}   'mhik!    the-   reports  of 
destitution  fully  and  fearfully  contirmed.     The  inhabitants  lind  been  in  a 
starving  condition  for  two  years.     The  first  village   visited   was  eiitirelv 
deserted.     The  second,  some  miles  ilistant,  presented  a  frightful  vccnc  i>f 
desoia'io:  .     Not  a  living  being  was  to  be  seen.      The  dead   lay  unbiiricd 
on  t'lf  'Vli-idi  <■  .nid  in  tiieir  beds,  just  as  they  had  expired.     Further  west- 
ward, a"^  North  C.ipe,  a  similar  spectacle  was  witnessed.     At  lirst  ii  was 


fli'n".'ht  that  there  ha.l  hcer 


A  Smn  APl'mWBNDIiD. 


'1  '"1  t'pidoinic    1 


777 


nit  th< 


re 


'I'e  «c.tleracm  wore  prccrv.,!.  .  '  ^"'^  "''  ""■  -n u  ,„ 

I'mcuri,,.  ewcuy-llv.. ,„■  „, 

ar"....,l  ■fr„,„  c,„«  Sen,..  Ka,,,.,,  ,  ,'  •"!"•■;  ^""""'"«-'  "-  i«,,a.k 
'I-  A".crica„,  al„,„,  „„  .h,.  p,„„^,  _,^  "  :^-";'--  '•'>"  •"  I'oin.  I,,,,,,  „„ 
->;vc»  an,,  whale,.,  „„  ,,„,h  ,„,,  .„.  „e|,H,;:;';  ":""""""=""■'"•'  "i"'  ".c 
•■c  Ocean,   ,hcv    fa,le,l   ,„   ,,,,,„  '      ""'  """"'  ""''  "i.hin  ,l,e  Arc 

H  ollaston,  or  Vi^,ilant.     "  The  vvhUcrs  "  ;    ''^'""''^"'^'   "^^'  Mount 

ception,  crave  it  n«  fho.-..      •   •  '        '    '"''-^''' '*""Per,  "withonf  .... 

.p,  "        ^  '^  ^'''-"  "P'n'"n  that  nothin-r  wiii  u  '-■'^• 

They  also  reported  that  i„  the  Arctic  f)  u      '"''''  ^'  ^'^''^''  "^''^-"." 

'-n  very  mild,  juci^in.  l,v  the  ye.r'si "''",'  """''''  "'  ''79-^^'>  '^^d 
This  showed  a  .narked  chflbrence  hetvv  "  1  ""  ^^'^^P""-"y  thin. 
'"-  I^ehrincr's    Strait.     Between    k2  ^'   "'^""^  "'"-^'^  -''  -nuh 

^Valcs  they  Tell  in  with  the  t:  din  ^    '"""''    ^'^    ^''^^^   ^'■-e  of 

7'"  '>'•  anns,  an..nnition,  a.d  ^^^  '"';:'  7'' ^"^^"^  '^  '■>  l-es- 
^■harjre  of  Lieut.  W.  H.  Hand  on  the  .ti       f7'  ''"'  '''''''''  ''-■  '" 

'^--  to  San  Francisco  to  be  „,,,,  ,^,.  '  .^  '';*'>'  ^^'"^  '-'e.s  to  take 
Hooper  continued  his  vova^e  but  n  "  :"""  '^'"  ^'"  '•''"—•  ^aws. 
1-^  to  .he  north  and  re^e^a  .^  "^  '  ""''-^'^^^  ^  i— .    ,. 

^•'Y^-'  -''  ^"PP'ies,  and  ,i,ht  repj;       ~  ^^  ^^^  ^^'^'^^''^  -  the 
"■•  the  eveninc,  of  the  ,oth,  keepin-.  to  the   K  "''""  ^'"•^''"'  ""'-^'^ 

U.shurne_6S°  56'  bv  .6,'  ^v       ^  "'"'■"'"•  ■^'^"'•^  ^  ^^r  -  Cape 

:"• '-  p-'^  -  ^'^^  "orthl;l~r;;:;^^^  TT"'  """^  ^'^^^^'^^ 

'■•U-  u'ithin  thirty  miles  of    he  l-,tter      H         ,"  "''^  ^'^''''^'^  '^''''^'■ 

i-  to  give  w.ay  to  the  south,  as  fa,-  •',  ^o'''       •",""''  ""'P'""'    ''>'  ^^^^ 
ea.st  toward  Kotzehue  Sound      M.L--  '  "■'^^•"'^^' they  .struck  s„uth- 

'^'^'-i>  the,,  steered   once  :  .  ^  ^f  ''""^^-  '''''  ^"  ^^^^   Herald 

'^---"^'-ofiandonthe.;^;;^;:^^^^^^ 

Steaming' south  to  fiuO?,,    • 


778 


THE   LOT  I  LA. 


reach  Herald  Island.  Driving  her  ice-hreaker  through  fifteen  niik-s  (,f 
drift  ice,  she  was  within  three  miles  of  laiul  on  the  3ist,  when  her  furtlRr 
progress  was  stopped  liy  pack-ice,  piled  forty  feet  high  along  the  shoic 
Unabli-  to  land,  tiiey  closely  scrutinized  each  point  and  hill-top,  l)iit  saw 
no  signal,  and  inicrred  that  whatever  else  the  barren  waste?,  might  con- 
tain, the  missing  navigators  were  not  to  be  found  there.  Ti.e  coast  line 
was  seven  to  eight  hundred  feet  in  lieight,  and  the  inla'ui  hills  rose  to 
about  1500  feet.  On  the  23d  Capt.  Hooper  ]3ushed  to  the  east  toward 
Point  Barrow,  and  thence  southwest  to  Cape  Lisburne.  Four  miles 
from  the  cape  Caj^t.  Smith,  tlTe  ice  pilot  of  the  Corwin,  discovered  a  vein 
of  coal,  of  which,  when  tested  and  found  satisfactory,  a  supply  was  taken 
on  board,  affording  a  valuable  saving  of  time.  Going  to  and  from  coal- 
ing stations  had  hitherto  consumed  an  important  portion  of  tlie  short 
cruising  season;  and  the  discover}'  of  this  vein  at  such  an  accessible  point 
of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  will  doubtless  prove  of  great  advantage  to  futnie 
explorers. 

On  tile  39th  of  August,  at  Point  Hope,  they  met  the  trading  schoon- 
er Lotila,  and  breech-loading  guns  being  found  aboard,  in  violation  nf 
the  revenue  laws  of  the  United  States,  Capt.  Hooper  placed  her  in  charge 
of  Lieut,  fohn  WyckofT,  to  be  taken  to  San  Francisco.  She  carried  the 
American  Hag,  but  was  owned  in  Honolulu;  and  had  been  seized,  in  1879, 
for  carrying  whiskey. 

On  the  night  of  the  .fth  of  September  tlie  Lotila,  during  thick,  foggy 
weather,  went  ashore  on  the  north  side  of  vSt.  Lawrence  Island,  ahmit 
fifteen  miles  to  the  east  of  Cape  Chebkak.  What  provisions  in  casks 
coukl  l)e  tiirown  overboard  iiaving  been  washed  ashore  were  immediately 
seized  l)y  the  natives,  and  with  ditficulty  the  officers  and  crew  could  get 
enough  to  provide  for  their  lengtiiy  stay  till  relief  might  come.  Lieut. 
WyckofT  and  five  of  the  crew  volunteereil  to  take  the  whalc-l)o:it  and 
make  for  Plover  Bay  to  get  assistance  from  any  passing  .-.'lalcr.  They 
reached  there  on  the  14111,  after  forty -eight  hours'  rowing,  l)a:ling  most 
of  the  distance.  Capt.  Owen,  of  the  Mary  and  Helen,  took  them  on 
board  on  the  evening  of  the  1  ytli,  and  sailed  tor  the  wreck.  The  Lieu- 
tenant says  the  confusion  and  uproar  on  the  beach  were  frightful   beyond 


descri] 

posses! 

ted  the 

liardly 

fearful 

natives 

rifles  be 

placed  ( 

:in(l  the 

Mea 

win,  but 

Island, 

five  milt 

rapidly  f 

safety  of 

tic  Ocear 

tlie  13th 

October. 

made  the 

she  liad  ti 

Land  and 


fn  En" 

ioan  Pohir 

a  gentlema 

iH'ad  on  th( 

H'areh  for, 

mM\ii  his  fii 

^"iiie  valual 

!<>   those    re 

second   vov; 

iioteworthv 

Fianz-Josef 


^^^/■^  vp^z/^v.  r^c^^  ^^^^ 


description.      All  the  n-tti  •  ^^^ 

ted  .l.o,n  „.  ,,„  ,„,     The  „,,,  Jj,.  ,^,__;  ;'•  '"    "-  --keU  Lo.Ua,  pc™i.. 

-"vc,  „o.  „  ,..„.,,e  ,„,„,       ^^  I    "•    o.,:.ulf  everything.     The 

"''=»bey„„.,.hei..,,.eh.     Cpto"  "^  ""'   '^■"'"="-'  P'-e,,  ,„e 

l""-l  <...  bo.„l  ,„e  J„„,    i^X   „„„"•    "';™""""^'"°-™-.we,.e 
-,l.lK.o.,,„,,p„eee.lo..„s„:p;:;;;       '         ""'"'"■     '-'-'•    Wyek„ff 

Meanwhile,  a  Nftl,  ..-ip  .„  ,„e  ,,„nhZt  w,         , 
W".,  h.,t  ],or  p,,,„,.e,,s  was  barred  •„  -,    r  T  ""''"'"ke,,  by  ,he  Cr- 

I^l-"l  0„  the  ,  „l,  „r  September  thev  " T'  ',"'  '°''-'  "'"''  f™""-  ""raid 
«-: ;-;»  *-,.,  and  ,„  .:.,.„„„:':,  »*  -■  W™.o„  ,..,,  .„en,.. 
™P"''-'  formin,,,,  ,hat  ,„  a„en,pt  .,  nearer  '"'  '"  "'"'   ""^  '« 

-.e.y  of  .he  ve.e..     .She  had  ,„ea„,e       ,:*r'°"''  ""'  '"  ™"-^'--  "« 

r  «-"■■  -'"»•■•  .'^ anv  tidin^:        :  r°  '""-  "^"'-  "»  Arc- 

:^'^'  'S"'  «>■■  San  Franeiseo.  where  .L  arrd  """•"""'"  """  ''"  ™ 
October.  Tl,e  ieepil,,,  and  engineer,  CL  """''  ""  "''  '4'"  of 
■;-';  'l^^  ^'-win  g„  .f„,.  „  „:  „::  ^^         •:*;-.'  .bat  ..Capt.Ho„per 

J'-  had  traveled  ,n.er  every  inch  ,.f  the  Ar^tie  S  ri  7"  ""  "''''  """ 
I-an,i  and  P„i„e  Harrow."  between    Wrangcll 

ENGLISH    RELIEF    YACHT    EIRA. 

'"England,  also,  anxiety  for, he  weltarc  of  ,b 
'-'"  '-"lar  [expedition  .,f  ,,s,„  e.rlv  I  " '™™''"'^  "'''be  Amer. 

a.«-tlen,an  of  ,or,n„e  and    4:      ,"""''"  '"  '''•■"■      ^^- L-.'b  Smith 

" "'""^^-  ■•^'b  ..^i..o.  in  ,r.::r:,:  ■■* "":""'"-  '^■'■'  ''«^•- 

''■■"■*  '■'"■•  a •  "  im«lu  he,  to  snceo,:  '.be    ,       ''  "'  "°  '"'"  '""■"-'■  '" 

"'■"'^-  bi-  nr„  Aretie  vo e  in  ,S-,    i     ,        ''T"""""     ■"'"•  «'""■>  ba,l 

r:™"-"- ^ -^-b:':;:::;;:::'r ""■ ""^" 

"■  "'"*    '-^'K «■     Agah,,i„  ,8,.^,    ,,,    ,;       '"""""■""   -lating 

:~r::;rc:;:'f;-""'--^»~::■; 


'!-i! 


780 


THE   G  ULNARS. 


j^roup  of  islands  or  the  headland  of  a  continuous  stretch  of  land  extend- 
in<^  far  to  tlio  northwest,  lie  also  discovered  in  tiie  portion  he  \v;is  able 
to  explore  a  desirable  harl)or,  wliich  is  likAy  to  prove  of  great  benefit  to 
future  explorers  iu  those  remote  regions.  The  eminent  (rerman  geog- 
rapher, Dr.  Petermann,  hail  broaclied  the  theory  that  an  archipelago 
would  be  found  to  surround  the  Nortii  Pole,  and  Mr.  Smith's  impression 
of  Franz-Josef  Land  tended  measurably  to  conlirm  that  opinion;  but  il 
is  almost  needless  to  repeat  tiiat  theories  in  geography  have  proved  of 
little  value  in  the  history  of  mankind.  The  actual  has  ever  disproved 
the  theoretic;  and  nothing  can  be  regarded  of  value  that  has  not  lieeii 
tested  by  actual  discovery.  In  this  work  the  reader  has  had  placed  before 
him  the  successive  stages  of  northern  exploration,  without  having  iiis 
attention  distracted  by  a  multitude  of  theories  which  might  or  irfight  not 
be  very  reliable.  Mr.  Smith  received  the  gold  medal  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  in  appreciation  of  his  important  services;  but  as 
mav  be  guessed,  his  course  was  far  away  from  the  scenes  of  the  Jtan- 
nette's  weary  warfare  with  the  ice. 

A  second  American  relief-ship,  the  Gulnare,  sometimes  called  the 
Hovvgate  Expedition,  in  honoi'  of  Capt.  H.  W.  Ilowgate,  "the  lather  of 
the  enterprise,"  is  scarcely  worthy  of  mention,  so  abortive  did  it  prove. 
The  vessel  had  been  disapproved  by  two  boards  of  examiners,  but  the 
persistence  of  Ilowgate  succeeded  in  over-riding  all  opposition;  and  she 
left  for  the  north  on  June  33,  iSSo.  Slie  was  permitted  to  carry  the 
American  flag  by  a  strained  interpretation  of  tiie  Act  of  Congrc- 
authorizing  the  expedition.  She  returned  on  the  34th  of  October,  hav- 
ing achieved  the  barren  result  of  making  a  voyage  to  Disco  and   back. 


(    J 


CHAPTER    LXXKV. 


■'■"K      IK  A 


■V.VK'ITK    I 


\     TIM.:    Kx- 


HO.VHIi 


■IKKMrTV    o|.     I'li 


NKAK      VVKAXGIiJ^ 


KIL 


TRACTS   K1{().M    J 


J'      J^ANI) 


A.VXIKTV 


'I'i  Jkannkttk's   lo(; 


CHIPp's      soux 


<J\    SHIP 


DINGS  —  KX- 


OI-     '^-^''LOKEas— uiscoVHUXKS- 
IN     TllK    LOG 


-THE   ICE   RORED- 


'V    THICK    FOG- 


A    I'ARTY 


THE    EAST    E 


NTRY 


^Vrct 

th 


We  left  the  Jcannctte  beset 


in  the 


10  winter  of  i8So-i.      S 


ioc   at    the   early  cl 


ick. 


hesides  which  th 


lere  wciv  im 


'"■  ^^^'^  ^>"circle,l,  as  stated. 


osing-in   <,f  the 


by 


and 


ic-r  Dows  were  Hfted  at 


'!->  keeled  to  the  starboanl  aho 


"1  aiiijlc  of 


ineusc  masses  shoved  under   h 


ice  eight  feet 


ler 


Keel 


■ihoilt  Ollu  dyui 


ill  tl 


11-^  i,'i,;j;antic  vise  that 


ul  two  dei,rrees.      Sh 


■^■0,  while  s 


le  was 


loom  one  could 


when  the  hla 


'e  was  so  Hrmly  held 


-'e  th 


taut.      The  e 


o  sh.ouds  and  st; 


cksmith  struck  h 


xecutive  officer  had  si, 


ys  vibrate,  and  th 


1^  anvil  i.n  the  hri 


\vinter,  and  the  cont 


ickeuec 


raction  of  w 


up  the  ri-'-o-inu-  d 


cy  wei-e  not  vcvy 


lie   riL 


"■ill,!,'-  the  fn-st 


course  very  o-reat.      Th 
hi<rh 


mil 


by   the   int 


e  ice  wa 


^'-^  Hie  plank-sheer.      I 


"^  piled  up  under  the   m, 


euse   cold   w 


IS    o 


f 


hont  in  the  <.-reatest 


11  the  vicinity  of 


Confusion 


f'lc  ship  th 


^I'^ility.      In   i| 


,  and  travel 


in^-  over  it  w 


quarters    for   th 


^^'   >"<'nth  of   September    tlie    sh 


''"  chains  an<I  as 
c  ice  was  tuml)lcd 
•■^  almost  a 


n    im- 


c"    second    tinu 


Sh 


•  led 


house    was    put   up   | 


ic  was    banked 


that    th 


'"•  the  use  of  th 


'P   was  j)ut   in   winter 
I'P    with    snow,    the 


c    spar  deck    w, 


ic  men,  and   the  aw 


IllIlL'' 


ivlreiu'hmeiit 


were     the 


'«    completely    housed 


^preac 


over, 


)thiii' 


In   ti 


order    of    the     d 


-conomy  and 


:iy    I 


le   latter 


ca 


me  the  ])est  time   i\ 


part  of  the   i 


11     fuel,    provi 


^lons,   and 


nonth,  when  tl 


comparatively  littl 


'""  ti-avel,   but   th 
c  snow,  and  what  t 


c   outlook    w 


10  cracks  fr 


IS    poor.      Tl 


■oze  oyer. 


lere    w 


IS 


'I'c  wind  and  rendered  salt  1; 


'lore  was  w 


"  ^"^'''1  not  be  used  for  cul 


y  attrition  on   tl 


IS  constantly   blown  by 


10  surface  of  tl 


:'l'lc  to  .all  t 


mary  purposes.       Th 


10  ice,  so  that 


lavehn.r,  and  h 


c  several  tini 
781 


o  eaptain  was  very  f; 


ivor- 


os  expressed  himself  to  the  effect 


783 


ClIIPP'S  SU  UN  DINGS. 


that  he  would  not  abandon  the  ship  while  there  was  a  pound  of  ,„„vi. 
sions  left,  and  it  was  crenerally  understood  that  he  would  hold  on  ;,  yx-ar 
longer,  and  probably  start  when  the  fall  traveling  commenced,  a  ycMr 
later.  It  was  considered  that  if  the  provisions  held  out  long  enou<rh  if 
they  were  not  attackeii  by  scurvy,  and  if  the  ship  were  not  crushed  by  the 
ice,  she  would  eventually  drift  out  after  reaching  the  vicinity  of  Franz 
Josef  Land,  either  north  or  south  of  it.  The  morale  of  the  ship's  com- 
pany was  excellent,  yet  all  looked  anxiously  toward  the  long  night  of  the 
second  winter,  whicii  proved  to  be  tiie  most  fearful  part  of  their  experi- 
ence. The  anxiety  and  mental 
strain  were  the  greatest  at  that 
time.  They  were  so  completely  at 
the  mercy  of  the  ice  that  the  vessel 
might  be  crushed  at  any  moment 
by  the  thundering  agencies  that 
were   constantly  heard. 

The  old  winter  routine  of  meals, 
two  hours'  exercise,  and  so  on,  com- 
menced on  Nov.  I,  and  all  was 
going  well.  Noveniber  and  De- 
cember were  extremely  cold,  but 
there  were  no  seveie  gales.  The 
meteorological  observation^  were 
taken  every  hour  during  the  first 
year,  but  every  two  hours  only, 
during  the  second.  They  were  very  thorough,  and  Mr,  Collins  was 
very  watchful  to  add  something  to  the  science  to  whicii  he  was 
thoroughly  devoted.  During  the  illness  of  Danenliower,  from  weak 
eyes,  the  captain  and  Mr.  Chipp  took  the  astronomical  observations, 
but  each  officer  in  the  ship  had  a  round  of  duty  as  a  weather  oh- 
scrver,  and  to  assist  Mr,  Collins,  'inhere  was  a  (luarterniastcr  on 
watch  all  the  time-,  and  steam  was  kept  on  the  P>axter  boiler  for 
distilling  purposes.  Tn  save  coal  fires  were  put  out  in  tlie  galk'v  at  j 
v.  M,,  being  used  only  from  7  a,  .m,  till  that  hour. 


LIEUT.   CIIAS.    W.    LIlIl'l". 


fU.VUAK  HOLE. 
The  month   „f  j„,„„,  71B 

A  .....   .ho  ,nu,,„,.  „f  ,„^,  ,_,  „,„'        ."'^'    •""  P-io,„   ,„„„„„. 

-"  ».,b,eq.,o„ely  ..,  ,h.,  ,i,„,.  ,„,  ,,;,  "   ;    ■"   -'  ■'•   no,„  „,,  ,„„,,^,^,^ 

-; .  hut  „„„,.,  ,.,^„^^  .,ec,.,.; :  x;l"'  '""r '""-"  "'^-  -■"■ 

"<="  ■•.»  ...  .ho  „„,,hoas..      Tho  vo,,T  '°'"'"'^'^'  "■-  »««huo„   ,, 

;''o.  c.*<,  .Mo,w„o.»  c„„. ;: ::  r:;-;, '-  "■■»■'  ■■-  ^'  --...v.  >. -o 

':"•■'■     M.  CWpp  .„„,  ,,„  ,„u„Ui„.J    ,        '"".'°  =^'"  «'™.." .he 

"■"7  >--.v  .api.!,  .woKo  ,„i,oJ     ;„     ;r'™;^-'  «^-^  ■""-;  .-api.!,  nine 

o>»onaeio„,fo.o,.on„,„oto,.on„,s  ■I',;''"*""  '"•'"'■  '-^-".  hn,,„- 
».e  iue,  W0.0  .ho  host.     Fohn.a,,    .         '""V;'  "^"  ""P-  "f  J"pi.o,., 

'"""'"»  ''"""!.'  .ho  p,.ovi„„»  >  oa,.         C         ?'■      ""  """   '"'■   ■'-  -"- 

"-.  h...  ono  n,on,in.  Mn  Dn,,!....  „    nTT      '"  ""■■'"-'""^  ™"  '"■"v- 

-  P'"-  ».".ha,-  nolo.     T„o..     ,,.'"'  'V*"'>-^"'"-^  »-  -„„, 

"™^'  "-  ,>-io,.  ,oa,-.     .,H  ,„.,  „■,""■  "•  •^'•■•>-  "-•'»  .-.o,.  ,„an 

''"«"■■ -n.o<.  ,H.h  „,o.e  ,■„,.  0,0    ,n,r":"'"^' -"--"-— ho 
»y...p.<.ms  of  ,ho  ,ou,.v,,  „„„  ,„r,,„,    '  ;   '^'--.  "ho  bo,.,„  ,„  ,„,^. 

■*"-.     On  May  ,  D,-.  A.nblo,-  ro,,!  L        ""f'  '""■'>■  '«'S  -.i  «x 

';""".-  '"  .....e  .hon,  up.     Tho  „,,„h           7"  '*'"''  ™'  "'^'^^^-.v  an<, 
■^'----y......  .ho,.o  u.o,.o  ,,..  ,,,,::,;''■»   '-  -  .oo.,,  i , 

"''■ '--"I.  of , ho  ,h-ift  ,■„,.„,,  i,,,  ";""• , 

'"-->-""■<' >..vo,„o„,  ,„■  nKlr";"'"^ '""•'■  ■"'■'-  Thco 

"":""'"  "■"«  -■>■  '-p'<i-  Tho  son,,,,,- :.. ,  :■ '""'  '"--^ "-  <-.  -.x- 


111 


'-''Uiueen  f^.thoins  near  \Vn 


iiiLri. 


'"igs  were 
Laiul,  which 


pi-ett\'  even.      Th 


was  often  visi' 


visihlo 


it'\'  Were 
^eveiu\-. 


I 


# 


784 


JEANNETTE  LOG. 


five    miles    distant.      Tlic    greatest   depth    found    was    cii^htv   fathoms 
and   the  average    thirty-five.       The    bottom    was    blue   mud.      vShrinins 
and   plenty   of  algological    specimens  were   brought    up   from   the    bot- 
tom.     The  surface  water   had  a  temperature  of  30''   above  zero.     The 
extremes  of  the   temperature  of  the    air  were — greatest    cold,  58°  be- 
low   zero,    and    greatest    heat  44°   above   zero.      The    first    wiiuer    the 
mean    temperature   was   33°    below   zero.      The    second  winter    it  was 
39°   below  zero.      The    first    summer    the   mean  temperature  was  .10" 
above  zero.       The  heaviest  gale  showed  a  velocity  of  about   fiftv  miles 
an  hour.      Such   gales  were  not  frequent.     Barometric  and  thermomet- 
ric   Ihictuations    were    not  great.      There  were  disturbances  of  the    nee- 
dle coincident  with  the  auroras.     The  winter's  growth  of  ice  was  wA\\. 
feet.     The  heaviest  ice  seen  was  twenty-tiiree  feet.     The  telephone  wires 
were  broken  by  movement  of  tiie  ice.      The  photographic  collection  was 
lost  with  the  ship.      Lieut.  Chipp's  3,000  auroral  observations  were  also 
lost.      The  naturalist's  notes  have  been  saved. 

During  the  month  of  May  the  ice  pilot  was  almost  constantlv  in  the 
crow's-nest,  and  got  blind  several  times.  He  was  looking  out  for  land, 
and  was  the  first  to  announce  it  in  sight,  being  then  by  a  round  estimate 
about  five  hundred  miles  to  the  northwest  of  Herald  Island,  with  the 
ship  still  beset,  and  drifting  in  thi'  pack-ice. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  LOG  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 

Tuesday,  May  17,  1 881. —Latitude  l)y  observation  at  noon,  north  76" 
43'  30";  longitude  by  chronometer  from  afternoon  observations,  east 
161''  53'  45";  sounded  in  forty-three  fathoms;  muddv  bottom;  a  slight 
drift  northwest  being  indicated  by  the  lead  line;  weather  dull  and  gloomv 
in  the  forenoon;  close,  bright,  and  pleasant,  in  the  afternoon.  At  7 
1'.  M.  land  was  sighted  from  aloft  by  William  Dunbar,  ice  pilot,  and 
bearing  south  78  '  45'  west  (magnetic)  or  nortii  83'  15'  west  true.  It  ap- 
pears to  be  an  island;  but  owing  to  fog  hanging  partly  over  it  and  partly 
to  the  northward  of  it,  no  certainty  is  felt  that  this  is  all  of  it.  It  is  also 
visible  from  the  deck,  but  no  estimate  can  be  made  of  its  distance.  As 
no   such  land   is  laid  down  upon   any  chart  in   our  possession,  belief  that 


v.e  i 
kind 
the  ]; 

•  east  I 

then  e 
able  tc 
back  t( 


"1    lo    (ill 

'•'^  fair  to    ; 

that   the   w 

other.     An 

eastward  of 

eral  slight  si 

'"  plain    vie 

;nice  of  higl- 

^'ccted  bv  ;i  J 

00  " 


786 


JEANNETTE   LOG, 


Friday,  May  30. — The  island  remains  in  plain  view  all  day,  thoii"'4 
nothinj,^  can  be  seen  of  the  high  land  beyond,  the  stron<^  appearance  of 
which  is  noted  in  yesterday's  lo<>-,  Tlie  center  of  tlie  island  now  iicais 
west  (true),  but  as  no  observations  could  be  obtained  to-day,  its  position 
and  distance    cannot  be  determined  by  the  chanj^e  of  bearin<^. 

Saturday,  May  21, — Latitude  north  76"  53'  32",  lons^itudc  cast  i6r 
7'  45".  The  point  of  the  island  which  on  the  i6th  inst.  bore  north  82° 
15'  west  (true)  to-day  bears  south  78""  30'  west  (true),  from  which 
change  of  bearing  it  is  computed  that  the  island  is  now  twenty-four  and 
three-fifths  miles  distant.  The  position  of  the  observed  point  is  therefore 
latitude  76°  47'  38"  north,  longitude  159"  30'  45".  From  measure- 
ment made  by  a  sextant  it  is  found  that  the  island  as  secnto-dav  subtends 
an  angle  of  2'  10'. 

Wednesday,  May  35. — Latitude  north  77'  16'  3",  longitude  east  1^9" 
33'  30".  At  8  A.  M.  the  ice  was  found  to  have  opened  in  numerous 
long  lanes,  some  connected  and  some  single,  extending  generallv  in 
north-northwest  and  south-southeast  direction.  By  making  occasional 
portages  boats  were  able  to  go  several  miles  from  the  vessel,  but  for  tlie 
ship  herself  there  were  no  ice  openings  of  sufficient  magnitude.  The 
strong  appearance  of  land  mentioned  on  the  12th  inst.  proves  to  ha\  e 
been  land  in  fact,  and  for  the  reasons  similar  to  those  herein  set  forth  (in 
the  remarks  of  the  17th  inst.)  it  may  be  recorded  as  another  discover\-. 
The  second  land  is  an  island  of  which  the  position  and  present  distance 
are  yet   to    be    determined.      The    interval   between   the    two    ishuuis  is 

-19°  55'- 

Tuesday,  May  31. — No  observations.  Crew  engaged  in  digging  a 
trench  round  the  vessel,  and  after  4  v.  m.  in  getting  up  provisions,  e'c, 
in  readiness  for  a  sledge  i^arty  directed  to  leave  tlie  ship  to-nior-.ow 
morning. 

Wednesday,  June  i. — No  observations.  At  9  a.  m.  a  partv,  con- 
sisting of  Passed  Assistant  Engineer  G.  W.  Melville,  Mr.  William  Dun- 
bar, W.  F.  C.  Ninderman  (seaman),  H.  IL  Ericksen  (seaman),  J.  11. 
Bartlett  (first  class  fireman),  and  Walter  Sharwell  (coal  heaver),  started 
to  make  an  attempt  to  land  upon  the  island  discovered  !)y  us  on  the  25th 


yt^ANNBTTE   Lor; 
"It.,  and  which  bearx  sn„fk  .  '  '^S' 

"  *d  drawn  ,,,  „ft,,„^,  ^  '   ,ho.„  ,,„  ,,,,he  Ji„.,,  ,„„,^^,, 

""1-  >iise»..t  f,-,„„  .1,,.  ,,„.  ,      ^     "'"''   '"•■  '•'•■™  "■.™  aloft  „t  „,„„   ,^._^ 

Tl>ur,clay,.r„,„,  3._La,ie„,,c   ,,«,.-       . 
"0.<n   tho  iravcli,,.  ,,a,-,y  „„,  ;„  "     '"     '+    ■'"«'^-     During  ,l,o   f„rc. 
half  >v»y  ...  „K.  ,»,a,„|.  ""  "■'""   "'"'■•.  »-™-".^l.v  ,„.,rc.  ,l,a„ 

;'^a...r,lay,./„„„_,.__La,i.„,|c.7,o    ,„    „.  ^ 

45     oast.     I'ro.n    Ihc  crackcl  „>  1       "  "°«h,  longitude  ijS"  ,, ' 

;-;-  -...  t„at  t,.  ..„  Jiir::: ,:  '"v-  --< "--. .. 

'a-l..«o  hor  ,i»i„,,  a„d  to  rdievo  ,1,/  '  ''°"'  '"='  ''"  ''o-^k-     To 

"-  -•••  under  the  counters, in  „,,  „        ""   '  """°°"  '"  ^'SS>-^X  away 

The  said  ice  i,  „r  a  flinty  hard  ,,f'°^"°""  "'''^^  P™Pe"or  we,[ 
»'"-  .ho  grain  of  the  wo^J  J2  ^'r  J:  '"  "'"''"  '"  ""  ^"'P  -  'o 
'hip's  rising  has  ieti  open  space        ^^  ''"'"""•  -'"=  -here  the 

"-  "-"voling  party  wis  se!..rSo,  h      'f;'  '"^  ^"-' — ' -hich 
end  S.  6,"  „cs.  (true),  '  •■■"'  '•  5^°   -«'  (true).    North 

«"""">■,  J"..o5.-No„hservations.     A.   , ,    , 
the  -  ahead  of  the  ship,  addi„„  tar  and  o,l  """"  "  «'•'•'  "" 

-  a  »i«"al  .,f  our  location  to  the    L        T      ,"  '"  '"'°  ^'  '"'■=''  ™°'<= 
'■-•woa.herhei„gf„gg,,„,„,,^,-^  «--'-...   pa-.y.     At,  ...  „. 

■■'  -hale  gun  as  a  sin,:iar  signal      C  """  ""''  °"=^  from 

"       •     ''■■'.•P'--"ter=  pnshcl   repairs  to.  s.ea.u 

'^"""">''.''-'i~No  observation.      At  ,„ 
'""ster  au,l    read  the  act  for  th  •  "•  "•''""'  ""  ha'"'»  l" 

-"-■-  '*er  then  inspe::,;': :;:™;:;  .f "'  ->■■  ■''-  -..,. 

»™- read  in  tho  cabin.  At  6  A  v  ,  ,  '  ,  '°  "•  "•  '"™»--  -omces 
•"-•■  "■-'>'  '«-<<  to  the  ship;  sl^\  :^'f"  "'  f  "■"^^"■■■"  "-'"^  -"'"■.' 
■■■■  -^'  S<  A.  ...  .he  sled  arrive  :,:"T  ''"""  ""'  ^  --'  'hen; 
->Pa..i«.Hy  Ni„t,er,„an,  eI        ::"•*:■:"   '^"^  ""^^  -d  ac 


CO 


-'^en,  and   Bartlctt.     ^f.-,  W 


ilh; 


ni    D 


ini- 


788 


JEANNEI'TE   UHi. 


b;ir,  ice  pilot,  was  hr()u;^'ht  in  l)y  this  party,  havinijf  been  disab.cd  by  snow 
bliiKhios-.  At  twenty  minutes  of  lo  v.  m.  linijfineer  Melville  and  Wal- 
ter  Sharwcll,  coal  heaver,  with  all  rcinainin<^  travelinj^  gt^:"',  arrived  on 
board. 

The  party  landed  on  tlie  island  at  li.df-past  5  i-.  m.,  on  Friday,  fwnu 
3,  hoisted  our  national  eiisiu^n,  and  look  possession  of  our  discoveries  in 
the  name  of  the  United  States  of  America.  The  island  discovered  on 
May  17  lias  been  named,  and  will  hereafter  be  known  as  Jeannettc 
Island.  It  is  situated  in  latitude  76""  47'  north,  and  lonjjfitude  158  ^6' 
cast.  The  island  discovered  on  May  i~  and  landed  upon  as  above  state  1, 
has  been  named  and  will  hereafter  be  known  as  Henrietta  Island.  It  is 
situated  in  latitude  77     S'  nortii,  and   lonij^itude  157"  43'  east. 

Tuesday,  June  7,  iSSi.— Latitude  77  '  11'  10"  north;  lonj^ntude,  no 
ol)servations.  In  anticipation  of  our  iloe  breakin^C  "P  •""!  <»"'  bcin<'- 
launched  into  the  confusion  ra^in;jf  al)(jul  us,  iioistcd  tiic  steam  cutter 
broufifht  aboard  tlie  kayaks  and  oomiaks  and  removed  iVom  the  ice  such 
of  our  lielonj^injjs  as  could  not  be  secured  at  a  few  moments'  notice. 

\Vednesday,  June  S. — No  ol)scrvations.      So  thick  was  the    fo:^-   until 

10  A.  M.  tlKit  our  position  with  reference  to  Henrietta  Island  could  not  i)e 
determined,  but  at  that  iiour  tlie  fo'j^  cleared  away,  and  the  island  was 
sighted  rit^dit  ahead,  at  a  distance  of  alxnit  foiu-  miles.  As  indicated 
yesterday,  we  were  beimr  drifted  across  the  north  fice.  The  lai\t,rc  open- 
inq;s  near  us  have  closed  and  tlie  general  appearance  of  the  ice  to  the 
west  and  norlhwe-it  is  that  of  an  immense  Held  broken  up  in  manv  j)l;ices 
liy  tlie  lar^-e  ])iles  of  broken  Iloe  pieces.  l)nt  with  no  water  spaces.  Coii- 
sideralile  water  sky  is  visible  to  tlie  south  and  southwest,  and  several  un- 
connected lanes  of  water  are  to  be  seen  in  those  directions.  The  ice 
havinn^  passed,  the  ()l)struction  caused  by  Henrietta  Island  has  closed  up 
attain  and  i-esnmed  its  accustomed  drift  to  tiie   northwest. 

Friday,  June  10.   -Latitude  77"   14'   20"  north,  loii'^ritudc  i^6"  7'  30" 
cast.      At    II    1'.    M.   the   ship   received  several    severe    jars.      At  half-past 

11  the  ice  ei^iity  yards  to  tlie  westward  opened  to  a  width  of  ten  feet, 
ai.cl  after  several  slmcks  from  the  ice,  the  siiip  was  found  to  iiave  risen 
an  inch  lorward.      At  midnij^dii  there  was  considerable  motion  to  our  sur- 


'■OUIldill.r    /] 


yii ANNETTE  LOG. 


'f^'  "'H',  ;iii(I  Mr 


side  the  ship 


■"".^'  indications  „f 


780 


')re;tk 


Satiird 


"'^'  i'!>  <>r  tlie  i<v  al 


'•>■'  Jiiiiu  1 1.  -_L, 


oil' 


30'    cast.     At    t 
alonjrsidc,  and  the  si 


ititudc 


'-'"    ininiite" 


ir  '3' 


JXlst     I, 


45"  north,  lon-itudc 


*""'  '"-"n^'lu  on  the  fc 


0  ai; 


iown 


'<>  her  or 


"P  li-hted  t 
"■  'vinainiu'.-  tl 


•^-    M.    the 


'55"    4^' 


"■"'    ^"■'I'lfuly    open,,| 


-•-'  '<-!.    Called  all  hand 


foi 


|^'')pc'r  hearii 


nn;;- 


S    ( 


>n  th- 


IN  .It  onee 


War 


■<i,  and   I J  \ 


L-et  r 


'-■^  "^'arly,  the  d, 


If    IC(V 


remainin<r  under  t| 
biilkhe, 


5  "iciies   aft. 


A    I 


"ii,i,du   hei 


'''11;   ship   sett! 


e(, 


II,!,'  8  tVet 


le 


keel 


At 


"'}.'i'    l)l<)ek    of 


'  I    inches 


sh 


■"'  ''"-^vanl  was  close.l. 


"ic  first  al 


'P  was  found  to  d 


>iit  th 


"in  the  <rat 


'<-'•-■  could     I)L> 


seen 


coid 


(i  l)e  seen.      Tl 


•-•crease — a 


ice  h, 


th 


iL-re  heiu' 


^niall  St 


'^'  'imount  of  Wat 


o  111  the  water- ti^rjit 


''^■i",^'  a  L'eiie 


iii;iiiv  lar'-- 


*-■  nidder  to  I 


nillv    hrol. 


sh 


lip. 


Aft 


'f  ready  fb,- 


''^^"  "P  ajjpcaranco,  it 


'■^••"n   tricklinjr  ...ft   | 
paces  of  water 


L'l'  coinin<'  int 


')   the 


>cnu 


ill    tl 


lat 


n^'ar  us  and  the 


LT  some  trouhl 


an   cmerjrency  invol 


'  '^  ^^''«  '-included  to  si 


111! 


J,'nd<reons  the  rudd 


'■  '"  '•^•■n-'vin-  accunnil 


vni.r   the 


niakinjr  sail, 
Water  under  th 
^*''  t''L-  ship.     A 


^s  we  I 


^''-   was   shipped,  and 


Hions  of  ice 


movin-  of  the 


ever 


!<-'  counters  thei 


's  could  he  ju,l..ed  hy  ,oo|. 


■y'liin.i 


arounil  the 


cleared    away    f 


or 


c'  was  no  i, 


knij,r  down  th 


th 


't  out  and  the  sh 


^^  "^oon  as  possihie  a  I 


ijn'-y  whatc 


rough  tht 


ver 


'ow  line  and 


c  starboard  sid 


"P  •'^-'cured  temporarily  to  th 


'■  'o  the  afterb, 
quarter  line  had  I 


IO( 


ly 


one 


iookin,i,r  ,io\vn  th 


c,  as  nearly  in  th 


>f  th 


rou'Wi  th 


c  same    bertl 


^  'ce,  which   r 


otherwise  no  d 


'^'  n-ou  straps  near  her  i 


c  water  al 


'1   as  she 


)cen 


cmanied  on 


o 


n^'side  the  stei 


oretbot    w 


;is 


heavy  ice  which  all  al 


"»a-e  coul.l  be  detected. 


seen  to  be 


could    be   ph.ced. 
■"  "n  the  port  side 


It 


plaid 
to  m 


'•^  ends  open  on  the  --arl 


on-  bore   heavih 


was  assumed  1 


•^P'-nn.t,'   oO;   but 


'vc  from  (his  he 


">ards,  and  that 


«Sa,nst  the   stern   had 


'y  nie  that  tl 


le 


much  of  tl 


water  level  1 


ic  opem-no-,  and  red 


'\y  ice  the  wood  i,nCi 


as  soon  as  the  sh 


"^  came  to^-eth 


held    (he 
i])   was  able 


'cin.u--  l>elow  th 


ucin-  (he   leak.      Tl 


ci-  ao-ain,  d 


osni"- 


'^ecpin.^  the  ship  alloat,  and 


'c  l>erth  (led, 


nc  water  I 


k    no 


lill 


be  1 


I  belated  1 


navii-atin' 


iculty    was   ai 


nic  or  rather 


tl 


'T-ce  fathoms,  hot 


roiii  the  pac 


her  to  s 


iticipated 


m 


K-IC 


■c"  of  the  Arctic  O 


"nie  j)ort  should  si 


last  entry  in  the  I 
writiiiM-  ,,f  i)^,  J 


'"'»  '""'I,  '-apid  drift  to  nort 


"-'  '"»''  i-^  in  pencil,  and 


'^'can.     Sounded 
i-nort  Invest.      Th 


le  ever 


in  thirtv- 


lOnLT. 


with   the   rest 


is   is   the 
'■^   in    the    haiul- 


I 


700 


JEANSKTTE  LOG. 


The  ice  continued  in  motion,  hut  no  seriotis  injury  occurred  totliesliip 
until  tlie  niorniu!^  (if  the  12th,  wlien  the  ice  commenced  to  paclv  to^^ether, 
hnn;^in<f  a  trcnu'iidoiis  strain  on  the  ship,  heehn;^  her  over   to   starhoard, 
and  Corciiifj  the  deck  seams  open.     This  continued  durinjf  tiie  day  at   in- 
tervals  until  evening;,  when  it  was  i.-vident  the  ship  couhl  not  much  lonj^cr 
Iiold  toijfetlicr.     The  hoats  were  lowered  on  the  ice,  and  provisions,  arms, 
tents,  alcohol,  sled<^es,  and  all  necessary  equipment  Cor  a  retreat,  securely 
placed  on  the  floe.      My  6  w  m.  tlie  ship   had    entirely    tilled    with  water 
and  lay  over  at  an  anj^le  of  ahout  twenty-two  dej-rees,   hein;^   kejit  from 
sinkinj^  hy  the  opposinj^f  cd,<;es  of  the  Hoc.     On  the  morniiiij  of  the  13th 
of  June,  ahout  -I- o'clock,   the  ice   opened   ami   the  shi[)  went  df)wii,  witl; 
colors  tlyini4  at  the  masthead. 


CIIAPTICK    LXXXVr. 

ALLIANCE.  'A»-.HE     K.KA      AGAIN -- THE 

Oil  tlic  2(1  of  Mnv    i*<Qt    o^    i    TT 

^is  .CO,,  vo,  J:;;::  ;^:  ,^":- ■-;-  «;•-'  <— ,..  ,„,. 

» i-,c  sup,,,,  „,■,„„„„;, „„,,;.;;■""""»'  ""■-.  "-■'"<"". 

c-..  TiK...  ,„..,,„  a..,,v.  .,„  ; : '  -":'  "■  '™-™^''""  ^™-  "- 

-'  ™---i^-  CK-.  or  UK.  spcc.a..t : :  r'eo  ::t'::  ^"""""^ 

cutters  Rush  and  Hartley.  ^      '^  '''''''-'" "'^ 

The  followin.^  were 'the  omccrs  of  the  Corwin-  CI     Un 
tain;  W.J.  Herrinj.,  f,rst  licutenuu-  P    U     l  ^'''■'  '"''• 

Wivson   Th        X    r  l^'Tnolds,  third  lieutenants;  Jas.  T 

VVayson,  Chas.  A.  Lawsand   Fred     E    ()v,.n„  •  .J-'^--^. 

■uul  I    r    t;  Owen,  en-nieer  and  assistants; 

,    ui„c,o„.      lliL- Clew  consisted  of  thirty  picked  men   in 

.  u..n«  a„  e.p.,.,...,  .„„  „„.,  „,„,,  ,,,,,,^^  ^^,^J  ,       ^  " 

All  ,  p.„t,„,-  c.,„,pa„y  w„h  ,1k-  R„sI,  a„.l  llanlov,  the  Co,wi„  heack..! 
'•■>■       ->   wos.   ,,.  .„.  .,,.,.,ia„   „a,„K     ,,K.  wcathc-  f.,,-    ,     t 
■■■'"""  ''•■'■^»  ^^-  'l^-li-l"''";  l'"t  .Ws  .„,spi,.io„,  ope„i„.  „f  u,c.  vov 

0„„,aska  a  vc,  iK-av,  »oa  „a,  o„co.„,.e,e.,,  „.i,,,  i,.  pa,-.  .„     k-     .^ 

Ic,  wh,o„  occ,.,-  „K,..  a.  U,a.  ,,oa.,„  „f  .he  ,ea,..     At  Ou„alaska  t.,:  ' 
uero  ,.occ.,vcd  „.,.„  ..ea.  cordia.i.,,  a,...  .„„k  „„  „„a,,  a  ,o„„  ..,„ 

uthceis  aiK    mf>n.  "^  »  '"' 


791 


793 


REPORT  OF   TCHUKTCIIIS. 


Reachiivjf  St.   Lawrciicc    rsland   on    May  2.S,  tlicy  pushed   on    ,,,  the 
north,  and    entered   the  Aretic  Ocean  on    May  30.      In   hititude  G'^  '  10' 
north,  by  lon-ritude  173"  48'  west,  n>    th  of  J'.olyutchin  Ishnul,  the  Cor- 
win    had    her   rudder  hadly  shattered    hyihe   ice,    and    for   several   days, 
while  it  was  beinj^-   repaired,  she  was  steered  by  nieaiis  of  a    jury  ruddci-. 
Lieuts.  Tlcrriny   and   Reynolds,  with  one  seaman  and  two  natives,  were 
landed  on  the  Siberian  coast,  with  instructions  to  explore  the  shore  as  far 
as  Cape  Yakan,  nearly  eight  degrees  to    the  west,  and   one  and  one-half 
to  the  north,  a  journey  of  about  300  miles,  and  with  the  necessary  wiml- 
ings  and  doublings,  likely  to  prove  considerably  longer.     They  were  pro- 
vided with  four  sledges  and    twenty-five  dogs,  a  tent,  a  skin  boat,  plenly 
of  fur  clothing  for  night  and  day,  ami  sixty  days'  food  for  men  and  (l.)-s. 
With  high  hopes  and  great   courage  they  proceeded  on  their  melaucliolv 
pilgrimage,  while   the   Corwin  returned,  through  much  tribulation,   )une 
15,  to  Plover  Bay,  on  the  east  coast  of  Siberia,     Here  Capt.  Hooper  got 
the  first  tidings  of  the   missing  whalers.      The  captain  of  the  bark  Tom 
Pope  reported  th;it  some  Tchuktchis   l-id  boarded  the  Vigilant  at  Cape 
North,  or  Irkaipie,  about  longitude  iSo  ,  and   found    the  dead   iuKlies  of 
her  crew,  and  vessel  stove  in  an.d  full  of  water;  antl  that  the  Mount  W'ol- 
laston  was  found  in  a  similar  ccnulition  eighty  miles  further  to  the  north- 
west.    On   the   wreck  of  the  Vigilant    were  found   a    telescope,  a  In 
gun  and  some  lines.      This  would  be  on  IJeut.  Herring's  route,  and  co 
firmation  might  be  expected  from  that  (piarter. 

^Vccordingly,  his  party  had  no  sooner  reached  the  mouth  of  Waii- 
karem  River,  about  forty  mdes  to  the  west  of  where  they  parted  com- 
pany witii  llie  Corwin,  than  they  fell  in  with  a  party  of  Tchuklchi^  in 
whose  possession  were  found  a  number  of  articles  taken  from  the  wreck. 
From  what  could  l)e  learned  it  was  thought  probable  the  vessel  had  been 
wrecked  in  1S79.  Herring's  party  fmding  it  im[)Ossible  to  proceed!  farth- 
er to  the  norlliwest,  retraced  their  course  and  pushed  east  100  miles  lo 
Cape  .Serdze  Kamen,  having  made  a  sledge-journey  of  140  mile-. 
Meanwhile,  the  Corwin  had  returned  from  her  coaling  trij)  to  the  smith, 
with  a  rudder  taken  from  the  wreck  of  the  L(jtila,  and  picked  tlu 
on  the  2(jtli  of    lune. 


luih- 
11- 


iiiir 


em  111) 


ousb 


ri7E   COmViN  7:V  nA^GEIi. 


ihc  Corw.n   conti.uicl    her  crui.o  i  • 

--1   additions,  of  ,no,.e  o.   1..,  ,,i,,  ;'";'";  ^^^rroctlons,  verifications 
previous  navij^ators,  as  found  in  th.    1.  ^''^'^°^'^rics  and   survcvs  of 

- -';t.  Of ..,..,  _J'--^^^^^^^ 

ilicstru-glotorcach  VViai,.-iH  I.,    r      '      ■ 
boing  a  holLlay  task.     It   i,,.,,,,"  ,        '        """'  "  ■■''''"■••■"■■^'  ^''-''T  I'ar  IV„„, 

kins,  a,.d  „v.,.y  foot  of  t„„  a,»,.rL,;'|!;7^i  ''''''  '""'""  """  "■^-  '- 

■"■  <-^-  'w,  a,..,  .,.a.,„,,':„a.::', : .'  ";r';/™' "-  "-^  --r 

conscious  of  |,ei„,,  ,,,„,  ,„  „  "»  '""  '"'  ■'  '"-'>--y  that  she  sccncl 
-..Cio,.,  thoa  ,,,„„  „,,,,„  „,,.;a,:„  ,t"I7""""  :"""™'^"  ^''"'  "- 
;-'-'»  '"  cha,,.,  she  ,„a.,.  anot,...-  r     '  """'"■""°"  "^  "- 

by  rc.pcatcl  as,a„lts  into  „,>cn  „  „  7.="'"''  ^'"'1  »°  worked  forward 

i"«  p».v  ...,a.r  CO.,,...;':,.  \:  :'■;:  :,'r"-^"  ™"^-  •"■'™"-  a  ,..„„,. 

■■"■■•  P-.i"..h.„a,-s.a,ri.,  a  hi.H;I«       :  V'°"  """  '■""""  ""'^^■^-    ■ 
"■•■  co„tai„i„„  ,h„    ,,,„„,,  ,„.  ,,^  ;     ';"•  ■  ■"•'  <''-'P»"".J,'  ^..  its  foot  a  hot- 

or  .ho  Now  York  //„„,,„,.  ,,„,,,,  :':  -;;  ;'  '■■:■"'-  c„„tai.,i.,g  a  cop, 
'^""''•■'1  Capt.  Hooper  „a,„c,i  Clark"  Riv'-  ,  '"''■■'"""'-■" '"'y 
Cl:.rk,  chief  of  the  Rcve„„e  Mar         I  '"'   '"'   -"">    "^^    W. 

inte,-cst  i„    the  wclfa,c  of  the  ,  '        ,•  ^  '"'''""'  "'"'  '""''  ''™"'''  ""  ^'«ive 
i.uc  or    inc  expedition.      Tii.'   H-,.- 

-...„.,„  of  the   Co,.„i„,a„.l    hv,„.ce    ,,„,,.  "•'»    ™  """'-'   ''-V  the 

;i.b  ™,wcr„.,  shoots   fro,,,    t„c  par.         '  ..ir";:"'"    '":"""""" 
>-■  ■--  "'■  .Ik.  Jea„„e.te,  a„d    Ic  t  fo;  „   ,  ,         ""  ,^"""""    '"  "'" 

they  were  ,.„ah,c  ,„   ,,,ach,  ,.eca,.se  of.,,  """'  ''"'''  "— '' 

pushed  to  the  east,  a,  s.ate.l  i„  (■     ,    ,  '''*'""''""  "-■^■.     The  Corwi,, 

Wchstc ecked'o        ,  ;'"'  ^  J  ^  '"•^':  -""".  '"  "-  -.ief  of  the 

-.her  effort  was  ,„a.l  .:  ;.,:     W,.: tl.T:;    'T;-  '"^  ™  "^  =."', 

.ing  .,ea,.,,r   th„   twc,,;^  I  "'"'"'V"'  "'""  '»'  ™°"-  «■-  .--  ' 

■l.cy  e„co„„.ered  a  ,.,„:,::.    '"";'  ""^  "'"  "-^  •"■  .^^-P-uher 

i"-,sit,,  a,.d  h,-its  vioieu ;:.;:; ;  T"''  •■'-•  --■■'.^ "-  '■- 

-■"■     The  ice.h,.eaker  ,.eca„,e  u„        ,  .^  ,    J  :;;;-"^'^--  "'•  "^  ^■''■- 
Ihe   r.,dder  was   hut  ,  ..rail    „„  ,     ,  '""""'  •""'    """  c^«t  ^'siJe;  a„d 

,H,.|,.    ,.,,,,.  ,  .    "•"'•  P''"=l'-I-"1'  M,l,stit„te  for  her  ow„.  as  „,„! 

-"■V    '^'.""1.  ■"■'i  ol   course  „ol  to  h,.  r,.r,.„.,  ....  ■  .  •  ■'"  P'tM- 


ol,  1,1  so  d. 


ui,.,^crous  a„  cinci 


794 


rilE   MART  AND    HELEN. 


as 
11- 


gency.  Most  (^f  the  ship's  oak-she;ithing  h;ul  heca  \.ox\\  away  hy  the 
jagged  ice,  and  taken  altogether,  she  was  fortunate  in  being  able  to  j^ret 
away  without  serious  disaster.  Having  on  board  nine  shipwrecked 
whalemen  from  the  Webster,  already  referred  to,  and  with  his  own  ship 
somewhat  crippled,  Capt.  Hooper  determined  to  return.  Thiou^rh 
masses  of  pack-ice,  which  threatened  to  be  soon  welded  together  by  the 
new  ice,  with  good  seamanship,  constant  soundings,  occasional  aiichdr- 
age  to  ice-niasses,  and  unremitting  watchfulness,  they  reached  Koizcbue 
Sound,  where  they  got  the  first  glimpse  of  the  sun  they  had  seen  in 
twelve  days.  Leaving  the  sound  and  proceeding  through  Rehriii'^'s 
Strait,  she  encountered  extremely  rough  weather,  and  arrived  in  safety 
at  .San  Francisco  about  midnight  of  Oct.  20,  iSSi. 

The  stcain-whalcr  Mary  and  Helen  had  been  bought  of  her  owners 
for  $100,000,  which,  with  $75,000  more,  had  been  appropriated  by  Con- 
gress to  the  purchase  and  outfit  of  a  Jeannette  relief  expedition.  She  \v 
dry-docked  on  the  23d  of  April,  1S81,  at  Mare  Island  to  receive  some  i 
ternal  strengthening  and  an  outer  sheathing  of  oak  plank,  nearly  four 
inches  thick.  She  was  carefully  inspected  by  the  naval  authorities,  ami 
pronounced  well  adapted  for  the  undertaking.  Public  opinion  declared 
her  to  be  "strong  in  everv  part,  of  about  four  hundred  tons'  burden,  ahle 
to  rest  upon  her  center,  and  be  lifted  fore  and  aft,  without  strain,  and 
would  present  the  greatest  resistance  to  ice-pressure  that  could  be  tbniul 
in  anv  vessel  on  the  Pacific  coast,"  She  was  renamed  in  honor  of  Ad- 
miral  Rodgers,  and  was  intrusted  to  the  following  otticers  of  the  navy: 
Lieut,  Robert  ^L  Berry,  commander;  Master  H.  S.  Waring,  executive 
officer  and  navigator;  Master  Charles  F,  Putnam,  W.  ].  Hunt,  and  (i.  M. 
Storey,  ensigns;  A.  V.  (iano,  assistant  engineer;  and  W.  H.  (iilder,  who 
had  been  with  Schwatka,  pay-clerk.  Passed- Assistant  Surgeon  1).  M. 
Jones  and  Assistant  Surgeon  J.  D,  Costello,  were  the  medical  stall";  and 
the  crew  consisted  of  twenty-seven  picked  volunteers  from  the  navy  yards 
of  the  United  States,  who  were  all  fully  up  to  the  riHiuireinents  of  tlio 
Jean:iette  relief  board. 

On   the    16th  of   June,  at  fifteen    minutes  past   3,  the    Rodgers   not 
under  way,  going  out  slowly,  and  passed  away  from  the  Golden  (iatc. 


BERRT^S  LETTER 
All      ,  "  '''^5 

All  the   officers    and    crew   left    ;„    „       n 

men,  working  t„.c,he,.  ,■„„„       "   "'^'^"™'  'l-''».  ■'  ''-"l  "f  intrepid 

or  ..e  e„.;i„;  ::;,■'::::::;::;■-•" ;-»-  -  "-•  «■-. 

-■''  ">  P-tins,  Mshal,  .,,;.„;  '"    '■'''"''''   "■     L'-'-  "-■■■>■ 

::;''"■'" ' """" "'""■^- "" ^-r™-' -.e;„i,„   •,  l,"",'^';"^; 

Ih-t    tl,e    „at„.„    a„,|    iIk-    .ciontillc  critics  of  ,l,„  ,  ,  ™' 

•""•  ™~»  "i"- P  imcrcs,,  a,„,    :    I    \,     ':'*'    ^T    "^"''■"■■- 

worthy  of  ,l,c„a,i„„.vlr„sc„a.,„chc.,r-.  '         '"     "   ^'  '■"""' 

Co,,„na„.lcr  Her,,-  „r,..c  iV,™  IV.tr„pa„l,.v.ki,.J,„v.  .4,  „SS,  • 

^Lii  uihc,  arcei  a  stormy  nassao-o       All  ,^„  i         ^ 
1    ,  ,  -^  F"^"'*n^-     i\.ll  on  board  are  well       'vu 

-'».x.,c..c,.c„,,,;aL..;r:::t:::::i::::::;;:;r 
co.n..a..acroe,i.:,,.,;r:::-:-j™^^ 

„<...;  h"  '"  """""'• "'"'  -"■'■■I-  '■'■■'1-  Jo.... 

"etc.     He  tcKlcrol  us  as  ,„ucl,  as  wo  .Icsircl  <„■  r,vc    Inaalrd    tni     f 
»a    now  in  Pioccr  .a,, ,,  „,„ ,^,^,,   _,^  '    ^      "' 

;'-'  -'■'  »  -''.'-'^  ■■■  .■>e-  Unite,  States  ,Vo,„  „..  nearest       etrapi;;' 
">'■'    ">    As,a    ,„    ,l,c.    latter    pa,t    of    Scptcnthcr.       Wc    l^:  \ 

""■';■■;'-;' "-  ■'-■ ■ ■-  •i-.ti.;„f,-,.r.c,oti,il  ,,„::' 

-•nt  ,.,r  ,„c  entire  crnise.     The  Ro,„crs  sails  .„.,a,.  :X  St.  .X,ic  ,a     ," 
'  "  -;"^->-  ™-   *■   -wrcnee  Is, ,„■  .Scr.i.c  Kan.en,  Hera,,,  ,s,    ,  I 

tZ:r '  """^ '-'  -'-' '" — '" "  '"^-  '^'»' '.' 

Th..  Ko,laers,  a.icr  leaving,  St.  Lawrence  Uay  an,,   passin-  „„.„,,,, 
Bohr,n,-sS.rait,e,rectc„a,an„in,on  Hcral.,  ,s,an.,  on  An-"  ^  '    1j 
>-ces  o,  t|,e  Jeannette  were  seen  at  the  northwestern  c.trenrity  '„f  .'..e 


790 


NO   TRACE   OF   THE   JE ANISETTE. 


island,  :uul  the  Rodi^ers  left  its  own  record  of  visitation  on  the  crc-i  of 
the  ciilF.  The  next  day  the  Rodders  steamed  for  Wran<;fell  Land,  ami 
after  jiassinj?  tlirough  a  dozen  miles  of  loose  ice,  effected  a  landing;-  on  its 
southern  side.  In  the  evening  of  the  next  day  they  entered  a  lluc 
harbor  wliere  the  vessel  could  remain  with  safety,  while  ex])editi()ns 
were  sent  olF  to  explore  the  interior  and  the  eastern  and  western 
coasts  to  look  for  cairns  or  traces  of  the  Jeannette.  Capt.  llerry 
commanded  the  land  party,  accompanied  liy  Dr.  M.  I).  Joius  ami 
four  men.  They  reached  a  mountain  2,500  feet  high,  from  which 
they  saw  open  water  around  the  island  everywhere,  except  liciwucn 
the  west  and  southwest,  where  a  high  range  of  mountains  sccnicd 
to  terminate  the  land.  Master  S.  H.  Waring  went  around  the  eastern 
coast  and  northern  side,  luitil  blocked  by  ice,  which  was  packed  in  liy 
the  northerly  wintl.  lie  had  to  abandon  his  boat  and  make  his  way 
overland  to  the  ship.  Ensign  Hunt  went  by  the  western  coast  and 
reached  the  Ice  that  blocked  Waring,  fuuling  it  impossible  to  penetrate 
it.  He  had  passed  most  of  the  northern  point  of  the  island  and  could  see 
Waring's  position,  so  that  the  entire  island  has  been  .skirted,  ami  its  insn- 
lar  character  fully  established.  Though  the  ship  coidd  not  possihly  sail 
or  steam  around  Wrangell  Land,  her  commander  proved,  by  his  olHccrs 
boats,  that  it  is  an  island,  and   inferentially  that  the   Jeannette   had  an 


m 


opportunity  of  going  northwest  toward  the  Pole,  and  that  tiie  chances  of 
De  Long's  success  and  of  his  returning  in  safety,  freighted  with  invalua- 
ble information,  were  brighter  ihan  ever. 

No  traces  of  the  Jeannette  were  found,  nor  any  traces  that  any  nu- 
man  being  had  ever  been  there,  excepi  the  record  left  by  the  Corwin  dm 
Aug.  12.  The  harbor  where  the  Rodgers  last  anchored  for  this  laml 
exploration  was  in  longitude  178  10'  west,  latitude  70"  57'  north,  s.iuih 
and  west  of  Hooper's  Landing,  at  Clark  River.  ICnsign  Hunt's  party 
were  provided  with  iifteen  days'  provisions  and  instructed  to  encinle  thi' 
island,  if  possible,  for  he  felt  pretty  certain  of  its  insidar  character,  ^iua' 
making  our  observations  from  Herald  Island  of  the  varial)le  cliaii,'L' 
of  currents  and  ice,  which  shows  this  to  be  a  remarkable  season  in 
the  Arctic. 


/.v//,w/.v,;  „,.  „M-  .,oz,r.iv«. 


Tlu'.l..t,il„l„am„iv.,,„.  |„„  „r,|„.       •        .  '" 

'""""-I  "Iml  ,„;u.  „,„v  l,c.  „™„,,,,   ,"  '"?,'"  '""'"'  '"■    '"""•'*'='>    to..,- 
so.:»c.  h.shlv  cTclltaW,;  !„  ,1,;,  ,,,|i„r    ,  ■  ''    '  '"'"'"'•  »"  '"  "''^.•v 

i'>.>.'o.i  s..ir.,,-„„.  Ti,„,x.  „,,  ,■„    ; !"  "^i"""''""-  •'■'--  -vas  .,„  p,,;. 

'■'■"■■"•'  >■>•  A..,o.......  :.::::;::"■  o"' ""^■^"  "^-  ■■^■^"'  -■' - 

^'|.p.-..-l.  ...  l.„.,|  ,„  „„,  „,„„  ,„.,.^,^  '"^    -^  ■"-""«  f"."  -.Ik.,-  ,ha„  a,. 

- "^"-n>.cj,;,:::;:;:':;7::::::,;:7'.-. ■«-.c.»...,a, 

';— ^■■■- ---1...1":;  :z:;r"r  . 

people  on  Herald  Isl,„,i-   tlr.t  ho  h    1  ,  •    ,  •  J^'aiuu-ttc's 

.i..-,o,-,  .,„  „.,  s -la..'.;  ,;:";"  7'-"  "•  «""»••" -v'..- 

'•'""•-••  "■^-  ■'■■  .1.-.  ^..■.  <«;..,.: ::;;  -'r "  -'"""^ 

.1.^-  '<"d.c..-s,  „..  OC.  ,5,  i„  ,s,  La„.,-,„„         .  7'  ; ■■"■""■"   -'" 

r  ;,.,„    i> ^^*'>'  \^n«-'iL>  she  was  to  winter 

-''•tl>e  vessel  in  St.  Lawrence  H-.v      'PI  '"  ^""''^'"^'■'<' 

—' "■' ----Cm:'j;,,;::':,;::- 

K.....0..  .„  \    .,-.„„„„»,.  .,„  ,„.  v...,a,  i„  a,„.„.  ,am„„c  6S«  bA,,', 

l,.n.c.  „...»    ha,  .„..  «..a,„.,.  ,„„„„,  „,,  .„^^„  ,„,  -       ^ 

.„■>     .,S,S.     , a..-  ^v^„-„,,  a.„,  .,„..  „„.  a.-,  a.    Tiap.a,  „,..,-.  ..i' 

......I  ^....„.«i.  .-,..„  ,1...  Te,,,,,.,,,,.   ,,,,  ,„,,,„,    ^,^^,._,_        • ;;; 

' '^"''■''■■'-''-™'-'»™-*.-a..,..oa...tho.„f„,-;,-. 


I 


5rx 


poses  of 
months' 
Scrdze  h 
Mr,  ( 

some  Join 
rived   at 
I  Hind  red 
way  from 
iiij?  or  car 
winter,  a 
verse  it, 
(lie   soiitliA 
the  earth. 

On  the 

Lawrenee 

the  ground 

Master 

letters  to  he 

informin<>-  t 

of  the  stean 

tei-s,  and  for 

there  on  M: 

I'oarded  the 

'ives  all  the 

I'oots  as  recc 

iiiiinently  sa 

cf  wrecked  i 

lest  assured  c 

speaking  of  t 

"ig  their  resc 

offered    to    la 

Francisco.     C 

;"'<!  all   hands 

n-here  they  ar 


■nn.:  cojcuvx  ojeoE^,^n  j^onwAno. 


700 

poses  (,r  l,.u-tcT   with  the    nativ...       T. 

Scr(i«-  Kamt-ii."  '  •      '  '•''>'-"  '«   '"-■•"■  Cape 

iMr.  (Jilck-r,  will,  o„„,„fml;,l,lc  ^„„„„    ,„„,         ,        , 

"'-'  "r  ca,,.va„  ,,„„,,,„„  „,„  „„„^,  ,,  "■""-'  '"■'"»  ""•'"■  ''-S'*"-  trad, 
w^e,.,  a  ..a,„„  „f  .„..  „.„•  w  I:""":  '"■"  "•■"'^'"°-  '"  ""''■ 
vo.»  i,.     Having  arrived  ■„  K„l  ''    '""'"■'  ^'■'''"™  "•"- 

"I- the  s.oa,„  „,,,!„  Noreh    S.a,.  of  ~,e      mu  ""'    ''"'"•  °™' 

--■Sa...l  ro..ce„  „i.  »„„  ,H..„„,„  il    'r;;  ,    s  T"'  ^""  ""^-  "^  "'-^'  '* 
"-=  o„  Ma,  S.     O.,  eho  afto  „„..„  I  /     ,'"7';"  "■■'■^•'  --"'"»" 

l'oa,xIe,l  the  North  Star      H  f       ,       •  *  ''^'-''■*  ''"«>■  "'"yv 

lives  all  the  unexpended  t,-ul  .  "^^  '"'"'^^    ^"  ^'^^^  "^'- 

-ninontly  «,ti«raclo,-,.  ,o  these  lv„,„l,.  '•eco.npenso  was 

"'■  --eei^e,.  „,ari„e,.;  eve,-    I,  7    "'^"""■^^'  '"  "™  ^"<»""  ^'  ■-■'>■ 

.-ki.,„,-t,.,e.c,,.it,L.„,,.H :,  x\;Z  ;t"  ^"' """  '" 

;"r-«l    to    ,a„„    ,„e,„   eithe,.    a,    ,,,„    s,        i^       V",        ■""''"■ 
'■>anci»c<,.     O,.  the  „i,ht  of  the  „th  ,„e  Co.-  u,,      t^'"'    "'■   **•"■ 

" >-™l»  wee   i,„,.e,lia,elv  tL.fe,™,  tj  1  "PP-™-. 


bOO 


VARIOUS  PLANS   OF  HE  LIEF. 


THE  EIRA  AGAIN  TO  THE  RESCUE. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1881,  W.  Leiorh  Smith  set    out  aj^ain    for  the 
north  in  his  steam  yacht  Eira,  in  the  hope  of  being  of  service  to  the  Jean- 
nette.     He  was  accompanied  by  Dr.  Neale,  Capt.  Lofley  and  a  crew  of 
twenty-two  men,  the  vessel  being  fully  provisioned  for  fourteen  months 
vv^ith  a  flour  and  bread  supply  for  two  years.     On  the  13th  of  Jul v  thev 
were  steaming  through  pack-ice,  and  on    the  33d    sighted  Franz-Josef 
Land.     Proceeding  toward  Cape  Ludlow,  close  to  th«  pack  to  the  north- 
ward, they  entered  Nightingale  Sound  on  the  2d  of  August,  and  arrivin*'- 
at  Eira  Harbor,  erected  a  storehouse.     On  the  i6th  they  proceeded  east- 
ward in  search  of  the  Jeannette,  but   were  unable  to  pass  Barcnz  Hook 
because  of  the  ice  in  that  quarter.     On  the   3ist  the  Eira  got  nipped  I)c- 
tween  a  land-floe  and  pack-ice,  a  mile  to  the  east  of  Cape  Flora,  and  the 
leak  gained  so  rapidly  that  in  two  hours  after  it  had    been  discovered  it 
was  necessary  to  abandon  the  ship.     Hardly   had  the    last  man    left  her 
when  the  ice  eased,  and  she  sank  quickly,  before  they  were   able  to  save 
much  of  their  stores.     All  the  boats  were  saved;  and    most  of  the  men 
saved  some  clothing  and  ..edding.     A  tent  was  at  once    erected  on   the 
ice,  and  for  sixteen  niglits  they  slept  in  it,  and  were  at  times  almost  floated 
out  by  rain.     Meanwhile,  they  constructed  a  hut  of  stone  and  turf  at  the 
Cape  and  covered  it  with  sails.     Here  they  wintered  in  safety  frcim  Sep- 
tember   7,   iSSi,    to  June  3  1,  1SS2,  and   during   the   whole   period  were 
happily  free  from  scurvy,  having  plenty  of  fresh  meat.     Thirty-six  bc;irs 
and  twenty-nine  walruses  were  killed  and  eaten.     On  June  31,  i8S3,lhev 
left  Cape  Flora  in  four  boats,  and  sailed  eighty  miles  without  seeing  any 
ice,  but   soon   had  enough  of  it,  arriving,  however,  in  safety,  at  Nova 
Zembla  on  the  3d  of  Ausfust. 

Meanwhile,  tlie  steam-whaler,  Hope,  under  Sir  Allen  Young,  was 
dispatched  from  England  in  June,  1883,  to  the  rescue  of  the  Eira,  the  ex- 
pense being  defrayed  by  the  family  of  the  missing  navigator,  with  contri- 
butions of  $5,000  from  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  and  $35,000 
from  the  Government.  Sir  Henry  Gore  Booth  and  W.  G.  A.  Grant,  the 
amateur  Arctic  photographer,  who  had   accompanied  Mr.   Smith  in  his 


THE  ALLIANCE. 


801 


cruise  of  i88c,  fitted  out  the  small  vessel  Kara  to  prosecute  au  imlcpciul- 
ent  search.  The  Dutch  explorhis:  schooner,  William  Barentz,  also  went 
into  the  work  of  search— under  direction  of  the  Government;  and  Nor- 
dcnskifild's  merchant  patron,  Dr.  Oscar  Dickson,  stimulated  the  Scandi- 
navian walrus  hunters  to  active  participation  in  the  search  by  the  offer  of 
liberal  rewards  for  news  of  the  Eira,  or  any  help  to  vessel  ..r  crew. 
The  Hope  had  a  stormy  voyage  to  the  north,  encounterin-'-  hicrl; 
wuuls,  ice  and  fo-,  hut  arrived  in  safely  at  Karmahuld,  Nova  Zemhla,on 


1   VUI  I  \MI  Nr    II   )l  SF     \1     KIIMWIK 


the  19th  of  July.  The  Kara  was  lying  in  the  same  harbor.  On  the  3d 
of  August  the  Hope  fell  in  with  the  boats  of  the  Eira,  in  Matotschkin 
Schar,  Nova  Zembla;  and  the  whole  party  arrived  safely  at  Peterhead 
on  the  19th  of  August. 

THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  ALLIANCE. 

The  United  States  steamer  Alliance,  in  command  of  Capt.  Wadleigh, 

left  Norfolk,  Va.,  June  16,  iSSi,  for  the    rescue   of  the  Jeannettc.     She 

proceeded  to  Newfoundland,  and  thence  to  Rcikiavik,  Iceland,  being  the 

first  vessel  of  the  United    States  navy  to   visit    that    port.      She    was   of 

course  received  with  effusive  cordiality  by  the    Icelanders,  wiio  entertain 

a  very  special  regard  for  the  Great  Republic.     Rcikiavik    is  situated  in 
51 


n 


/.V  A   CUL-DE-SAC. 


latitude  64"  8'  40',  and  west  longitude  31"  50',  and  is  the  capital  of  the 
island.     The  population,  however,  is   only   about   1,500,  but  itspc'itical 
pre-eminence  as  the  seat  of  crovernment  makes  it  a  .nore  important  town 
than  the  numhcM-  of  its  iniiai,itants  would  seem  to  indicate.     It  is   also  a 
bishop's  see,  with  ecclesiastical,  medical  and  general  colleges,  an  observa- 
tory, and  public  library.    It  is  c,uite  an  old  place,  having  been  foun<le,l  in 
874,  and  is   in  some  respects  one    of  the  most  interesting   places  in   the 
worl.l.     The  history  and  character  of  the  inhabitants  are  as  remarkable 
as  the  physical  characteristics  of  the  land  they  live  in.     But  their  Ameri- 
can visitors  had  no  opportunity  to  indulge  in  sentimental  intercourse,  be- 
ing anxious  to  push  forward  to  the  help  of  the  Jeannette.     Leaving  their 
Icelandic  friends,  they  set  sail  for    Mammerfest,  in   Norway,  where  they 
adjusted  to  the  cross-trees  of  the  Allia.u,-e  the  well  known  Arctic  contriv- 
ance, the  crow's-nest,  a  tub  about  five  feet  deep,  to  protect    the  lookout 
from  the  cold  blasts  of  the  north,  while  perched   aloft  on    the  watch  for 
icebergs,  leads,  floes,  and  whatever  else  may  heave  in  sight.     Losing  no 
time  at  any  point,  as  there  was  much  to  be  done,  and  but  a   short  season 
in  which  to  do  it,  the  Alliance   now   steamed   away  into  the  desolate  re- 
gions of  the  north  toward  Spitzbergen,  going  as   high   as   So''  10'  55", 
but  of  course  found  no  traces  of  the  Jeannette,  which   was  nearly  half 
the  circle  to  the  east  of  them. 

Four  .nonths  out  from    Norfolk,  and    having  already  made  her   first 
vain  tour  of  observation  and  re-coaled  at   JIammerfest,  the  Alliance  was 
again  headed  north,  on  the  i6th  of  September,  for  a  second  trip.    On  the 
23d  she  found  herself  inclosed  in  an  ice-pocket  or  cul-dcsac,  and  in  immi- 
nent danger  of  being  beset  for  the   winter  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  if  not 
crushed  by  the  pack-ice.     Slowly  steaming  northward  by  the  way  they 
had  entered,  with  the  commander    in   the  crow's-nest,  anxiouslv  peering 
through  the  haze  for  the  ever-changing   openings  or    leads  in    the  floe", 
while  issuing  his  orders  to  the  officer  in  charge  below,  they  had  tiie  good 
fortune  to  thread  their  way  out  of  the  labyri  .th.     As  it  was  now  lat^e  in 
the  season,  and  the  chance  of  being  of  service   to  the  missing  ship  very 
slim,  Captain  VVadleigh  now  judged   it  prudent  to    return,  and  arrived 
home  ia  safety  toward  the  close  of  October. 


I 


CHAPTER    LXXXVII. 


TMK  JKAUNKTTI.:  DISAI'IMCAKS  FROM  SKUn— A  IM.AN  OK  KSCAPK  — 
PAHTIKS  I)KTAIM.:n  —  llARDSTtIPS—  MAKING  LOK  TIIK  LAND  — 
CAPK  EMMA  — THE  THHEK  HOAT-r.OADS  —  TU ADDKUS  ISLAND  — 
TIIK      AOVKXTirUK     OK     CIUPP     AND      KUEIINE  —  A     DEKK-IIUNT  — 

daneniiower's     last   talk    wrni    cmipp—no    ot'iek    hoats 

IN    sight. 

The  last  direct  reference  to  the  voya-e  of  the  Jeannette   closed   with 
the  loss  of  the  vessel.     She  sank  about  4  a.  m.  of  June  13,    iSSi,  in  lati- 
tude 76'^  15'  and  longitude  156^  20'  east— in  round  numbers,  about  150 
miles  northeast  of  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  300  from  the  nearest   point 
of  the  Siberian   coast,  the  headlands   west  of  the    IndigirUa  River,   and 
nca-Iy  600  in  a  direct  line  to  the  delta  of  the  Lena.     Seaman    Kuehne 
and  Fireman  Bartlctt— the  one  -oin-  on  and  the  other  off  watch— were 
the  only  persons  who  actually  saw  her  disappear.     Daylight   found  her 
company  encamped  on  the  ice  about   400  yards  from   where  she   went 
down.     Mere  they  remained  six  days,  since  takin.ir  their  last  meal  aboard 
the  doomed  ship  on   the  evenin-   of  the    nth,   or<ranizin<r  a  system  of 
travel,  determining  the  direction  to  take,  and  awaiting   improvement   in 
the  health  of  about  one-fourth  their    number,   who  were  sufTering   tram 
stomach  ilisorders,  supposed   to  Jiave  been   occasioned   by   tin-poisoning 
from  tomato  cans.     iJut  the  time  was  not  wasted,   the  well  being   kept 
busy  in  distributing  and  packing  goods  in  the  sleds  and  boats.    They  had 
saved  eight  sledges  of  all  kinds,  three  boats— first  and  second  cutter,  and 
one  whale-boat;  six  tents;  about  3,500  pounds  of  pcmmican  in  forty-five 
pound  canisters,  1,500  pounds  of  hard  bread,  rather  more  tea  than  they 
were  likely  to  need,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  Liebig's   Extract— 
an  important  element  in  their  diet.     There  was  also  some  canned  turkey 
and  chicken,  but  these  were  disposed  of  in  their  first  encampment.    They 

803 


801 


A    /'LA AT  (>/'•  /iSCAP/i. 


had  a  lilieral  supply  <.f  alcohol  for  fuel,  and  a  <,'0(k1  stock  of  rincs  and 
aminu'iition.  The  a-f^'rc-atc-  wciffht  of  the  Hvc  loaded  sleds  was  6,600 
pounds;  the  sixth  was  used  as  a  hospital  sUA'^v.  Tlu'  tlmv  boats  were 
momiud  on  ship-made  sleds,  each  <.f  which  coiisi^cd  ..f  iw<,  heavy  <>ak 
runners,  about  twelve  inches  hi-,'h,  and  sli.,,1  with  whalebone,  and  twelve 
feet  in  lcn.i,nh,  with  eijrht  or  ten  cross-pieces  made  from  the  staves  of 
whiskey  i>arrel.s.  The  weifjfhts  of  the  fn-st  and  second  cutter  and  whale- 
boat,  with  the  sled  and  outfit  of  each,  were  respectively,  3,f)oo,  2,300  and 


ARCTIC   SLEDOK. 


2,500  pounds— a  jjrand  total  of  15,400  pounds,  witli  but  twcnty-two  men 
in  condition  to  work,  or  700  pounds  to  each  man.  The  dogs  were  har- 
nessed  to  two  li-bt  Arctic  sled-cs  loaded  with  a  lar-e  amount  of  other 
stores  in  excess  of  those  more  permanently  stowed  in  the  five  sleds,  as 
already  mentioned.  In  the  boats  each  man  had  a  knapsack,  containing 
one  change  of  imderclothing,  one  package  of  matches,  an  extra  pair  of 
snow-goggles,  a  spare  pair  of  moccasins,  and  a  plug  of  navy  tobacco. 

On  the  1 6th  Commander  De  Long  issued  an  order,  arranging  details 
with  a  view  to  insuring  as  much  method  as  possible,  distributing  the  offi- 


IIAHli    WORK 


8()r» 


as 


of 


ccrs  and  men  in  live  tents,  tho  A\X\\  Wwv^  usi-d  tor  ;ni  Dflicf  tent,  .ind 
•  diivclinj;  that  tlu;  ttavclinj;  bu  doiu'  l>y  ni>;ht,  from  6:  ^o  p.  m.  to  6  a. 
M.,  to  avoid  the  intense  dayli;j;ht,  and  thus  lessen  the  risk  of  snovv. blind- 
ness. The  tents  were  only  nine  by  six  feet,  mA  recjuired  close  stowage 
for  six  or  seven  men.  liach  tent  had  a  tire-pot,  a  heavy  •,'alvanized  iron 
kettle,  in  which  a  copper  kettle  was  suspended,  havin<^  muler  it  an  alco- 
hoi  lamp  with  a  circular  asbestos  wick  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and  on  top 
a  stew-pan.  A  cook  was  detailed  for  each  tent  with  an  assistant  to  melt 
snow  and  draw  rations.  The  sleepinj^  accommodations  were  a  Mackin- 
tosii  rubber  blanke'  of  the  size  of  the  floor,  and  the  usual  Arctic  sleepinjj 
bags  of  fur,  covered  with  hairless  sealskin.  Erch  boat  had  tlie  recinired 
number  of  oars,  a  liox  of  tools,  and  the  articles  needed  for  repairs,  and 
the  arms  and  ammunition,  as  they  iiad  been  apportioned,  llavin;^  bur- 
dened themselves  so  heavily,  the  rate  of  proj^'ress  was  necessarily  very 
slow,  The  ice  pilot  went  j'head  to  select  the  best  route,  and  at  intervals 
planted  a  black  fla^.  To  the  points  thus  indicated  all  the  workin<j  force, 
except  four,  hauled  the  first  cutter,  he  second,  the  whale-boat  and  the 
five  loaded  sledfjcs  as  rapidly  as  possible,  while  the  special  detail  of  four 
brouf^ht  up  the  doj:f-sledges  and  the  hospital  sled<,'e. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  at  6  i',  m.,  they  set  oui  for  tlie  south,  having 
meanwhile  begun  to  tlrift  to  the  northwest.  Lieut.  Dancnhower,  who 
had  long  been  disabled  through  sore  eyes,  was  only  able  to  do  light  duty, 
and  Lieut.  Chipp  had  not  fully  recovered  from  the  efFects  of  the  tin- 
poisoning.  So  the  active  superintendence  of  the  working  force  devolved 
on  Engineer  Melville  under  the  directions  of  the  commander.  Each 
otlicer  and  man  was  supplied  with  a  working  harness  similar  to  those 
used  by  Parry  and  others.  Hitherto  all  had  been  preparation,  but  now 
the  downright  hard  work  l)egan,  and  the  true  nature  of  the  task  before 
them  was  soon  vividly  rcalizeil.  The  snow  was  knee-deep,  the  road  very 
rough,  and  the  ice  full  of  fissures.  Through  the  slisfht  crust  of  the  snow 
their  feet  sank  easily,  making  even  unincumbered  traveling  very  weari- 
some. Over  hummocks  and  huge  blocks  of  ice,  « that  would  have  taken 
a  whole  corps  of  engineers  to  level,"  they  had  to  haul  the  heavily  loaded 
boats  and  sledges,  while  to  cross  the  more   narrow   fissures  they   had   to 


80C 


SJVO  W-BLINBNESS 


work  up  a  special  spurt  ami  jump  them.  In  tliree  hours  they  had  taken 
the  cutter  lo  the  second  black  fla.r_;i  distance  of  only  a  mile  and  a  half. 
By  6  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  iSth,  after  the  hardest  twelve  liours' 
work  that  anv  of  them  had  ever  performed,  they  liad  only  succeeded  in 
advancins,^  the  second  cutter  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  with  the  whale-boat 
loo  yards  in  tlie  rear,  and  several  of  the  sledges,  more  or  less  disabled, 
at  intervals  along  the  road,  and  the  balance  of  their  stock  still  in  the 
original  camp.  Lieut.  Chipp,  in  an  elFort  to  advance  the  hospital  sledge, 
drawn  l)y  seven  dogs,  fainted  from  exhaustion,  and  was  only  restored  by 
the  lielp  of  Dr.  Ambler. 

Two  days   were  now  sjoent  in 
repairing   damages,   and    bringing 
up  the  rear.     On   the  19th  Danen- 
hower  was  t)riiered  to  the   hospital 
sledge,  the    commander    doubtless 
being  apjjrehensive  of  the  danger 
of  his   falling  into   some   fissure  if 
allowed    to  go  witli    the    ;idvance 
party.       Apart     from     his    partial 
blind'  jss  he  was  one  of  the  strong- 
est of  the  party,  and  anxious  to  be 
of    service     in     the     heavy    work, 
which  now  fell  on  twentv-one  men 
out  of   the    thirty-three.      On    the 
20th  tliey  again  jMished  to  tlie  south 
in  the  same  slow  way,  making  one  mile  of  advance  while  they  traveled 
thirteen — seven  timer;  forward  with  boats  and  sledges,  and  six  times  back- 
ward without  loads.      On  the  34th,  after  a  week's  progress  of  this   sort, 
the  commander  fouutl  that  they  had  driftetl  to  the  northwest  with  the  Hoe, 
twenty-seven  miles! 

In  crossing  the  wider  fissures  or  lanes  of  water,  sometimes  a  hundred 
yards  wide,  they  got  everything  on  to  a  loose  block  or  cake  of  ice,  which 
they  proceeded  to  use  as  a  rough  ferry-boat.  When  still  wider  the  boats 
were  dismounted  and  rowed  across,  loaded  witii   the   sledges  and    stores. 


DK.  J.    M.    AMUI.EK. 


\m 


H 


A   NEW   ISLAND. 


807 


The  sick  ineanwhlle  becu.ne  convalescent,  and  Chipp  was  soon  able  to 
lend  very  efficient  aid,  especially  in  superintending  the  ferrying  business. 
Danenhower  was  still  kept  well  in  the  rear,  and  ca»-efully  watched  by 
Melville,  who  repeatedly  helped  him  out  of  fissures  into  which  he  had 
stumbled.  With  one  eye  bandaged  and  the  other  protected  by  colored 
glass  he  frequently  miscalculated  distances,  and  falling  short  of  the 
opposite  bank,  would  fall  in.  Altogether,  it  was  a  dreadful  retreat;  so 
slow,  so  discouraging,  with  about  a  fourth  of  the  company  able  to  give 
little  or  no  assistance  in  the  heavy  work,  which  was  thus  rendered  a  more 
intolerable  strain  on  the  energies  of  the  working  force. 

In  the  latter  part  of  June  the  snow  had  all  melted,  and  traveling  be- 
came better,  but  they  had  to  wade  through  pools  of  this  thaw- water,  and 
their  feet  were  almost  constantly  wet.  They  were  now  able  to  advance 
two  sleds  at  a  time ;  but  had  frequently  to  jump  with  them  from  piece  to 
piece  in  crossing  leads.  Still,  the  reduction  from  thirteen  to  seven  trips 
was  a  great  gain,  and  their  progress  was  about  twice  as  rapid.  Their 
course  had  meanwhile  been  changed  to  17  degrees  west  of  due  south,  and 
while  moving  in  this  direction,  on  the  12th  of  July,  they  began  to  perceive 
indications  of  land  ahead.  At  the  same  time  they  could  notice  a  heavy 
"  water-sky"  to  the  south  and  southeast,  showing  the  existence  of  exten- 
sive V)odies  of  open  water  at  those  points,  while  in  the  tlirection  they 
were  following,  the  ice  became  more  broken,  and  a  more  active  move- 
ment had  set  in,  making  travel  across  it  more  difficult  and  dangerous. 
A  week  later  it  took  twelve  hours  to  advance  a  thousand  yards  over  this 
mass  of  broken  pieces,  which  unfortunately  were  not  separated  enough 
to  permit  the  floating  -f  the  boats,  while  not  close  enough  to  allow  any- 
thing but  the  most  fragmentary  and  spasmodic  sledging.  At  times  they 
were  forced  to  desist  from  all  effort  to  advance,  so  utterly  impracticable 
was  the  road. 

Still  slowly  making  toward  the  land,  which  daily  grew  more  distinct, 
they  were  soon  able  to  note  some  of  its  glaciers,  mountain  ranges, 
and  water  courses,  and  could  no  longer  doubt  that  they  had  discovered  a 
new  island.  On  the  24th  they  were  within  two  miles  of  land,  but  so 
utterly  exhausted  that  they  were  forced  to  encamp  on    the  ice.     On  re- 


I 


808 


^r 


o 
z 

a 


TAKING    TO    THE   BOATS.  sO!) 

suminj,^  their  labors  they  found  that  the-  drift  hul  taken   theni  three  miles 
out    ot    their    cou,-se.      They    ha.l    spent    f.uv    .lays  skirting    its    eastern 
coast  witiiout  bein,,.  able  to  elll^ct  a  landin,,^  when,  on  tl,e  39th  of  fulv,  the 
fog   lifted,  and  they    behehl   then.selves  in  elose  proxin.i.v  to  th'e  pl-ecip. 
itous  shore,  toward    which    the    current   ha.l    driven   them.     Alo.i.^  tlie 
shore    a    fringe    of  .round   ice,  narrow,  rugge.l   and   broken,   .nad'e   the 
landmg  difficult.     Getting  all  their  goods   on  one  iloe-piece,  thev  made  a 
great  effort  to  float  it  to  the  shore-ice,  but  it  .Irifted  off  before  all" could  be 
landed.     Hy  7  ,..  m.,  liowever,  all  the  n.en  an<l  stock  were  collected  in  one 
spot,  whe.i  De  Long  unfurled  the  silken  flag  presented  by  his  wife,  took 
formal  possession  for  the  United  States,  and  named   it    Bennett  fslan.l,  in 
honor  of  the  patron  of  the  expedition.      The  southeast  point,  in  7c.     38' 
by  14S"  20'  east,  was   named    Cape  Emma,  in  honor  of  Mrs.  De  Lon-. 
There  were   millions  of  wild   fowls  on  the   clilFs,  and   in  a  few   hours  the 
men   knocked    down    several   hundred,  which    were    diyi.led    among    all 
hands.      Driftwood  was    --athered,  to  save   alcohol;  and   they    went'^nto 
camp  for  a  week   to  repair,  recuperate,  and   explore.      They  divided    into 
small  parties  to  examine  the   island,  and    collect  geological,  mineral   and 
other  specimens,  while  tlic  carpenters  were  busy  effecting  repairs  on   tiie 
boats  and  sledges. 

They  left  Hennett  Island  on  the  6th  of  August,  by  the  three  boats, 
with  a  fair  pr-.spect  of  making  good  progress  through  the  water-lanes 
between  the  floes.      The  distnl,ution  of  the    ofllcers   and  men  in  the  three 

boats,  and  the  description  of  the  boats  themselves,  is  here  subjoined  : -First 
cutter,  Lieut.  Geo.  W.  De  Long,  Dr.  James  M.  Ambler,  [erome  f. 
Collins,  William  C.  F.  Xindennan,  Louis  J.  Noros,  Hans  II."  ]•  ricksen, 
Ilcnryll.  Kaach,  Adolf  Dressier,  Carl  A.  Gantx,  Walter  Lee,  Neils 
Iverson,  (ic.rge  il.  Hoyd,  Ah  Sam,  and  Alexai-fourteen  persons.  Lx- 
treme  leng:h  of  the  boat,  20  ft.  4  in.;  breadth,  6  ft.;  depth,  z  ft.  2  in. 
fromtopof^^runwale.N.thetop  of  keel;  clinker  built,  copper  fastened, 
hiside  lining;  .Irew  2S  inches  loaded,  and  had  the  greatest  carrying  capac- 
ity of  the  three;  ntte.l  with  mast,  ami  one  shifting  lug  sail;"  pulled  six 
oars,  an.l  was  an  excellent  sea  boat.  She  had  a  heavy  oak  keel  piece  to 
strengthen  her  in  hauling  over  ice,  and  it  was  retained  on  reaching  water. 


iSi 


810 


THE   no  ATS'   CREWS. 


Tn  the  second  cutter  were  Lieut.  Charles  VV.  Chipp,  ice  pilot,  \Vm 
Dunbar,  Alfred  Sweetman,  Henry  D.  Warren,  Peter  E.Johnson,  EdvvMd 
Star,  W.  Sharvvell,  Albert  G.  Kuehne-eight  persons.  Extreme  len-nh 
ot  the  boat,  i6  ft.  3  in.;  breadth,  5  ft.  i  in.;  depth,  .  ft.  6  in.,  from  top^,f 
gunwale  to  top  of  keel;  clinker  built,  copper  fastened,  a  very  bad  sea-boaf 
liad  o,ie  dipping  lug  sail  and  four  oars.  She  had  not  sufficient  carrying 
capacity  for  Chipp's  allowance  of  provisions,  so  the  captain  had  two  e.-tra 
tins  of  pemmican  in  his  boat  when  they  separated. 

In  the  whale-boat  were  Engineer  Geo.  W.  Melville,  Lieut.  J.  \V 
Danenhower,  William  Cole,  James  H.  Bartlett,  Raymond  L.  Newcomb' 
Herbert  W.  Leach,  George  Lauderbach,  Henry  Wilson,  Frank  Mauson! 
Long  Sing  and  Aniguin— eleven  persons.  Extreme  length  of  boat,  35 
ft.  4  in.;  breadth,  5  ft.  6  in.;  depth,  2  ft.  .  in.  from  top  of  gunwale  to  'too 
of  keel;  clinker  built,  copper  fastened,  drawing  about  twenty-four  inches 
when  loaded,  this  being  caused  by  the  heavy  oak  keel  piece,  similar  to 
those  of  the  first  and  second  cutters.  She  had  one  mast  and  one  dipping- 
lug  sail.  The  master  boat-builder  at  Mare  Island  said  she  was  one  of  the 
best  fastened  boats  that  he  had  ever  seen,  a.ul  experience  proved  it,  for  the 
racket  she  stood  on  the  journey  over  the  ice  was  aln.ost  incredible. 

Of  their  original  stock  of  dogs  some  had  died  of  starvation,  and  others 
had  been  killed  by  their  fellows.  There  were  about  twentv-three  left,  and 
eleven  of  the  poorest  of  them  were  now  killed,  the  remaining  twelve, 
enough  for  one  strong  team,  being  taken  aboard  the  boats.  Ten  of  these' 
soon  disappeared,  jumping  on  the  passing  floes  in  pursuit  of  game,  and 
were  left  behind  by  the  boats. 

From  the  6th  to  the  30th  of  August  they  advanced  at  a  fair  rate  be- 
tween tlie  floes,  sometimes  making  ten  miles  a  day.  They  would  have 
made  much  greater  progress,  had  the  water-lanes  always  opened  to  the 
southwest;  as  it  was,  they  were  frequently  obliged  to  haul  the  boats  out 
of  one  lane,  make  a  portage  over  the  floe,  and  again  launch  them,  only 
to  soon  repeat  the  same  process.  On  the  20th  the  seco.ul  cutter  got 
jammed  among  a  .lumber  of  floe-pieces  that  were  suddenly  driven'to- 
gethcr,  and  they  had  to  make  a  portage  of  about  a  mile  to  get  her  afloat 
again  in  the  wake  of  the  other  two.     Sometimes  a  passage  was  obtained 


I 


TIIADDEUS  ISLAND. 


811 


only  by  piyinj?  the  floc-pieccs  apart;  l)ut  these  would  often  spriiii,'  hack, 
and  cut  oft  the  advance  of  the  second  or  third  boat.  It  was  hard  work, 
but  not  quite  so  hard  and  discoura^in-^  as  dragj^nng  jjoats  and  sleds  (n-er 
hunimocky  ice.  The  final  result  of  the  apparently  slight  detention  of 
the  second  cutter  was  quite  serious.  The  twenty-five  men  of  the  other 
boats  encamped  on  the  ice  while  waiting  several  hours  for  Lieut.  Chipp 
and  his  companions.  The  wind  shifted,  and  during  the  ensuing  night 
the  ice  got  so  jammed  around  tliem  that  the  only  movement  made  for 
the  next  ten  days  was  such  as  was  due  to  the  drifting  of  the  whole.  This, 

however,  brought  them  to  the  north 
coast  of  the  middle  one  of  the  three 
principal  islands  forming  the  New 
Siberian  group,  known  as  Thad- 
deus  or  Faddeyev  Island.  They 
landed  on  the  south  side  of  the 
island  on  the  31st,  after  having  with 
dilHculty  made  their  wav  south 
through  the  ice-blocked  sound 
which  separates  it  on  the  east  fiom 
the  islaiul  which  gives  its  name  to 
the  group.  The  period  of  detention 
was  utilized  in  making  repairs,  and 
dividing  the  provisions  between  the 
boats  in  the  ratio  of  the  number  of 
men  in  each. 

They  found  the  island  composed  of  mud  hills  that  were  wearing 
away  rapidly,  and  forming  shoals  off  the  land.  iJeyond  the  low  hills 
there  was  a  wet,  mossy  tundra,  upon  which  they  camped  for  the  night. 
All  hands  were  then  sent  out  hunting.  Reindeer  tracks  and  traces  were 
numerous,  but  no  live  animals  were  seen.  Bartlett  reported  that  he 
found  footprints  in  the  sand  made  by  a  civilized  boot.  The  steward 
found  a  hut  aliout  two  miles  west  of  the  camp  and  a  small  piece  of  black 
bread,  as  well  as  a  small  tusk  and  a  knee  piece  for  a  boat  foshioned  from 
a  dee--   horn.     The  next    morning  they  proceeded  west  along  the  shore, 


KAYMOND   I-.    NliWCOMH. 


813 


CHIPP  MISSING. 


the  water  heiuir  very  shoal,  of  which  remains  of  several  huts  and  quan- 
tides  of  driftwood  were  seen;  also  large  numbers  of  ducks  and  wild  fowls. 
Newcomb  succeeded  in  jjetting  about  six  l)race,  which  were  very  wel- 
come. That  night  they  tried  to  land,  but  after  several  inefTectual  clTorts 
gave  up  the  attempt,  as  the  water  was  too  shoal  for  the  boats. 

It  was  now  determined  to  work  along  the  shoal  which  divides  Tlvid- 
deus  Island  from   the  third  of  the  group   to  the  west,  known  as  Kolteiioi 
Island.     There  was  a  moderate  wind    from   the  eastward,  and  the   cap- 
tain tried  to  keep  close  in  about  four  feet  of  water.      The  result  was  that 
the  first  cutter  was  constantly  grounding  and  then  laboriously  getting  off 
again.     They  continued  on  their  course   to  the   southward,  the  cajihiin's 
boat  getting  in  breakers  at  one  time  and  calling  for  the  whale-boat.lo  pull 
him  out.     There  was  not  much  ice   at  the  time,  and    it  was  decreasing. 
One  day,  about  noon,  they  ran  through  a  line  of  drift  ice,  and  the  whale- 
boat  struck  on  a  tongue  that  was  under  water.     She  began  to  fill  rapidly, 
and  had  to  be  hauled  out,  but  not  before  she   was   two-thirds  full,  could 
they  reach   a  suitable  ice  piece.     The  plug  had  been  knocked  out,  but 
she  had  sustained  no  other  damage.     Another  time  a  heavy  green'  sea 
swept  over  the   whole  port   side  and  filled    her  to  the  thwarts fshc  stag- 
gered  and    commenced  to  settle,  but  every  man   with  a   baler  in   haiul 
quickly  relieved  her,  and  she  floated  again. 

Chipp's  boat  was  as  usual  astern  and  in  the  water-hole,  and  the 
others  became  anxious  about  his  safety.  The  cutter  hauled  up  about  7 
P.  M.,  and  camned  with  the  whale-boat.  The  next  day  the  gale  was  still 
blowing,  and  Chipp's  boat  still  missing,  so  about  6  v.  m.  the^ commander 
hoisted  a  black  flag.  On  the  following  day  Bartlett  reported  that  the 
ice  was  closing  around,  and  that  if  they  did  not  move  thcv  would  be  shut 
in.  Two  hours  afterward  all  outlets  were  closed.  La'nd  was  also  in 
sight  at  this  time,  being  Koltenoi  Island.  Ericksen  was  the  first  to  see 
Chipp's  boat,  and  presently  two  men  were  seen  making  their  way  over  the 
floe,  and  j.uiiping  across  tlie  obstructions.  It  was  Chipp,  with  Kuehne. 
His  boat  had  been  nearly  swamped,  and  in  a  sinking  condition;  he  had 
reached  a  piece  of  ice,  and  managed  to  haul  up.  Starr  was  the  only  man 
with  his  boat  at  that  time  who   could,    walk,  tho   others  rcquirin-   leu  or 


LAST   TALK    WITH  CHIPP. 


813 


fifteen  minutes  to  get  up  circulation  in  their  benumbed  limbs.  The  cap- 
tain had  previously  given  written  orders  that  in  case  of  separation  each 
boat  should  make  the  best  of  its  way  to  Lena  River,  but  he  had  recom- 
mended touching  at  Koltenoi  Island.  Chipp  had  fortunately  decided  to 
follow  these  instructions,  liecause  he  had  not  his  allowance  of  food.  All 
had  been  on  half  rations  for  some  time.  Chipp  had  remained  on  the  ice 
about  twenty-four  hours,  and  then  got  a  chance  to  get  under  way.  He 
said  that  by  making  a  pcjrtage  of  about  two  miles  the  others  could  launch 
their  boats  and  fetch  the  land.  He  sent  his  men  to  assist,  and  after  six  or 
eight  hours  of  terrible  work  they  succeeded  in  getting  the  boats  to  the 
second  cutter.  That  night  they  reached  the  southeast  corner  of  Koltenoi 
Island  and  camped  in  a  low  cape  extending  well  out  from  the  mountain, 
and  forming  a  beautiful  bay.  This  was  Sept.  6.  They  staid  there  about 
thirty-six  hours.  Large  parties  were  sent  out  hunting,  as  numerous  deer 
tracks  had  been  seen.  Next  morning  they  got  under  way  again  and 
worked  along  shore  until  about  noon,  when  they  had  to  make  a  long  and 
laborious  portage,  during  which  Mr.  Dunbar  fell  down  exhausted,  and 
with  palpitation  of  the  heart.  They  continued  until  midnight,  and  then 
camped  on  a  bleak,  desolate  spot.  Next  morning,  Sept.  7,  they  shaped 
a  course  for  the  island  of  Stolbovoi  from  the  south  point  of  Koltenoi, 
fifty-one  miles  distant  to  the  southwest,  and  on  the  meridian  of  the  Yana 
River.  They  had  fresh  breezes  the  first  day,  and  during  the  night  got 
nilo  a  very  bad  place  and  came  very  near  being  smashed  up  by  drift  ice. 
They  passed  in  sight  of  Stolbovoi;  but  it  was  not  considered  worth  while 
to  land  on  the  barren  island,  which  was,  besides,  too  distant. 

On  the  night  of  Sept.  9  they  hauled  up  on  a  piece  of  ice  off  the 
north  end  of  Semenovskoi  Island,  and  there  slept.  On  Sept.  10 
they  rounded  the  north  end  i)f  this  island  and  came  down  the  west 
shore,  stopping  to  cook  dinner,  and  to  examine  the  island.  They  killed 
a  deer,  and  remained  there  thirty-six  hours.  That  evening  Chipp 
came  over  and  asked  Danenhower  to  go  out  with  him  to  get  some  ptar- 
migan, it  possible.  They  came  upon  a  large  covey,  but  could  not  get  a 
shot.  This  was  Danenhowcr's  last  talk  with  Chipp.  He  was  in  better 
health  than  Usuai  ami  was  cheerful,  but  not  altogether  satisfied  with  the 


814 


LAST  rCE  SEEN. 


outlook.     On    Monday    morning,    Sept.     12.    they     left    Semenovskoi 
Island   and   stood  to  the  southward,  along  the  west  side  of  the  island 
lying  to   the  south.     About  half-past   1 1    a.  m.  they  ran  through  a  lot 
of  drift  ice.     It  was  was  the  last  piece  of  ice  that  they  saw.     They  then 
started  on  a  southwest  course,      The  captain  kept  his  boat  almost  right 
before  the  wind;  and  as  the  whale-boat  was  the  faster  sailor  it  was  hard  to 
keep  her   in  position.     The  orders  were  to  keep  astern  of  the  captain 
within    easy  hail,  and    for   Chipp  to  bring  up  the   rear,  he  being    the 
second    in  command.     The  wind   and  sea  increased  very   rapidly,  and 
about  5  p.  M.  the  whale-boat  was  out  of  position  about  900  yards  off  the 
weather  quarter  of  the  first  cutter.     Melville  then  told  Danenhower  to 
take  charge  of  the  whale-boat.     On   the   morning  of  the   13th  no  boat', 
were  in  sight. 


CHAPTER    LXXXVIU. 


DK    I,()N(;  S     CUTT'JR      UKACHES     TIIK    (.OAST —  MIS     OIAKY     OK      .MISI()|{- 

TUNES AI,EXAI    SEES    A    HUT — ONLY    A    MOUND THE    DOG    I()|{ 

SUPPIZH EIUCKSEn's   HANPr,    FUGZEN — EIUED    DOG  MEAT TIIIKD- 

IIAND      TEA  —  DEPAKTINC;     OK     XINDEKM  \N      AND      NOIIOS  THE 

FORTUNES     OF    THE    \VH  ALE-I!OAt's     CREW HOSPITALITY     OF    AN 

EXILE LOSS    OF    CHIPP  — DK    LOXo's    DIARY    CLOSES DEATH    OF 

MOST    OF    THE    PARTY    -DANENHOWER's    STORY. 

The  first  cutter  under  immediate  command  of  De  Long,  reached  the 
Siberian  coast  on  the  i6tli  of  vSeptember,  but  could  not  reach  the  shore 
by  boat,  being  compelled  to  wade  waist-high  through  freezing  water 
and  broken  ice.  It  took  the  wliole  day  to  get  their  things  ashore,  all  the 
company  being  worn  out  and  frost-bitten,  Ninderman  and  Noros  only, 
being  in  anything  like  working  condition.  Unfortunately  they  struck 
one  of  the  most  northern,  remote,  and  desolate  of  the  mouths  of  the  Le- 
na. It  seems  a  strange  fatality  that  first  inspired  De  Long  with  the  idea 
of  making  for  the  Lena.  One  can  see  of  course,  that  the  effort  was  to 
reach  L-dvoutsk  by  their  Vioats  through  that  navigable  stream  before  it 
would  get  frozen  over  for  the  winter.  .Still,  one  can  hardly  forbear  re- 
flecting on  "  what  might  have  been "  hatl  thev  pushed  directly  for 
the  Siberian  coast.  In  half  the  three  months  they  had  consumed  in 
making  the  trip  by  way  of  the  New  Siberian  Islands,  they  would  have 
reached  tiie  mouth  of  the  Indigirka,and  the  village  of  Schewelcwo,  just 
above  its  delta.  Again,  had  they  on  leaving  Semenovskoi  Island  struck 
due  south,  tlicy  would  have  reached  the  Yana  River,  with  the  town  of 
Ustyansk  a  little  wav  above  its  delta,  about  two  hundred  miles  from  the 
sea.  Entering  the  Lena,  about  eight  hundred  miles  would  have  to  be 
traversed  by  land  or  water  betbre  reaching  Bulun,  the  first  point  of  any 

importance.     They  traveled  four  days,   and   tlie   Indian   Alexai   having 

815 


8l«i 


DE  LONG'S   DIAIiT. 


succeeded  in  killinj,'  two  dcci',   the    fourteen   men    and    two  dogs  fared 

sumptuously.      Four  days  more  brought   tliem    to  the  extremity  „f  a 

peninsula,  and  it  was  decided  to  pass  over  the   river  to   the  western  sidu. 
While  waiting  for  the  river  to  freeze,  Alexai  killed  a  deer  on   the   301),, 

and   they  were   again   able  to  get   momentary  relief.     On   (Jet.  ist,  they 

crossed  the  mouth,  or  along  which  they  had  traveled,  to  the  west 

side,  five  hundred  yards,  on  new  ice.     Lieut.  De  Long  left  this  account: 
"Saturday,  Oct.  1.— One  hundred  and  eleventh  day  [from  the   aban- 

donment  of   the   Jeannette],  and 

a   new   month.      Called  all   hands 

as   soon    as   the   cook    announced 

boiling    water,  and    at    6:45    '^'^^^ 

our  breakfast,  half  a  pound  of  deer 

meat,  and  tea       Sent  Ninderman 

and  Alexai  to  examine  the  main 

rixer,  other  men  to  collect  wood. 

The  doctor   resumed   the  cutting 

away  of  poor  Ericksen's  toes  this 

morning.      No  doubt  it  will  have 

to  continue  until  his  feet  are  gone, 

unless  death  ensues,  or  we  got  to 

some    settlement.     Only  one   toe 

left    now.     Weather    clear,   light 

northeast  airs,  barometer  30.15  at  gko.  w.  mki.vuxe. 

6:05.       The    temperature    iS"   at   7:30      Ninderman   and   Alexai   were 

Ncen   to   have  crossed,  and    I    immediately   sent   men   to   carry   our   load 

over,      r^eft  the  following  record: 

»  'Saturday,  Oct.  i,  1 88 1.- Fourteen  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
United  States  Arctic  steamer  Jeannette  reached  this  hut  on  Wednesdav, 
Sept.  28,  and,  having  been  forced  to  wait  for  tlie  river  to  freeze  over,  are 
pnjceeding  to  cross  to  the  west  side  this  morning  on  their  journey  to 
reach  some  settlement  on  the  Lena  River.  We  Iiave  two  days'  pro- 
visions, but  having  been  fortunate  enough  thus  far  to  get  game  in  our 
pressing  needs,  v;e  ha\e  no  fear  for  the  future. 


TWO  HUTS  /.V  SIGHT,  gj^ 

'•'Our  party  arc  all  well  except  o„e  ,nan,  I->:ckscn,  whose  toes  hav. 
bee.,  amputated  i„  consequence  of  frost-b.te.  Other  records  will  be 
found  in  several  huts  on  the  east  side  of  this  river,  along  which  we  have 
come  troni  the  north. 

"At  8:30  made  the  final  trip,  and  got  our  sick  man  over  in  safety 
From  M.ere  we  proceeded  until  11:30,  dragging  our  man  on  the  sled. 
Halted  for  dinner,  half  a  pound  of  meat,  and  tea.  At  i  went  ahead 
agan.  until  5:05.  Actually  under  way,  8:30  to  9:15,  ,  to  1:40,  3:35  to  4, 
9:30  to  10:30,  I  =50  to  3:10,  4:t5  to  4:35,  10:30  to  10:30,  ^,^o  to  3:40, 
4:45  to  5  :o5,  3  to  3 :35.     At  8  p.  m,  crawled  into  our  blankets. 

"Sunday,  Oct.  3.-1  think  we  all  slept  fairly  well  until  midnight,  but 
from  that  time  forward  it  was  so  cold  and  uncomfortable  that  sleep  was 
out  of  the  question.  At  4:  30  we  were  all  out  and  i.i  front  of  the  firee 
dayhght  just  appearing.  Ericksen  kept  talking  in  his  sleep  all  ni^ht,  and 
efFectually  kept  those  awake  who  were  not  already  awakened  by  the 
cold.  Breakfast  at  5  a.  M._half  pound  of  meat,  and  tea.  Bright,  cloud- 
less morning,  light,  northern  airs;  barometer  30.30  at  5:33;  cemperatt-re 
at  6,  35°.  At  7  went  ahead,  following  the  frozen  water  whenever  we 
could  find  it,  and  at  9:  20  I  felt  quite  sure  we  had  gone  some  distance  on 
the  man.  river.  I  think  our  gait  was  at  least  two  miles  an  hour,  and  our 
time  under  way  3h.  40m.  I  calculate  our  forenoon  work  at  least  six 
miles. 

"Two  miles  an  hour  distance  make  good  ten  to  twelve  milas,  and 
where  are  we?  I  think  it  the  beginning  of  the  Lena  River,  at  last.  So- 
gastcr  [a  village  he  had  expected  to  have  fallen  in  with]  has  been  to  us  a 
myth.  We  saw  two  old  huts  at  a  distance,  and  this  was  .11;  but  they 
were  out  of  our  road,  and  the  day  not  h-^!f  gone.  Kept  on  the  ice  all  the 
way,  and  therefore  think  we  were  over  water;  but  the  stream  was  so 
narrow  and  so  crooked  that  it  never  could  have  been  a  navigable  stream. 
My  chart  is  simply  useless.  I  must  go  on  plodding  to  the  southward,' 
trusting  in  God  to  guide  me  to  some  settlement,  for  I  have  long  since 
realized  that  we  are  powerless  to  help  ourselves.  A  bright,  calm,'beauti- 
ful  day  brought  sunshine  to  cheer  us  up.  An  icy  road  and  one  day's 
rations  yet.     Boats  frozen,  of  course,   and  hauled  up.     No   hut   in  si-ht 


biS 


MAN'S    TRACK  SEEN. 


and  we  halt  en  •:  bluff  to  spend  a  cold  and  comfortless  ni.^ht.  Supper- 
l'^''-  po.uul  meat,  and  tea.  Built  a  rousinj?  (Ire.  Huilt  a  log  bed.  Set  -x 
vvatcb,  two  hours  each,  to  keep  fire  jjoiuj.,  and  j^et  supper.  Then  wl 
stood  by  for  a  secon.I  cold  and  wretched  nij,.ht.  There  was  so  much 
wnul  we  had  to  put  up  our  tent  halves  for  a  screen,  and  sit  shiverin.. 
under  half  blankets. 

"Monday,   Oct.   3,    .SSi._,  13th  day.     It  was  so  fearfully  cold   and 
wretched  that  I  served  out  alcohol  to  all  hands,  and  on  this  we  manajjed 
to  l.ve  along  tnUil  5  a.  m.,  when  we  ate  our  dinner,  meat,  and  had  more 
tea      Our  morning  n.eal  now  consists  of  4-^  of  a  pound  of  pemmican 
each,  and  a  half-starved  dog.    May  God  again  incline  unto  our  aid !    How 
much  farthe.  wc  have  to  go  before  making  a   shelter  or  settlement.  He 
only  knows.     Brisk  winds,  barometer  30..3  at  i  =50  ten.perature.     Erick- 
scn  seems  failing.     He  is  weak  and  powerless,  and  the  moment  he  closes 
h.s  eyes,  talks,  mostly   in   Danish,  German,  and   English.     No  one  can 
sleep,  even  though  our  other  surroundings  permitted.     For  some  cause 
my  watch  stopped  at  10:45  last  night  while  one  of  the   men  on   w.tch 
had  .t.      I  set  ,t  as  near  as  I  could  by  guessing,  and  we  must  run  by  th-.t 
UMfl  I  can  do  belter.     Sun  rose  yesterday  morning  at  6:40  by  the  watch 
when  running  all  right.     Total  travel  for  two  hours  thirty-five  minutes 
say  five  miles.  ' 

"Our  force  means  work.      I  put  as  above  five  miles.     Some  time  and 
distance  was  lost  by  crossing  the  river  upon  seeing  numerous   fox   traps 
A  man's  track  was  also  seen  in  the  snow,  bound  south,  and  we  followed' 
it  untd  ,t  crossed   the   river  to   the   west   bank   again.     Here   we  were 
obhged  to  go  back  again  in  our  tnacks,  foi^  the  river  was  open  in  places 
and  we  could  not  follow  the  man's  track  direct.     Another  of  the  dozen 
shoals  that  infest  the  river  swung  us  ofF  to  the  eastward,  too,  and  I  hast- 
ened to  get  on  the  west  bank  again,  reaching  there  at   10  minutes  to   13 
for  dmner-our  last  four-fourteenths  of  a  pound  of  pemmican 

"At  forty  minutes  past  i  got  under  way  again,  and  made  a  lon<. 
spurt  unt.1  twenty  minutes  past  ..  While  at  the  other  side  of  the  rive^^ 
Alexa.  said  he  saw  a  hut,  and  during  our  dinner  camp  he  said  he  again 
saw  a    hut.     Wiien    reached,   however,    after  a   hard    struc.le,  it    w.. 


A  ooii  run  sui-i'uit.  |j|„ 

""lW"«  1"..  a  moun.1  ,„■  „a„l,.     Sick  a,  h.ar,    I  ,„,L,,j  .,  ,„,„,,  ,.,  ,„ 

l0."f,',ana  burnmg  our  clothes  while  ihc  col.l  wi.ul  a,c  i„l„  our 
hack,  .A,Kl  „o„  for  .upper  „„i:,i„g  rcmaind  hul  the  .lojj.  1  o,- 
acTC<l  „n  killed  a„cl  .h-ccd  by  Wcrsou.  au.l  ,oo„  after  a  stew  sL  .na.lc 
of  such  part,,  a,  could  „„,  ,,„  carried,  of  which  everylxKly  except  the 
Doctor  a,..l  ,„y,el  eagerly  partook.  To  u,  two  it  wa,  a  uauiati,,, 
me  .  a„d-hut  why  .o  o„  with  ,„ch  a  <li,a.recahle  suhject.  Warn,  wt- 
c..uld  no.  ,et,  and  .e.,i„.  Ury  ,ee,„e,l  out  of  question.     Every  one  seen.cd 

r     ^"'  ;.""""'°' ■■'  '  '•"■■"-'  ™-  ■"■  -  -"'I  l--l>  .iurfn,,  the  „i«h. 

ow  cold  ,t  wa,  I  do,,,  know,  a,  ,„y  ,a„  ,her,„on,etcr   wa,  broken  ..y' 
my    u,a„y  tails   upon  the  ice,  hut  1  think  it  n.nst  have  been  below  zero. 

■     "■■''  ::'";'"  '"  ^"^P  '""  "-  .-"i"S.  -..1  we  middled  arotuul  it,  an,l 

thus  our  ,h,„l  uisht  without  sleep  was  passe.1.  Ericknon's  groans  and 
n.m  m  ,„,  rang  out  on  the  night  air,  and  such  a  dreary,  wretched 
mght  I  hope  I  shall   never  again  see. 

"Tuesday,  Oct.  4-,  ,,t,„|„,.     ,,.  ,„,  „.,,  ^^  ^_,.  ^ 

.d    began  to  utove  around,  and  the „,,  ,,.,  .„  „„,.,    ,„„,.;     ^^^ 

1  he  Doctor  now  ,„„„e  the  ,u,plea.u,.  discovery  that  ICricksen  had  got 
l^s  «loves  oir  .lurn,g  the    night,  and   that  now    his  hands   u-ere  frozen. 
Men  vvere  at  once  set  at  work  rubbing  them,  and  by  6  ...  „.  had  so  far 
.estored    circulation  as  to  risk  utoviug  the    u,an.     Each  one   has  hastily 
swallowed   a    eup  of  tea,  and  got  his  load   in  readiness.     Erickseu   wa^ 
quttc  unconscious,  aud  we  lashetl  him  „„  ,|,e  sled.     At  ,0  a.  m.  Alexai 
wont  off  .0  hunt,  hnt  returned  at  noon  we,,  having  broken  th,„,.gh  the 
.c=  and  fallen  n,  the  .river.    A,  6  ,..  „.  we  roused  up,  and  I  considered  it 
nocessa,y  ,0  think  of  some  food  for  n,y  party.     Half  a  pound  of  do. 
moa    vvas  Inctl   for  each  person,  and  a  cnp  of  tea  given,  an.l  that  con! 
»t,.„.ed  our  day's  footi,  but  we  were  so  grateful    that  we  were   not  ex- 
posed  to  the  merciless  southwest  gale  that  tore  around  us,  th.at  we  did 
not  mtntl  short  rations."    Ericksen  died  Oct.  6,  a.  8:45  .v.  „.     The  nar- 
rative of  the  intervening  d.ays  consists  of  the  same  sickening  .account 

"Sttntlay,  the  9.h._AII  hands  at  4:30.     Half  an  ounce  of  alcohol, 
Read  d.vme  service.     Sent  Xintlcr.nan  and  Noros  alicad  Cor  relief" 


m 
^\'i 


820 


MEL  VI L  LE\S  FUJiTUxVES. 


They  started    at    7.     Noros    thus    records    De    Lonjr's    instructions: 
"If  you    find    jramc,   return    to    us;    if  you  do  not,  <ro   on  to  Kumak- 
suti."     "All  the  men,"  says  the  same,  "shook  hands   with   us,   and    most 
of  them  had  tears  in  their  eyes.     Collins  was   the   last;    he   simply   said: 
'Noros,  when  you  -et  to  New  York,  remember  me.'      They   seemed   to 
have  lost  hope,  but  as  we  left,  they  <,rave  us  three  cheers.     We  told  them 
we  would  do  all  that  we  could  do,  and  that  was  the  last  we  saw  of  them. 
We  started  without  a  particle  of  food.      I  had  a  pair  of  sealskin  trousers. 
We  cut  pieces  from  these  and  chewed  them  until  we  were  found  by  the 
natives.      We  were  so  weak  we  could  hardly  stand.      I  believe  that  if  we 
had  had  to  endure  our  suiFerin:4s  for  two  days  lonj^^er  we  would  have  shot 
ourselves.      The  natives  took  us  to  their  camp  and   gave  us  plenty  to  eat 
and  drink.     The  result  was,  we  were  both  quite  sick  for  some  time.    We 
were  taken  to  a  villa,ge,  and  from  there  to  Bulun.     At  Bulun  we  tried  to 
.U^et  a  tele-ram  sent,  but  could  not  make  them  understand.     We  supposed 
that  we  were  the  only  two  men  alive  out  of  the  whole  expedition.    Then 
we  heard  of  a  lioat's  crew   landing-   at   one   of  the    mouths   of  the    Lena. 
The  l)oat  proved  to  be   Melville's,   and    as  soon   as   they   learned   of  our 
arrival  at  JJulun  they  joined  us  at  that  place,  so  there  were  thirteen  of  us 
alive." 

HOW   IT   FARED   WITH   THE   WHALE-BOAT'S  PEOPLE. 

Meanwhile,  the  whale-boat,  under  Melville  and  Daneuhower,  with 
much  difficulty  and  throujj^h  j,r,-cat  dan,!.(ers,  had  entered  the  eastern 
mouths  of  the  Lena,  landing  also  on  the  i6tli,— in  loS  hours  from  Seme- 
novski,  and  three  months  from  their  first  camp  near  the  spot  where  the 
Jeannette  went  down.  Here  they  found  a  deserted  hut,  and  soon  built  a 
lire,  and  wearied  as  they  were,  prematurely  huddled  around  its  grateful 
glow  before  the  circulation  had  been  restored  bv  a  little  inealthful  exer- 
cise. Daneidiower  alone  had  sutHcient  self-restraint  to  observe  this  pre- 
caution; and  he  was  soon  in  much  lietter  condition  than  his  comrades. 

On  Saturday,  the  17th  of  Seijlember,  Melville's  party  proceeded  up 
the  river  in  t!ie  whale-boat,  m  iking  about  thirty  miles,  when  they  en- 
camped for  the    niglit    on    the    bank.     On   Sunday,  about  i  i  a.  m.,  they 


I 


FRIENDS  INDEED.  goi 

noticed  fwo  huts,  and  concluded  to  land,  and  devote  the  remainder  ..f  the 
day  to  rest.  It  was  the  only  day  of  real  repose  they  had  enjoyed  for  a 
long  time.  The  very  next  day  they  fell  in  with  three  natives,  of  the 
Toungous  tribe,  and  their  safety  was  assured,  though  there  were 
yet  many  delays  and  annoying  hindrances  from  men  and  nature  before 
they  could  reach  the  confines  of  civilization.  On  the  20th  tb-^y  nvulc 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  push  up  the  river  without  a  pilot,  and 
e.icountering  shoals,  they  returned  to  camp.  Meanwhile,  their 
Toungous   friends    had    summoned  a  man  of  some  prominence  in  the 


EXTERIOR  OK  COrmCT-IIUT  IN  SIBERIA. 

tribe,  Vasili  Koolgiyork,  or  liasil  Cut-ear,  who  now  received  them  with 
great  kindness,  and  volunteered  to  serve  as  pilot.  On  the  2  1st  they  a-ain 
set  out  with  Vasili  and  two  of  the  other  Toungouses  i„  three  viaikal  or 
canoes,  sounda.g  the  way  aliead,  an.l  in  three  days  reached  tlie  camp  of 
one  Spiridon.  Here  Vasili  was  replaced  by  one  of  Spiridon's  men  as 
pilot,  and  on  the  26th  reache<l  the  small  village  of  which  Nicolai 
Shagra  was  chief,  where  they  also  met  a  Russia.!  exile  named  Yaphcm 
or  Euphemius,  Kopelloff.     On    the  .7th   they   set    forward  again,  with 


I 


883 


yl   /fl/SS/AJV  EXILE. 


these  two  as  pilots,  but  were  compelled  by  b.-ul  weather    and  new  ice  to 
rctnrn  to  the  villaoe.      It  was  now   declared    by    Shaqra   that    their  best 
course  would  be  to  wait  mteen  days  for  the  Ireezin.,  of  the  r,ver,and  then 
perform  the  jonrney  by  sledges.      In  point  of  fact,  the  river  was    frozen 
tlie  next  day,  and  in  a  week  the  ice  was  fit  for  sled^ri„„   j,,  ,„,„,.   j,,^^^,^^ 
Another  Russian  exile,  named  Dimitri,  or  Jeremiah   Kusmah,  now    vis- 
.ted  them,  and  took  Da,ienhou-er  to  his  hut.      His  wife,  a  Yakut  woman 
presented  the  visitor  with  son.e  tobacco,  a  small   \y.vr   of   ,ve   iloi„-,  some' 
susar,  two  bricks  of  tea,  and   some  salt.      Knsn,ah  ^^ave   him   a   reindeer 
vveighm.^^  when  dressed,  nincty-five  pounds,  all  of  which    were  very  ac- 
ceptable additions  to  their  limited  stores.      Waitin,^.   for   the    ice   to  <n-ou- 
'  slron..,^  the  trip  to  the  sonth  was  .Idayed  until  the  i6th  of  October  when 
Kusn.ah  and  Shao;,a  started  fbr  Hulun,  to   accjuaint  the   Russian   Juthor- 
it.es  with  their  position  and  condition.      A  Ibw    davs   later,  the  enterpris- 
n.^^  Danenhower  made  an  e.Tort,  with,  the  help  of, he  friendiv  Toun-^ouses 
nnd  kusmah,  to  reach  Harkin,  at  the  extreme  tu.rtheast  point  of  th^Lena 
Deha,  which  he  was  assured  was  only  about  thirtv-five  miles  away       He 
soon  foutid,  as  the  natives  had  asserte<l,  that  the  ice  was  not  stronj.  Jnou-.h, 
and    returned,   disappointed,  after  four    davs'  absence.      The    cmvoys^to 
^'»1»"  'li'l    not  ^et  back  untd  the  29th,  brin^in;,  Inead  and   supplied,  and 
^'   I^-ul    letter    from   the  co.nmauder  of  Ih.lun;  also  a  verv  startlin.^  piece 
of  intelli^.ence  to  the  Americans.     At  Hulknr,  on  their  return,  thev  fell  in 
u  uh   two  of  De  Long's  party,  Ninderman  and   Noros,  who  sent  a  letter 
to  Melville  accp.ainting  him  with  the  conditio,!    in   which   they  had   left 
then-  comrades.      Taking  \'as,li    as   guide,  Melville  set  out  the  next  day 
lor    iJulnu,  and    passed    the    Commander    Baishoff  on   his  way  out    by 
another  route,  each  reaching  his  destination  ont.,.   1st  of  Novembe.'.    " 
De    Long's    diary    continues:       "  Thtu'sdav,    i3._Willow    tea.     No 
news     from    Xinderman.      Went    down    in    a    hole    in    the    bank,    and 
■nto   cantp.      Sen,    back    for   Lee.      He   had   laid  down  and  was  waiting, 
to    Che.     All    nnite<l    in    saying   the    Lord's    Prayer,    and    crie.I.     AftcT 
supper    a    strong    gale  of   wind;     horrible    night.      Fridav— Breakfast, 
wd!ow   tea;    dinner,  one-half  teaspoonful  of  sweet  oil,  and   willow  tea. 
Alexai  shot  <.ne  ptarmigan.     Ha.l  soup.     Wind  moderating.     Saturday, 


CLOSE   OF  DE  LONCPS  DIART. 


833 
Oct.  i5.-Brcakfast,  willow  tea,  and  two  old  boots      r       i    , 

at  sunrise.     Alexai  breaks  down;  also  Lee      Co.  '"  ""'^ 

h..if        1  ..  vv",  aiso  L,ee.     Come  to  empty  o-rain  raff 

Alexai  broke  down.     Divine  service      \r      .  a,     """">•'-''='■  "5— 

baptized  hi™,    read  praye.  f         e  ,ic  iTc^"'^^""^'"^^^  '^"""'- 

ve-ir«  old       a  I      .  '    ine  sick.      Mr.  Collins' l,irtliilay—fortv 

yeais  old  About  sunset  Alexai  died  of  e.xhanstioi,  fr„,„  s.-Litioif 
Covered  i„  the  ensign,  and  laid  him  in  ,he  crib.     Tuesdav     C  1  ' 

mild;  snow  falling;  buried  A.lexiii„H,       f,  '""'lav- Calm  and 

ant,  covered  hi.„":vi.h  slabf .^  "':;^''^"^  ""  *^'  -' 
-<e  root  gear.  Boc.or  went  ahead  to  «„d  i^X  Lir:;:,:" 
T  u.da>^Bright  and  sunny,  but  vc,v  cold.     Lee  a'„d  KaacI    d l         ' 

d::  as  gi  r ;  :r  ■', '""  r  -  -  -  --  -^  -^ 

X.       ,  *-       "•      ^'-^"' ''-*>— ^"«   ^^'cak  to  carry  bodies  of  Lee -uKl 

r  '°  '^'"■"■"'  '""  "''--'«,     Then  my  eyes  closed  up.     .Sunday 

Everybody  pretty  weak;  slept  ..r  rested   lo.day,  and  .he,,  ....:!^~ 
Ut  enough  wood  in  by  dark.     Read  par.  of  the  divine  service.     .S„  e 
'n,    n    our    fee,;    „o    foot   gear.     M„„day_A  hard  ni,h,.     Tuesdav 
Wednes  ay   Thui,d.ay,.7.h,,he  one  hu„d,-ed   and    thirt -.seveu.rty : 
Iverson  broken  down.     F,,,„y_,vers„„  died  during  iheearlv  ,uori  Tg.' 
Saturday    .9  h-Dressler  died   during   .h,   „i„ht,     Sundav,  Oct.  30 

One  hnudre     and  fortieth  day.     Boy id  G6rt.  died  durhig  ,hc  ,     :„, 

Ml.  Colhns  dym"-."  ^ 

an,l  Ah  .Sa,„,  ,he  cook,   must    have  died  soon  after  the  last  iio.e  was 


CHAPTER    LXXXIX. 


THE  LOSS  OF  THE  JEANNETTE  PKOCl.AIMED  —  MELVILLE  STARTS  IN 
SEARCH  OF  DE  LONG— HIS  PLAN— MELVILLE  FINDS  THE  BODIES 
OF  DE  LONG  AND  PARTY  -  GILDER's  STORY  -  THEIR  COMMOV 
GRAVE— NO  TRACES  OF  CHIPP— THE  SURVIVORS  RETURN  HOME 
—  CASKETS  FORWARDED- FORMAL  EXAMINATION  OF  DANEX- 
HOWER  AND  MELVILLE— SCHEMES  TO  REACH  THE  POLE— POLAR 
SCIENTIFIC    CONGRESS. 

And  now,  on  the  19th  of  December,  the  news  of  the  disaster 
was  flashed  over  the  civilized  world,  the  first  telegram  from  St.  Peters- 
burg oeing:  "The  Governor  of  Eastern  Siberia  announces  that  the 
American  polar  ship,  Jeannette,  has  been  found,  and  her  crew  succored." 
Telegrams,  letters  and  interviews  followed,  and  the  main  facts  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  their  countrymen  and  the  government,  which  took  speedy 
measures  to  do  everything  possible  for  the  comfort  of  the  survivors,  and 
gather  all  ascertai.iable  facts  relating  to  the  lost,  being  ably  seconded  by 
Mr.  Bennett  and  the  Russian  government. 

The  Governor-General  of  Eastern  Siberia,  who  happened  to  be  in 
St.  Petersburg,  when  he  received  information  of  the  arrival  of  the  ship- 
wrecked crew  of  the  Jeannette  in  the  region  under  his  command,  imme- 
diately  proceeded  to  Gatschina  and  saw  the  Emperor,  who  personally 
ordered  that  all  supplies  that  were  necessary  for  food,  clothing,  money 
and  transportation,  should  be  placed  at  their  disposal. 

About  Dec.  29  Melville  arrived  at  lakoutsk,  from  his  first  trip 
in  search  of  De  Long.  He  had  found  a  larger  working  force  neces- 
sary, and  also  the  official  indorsement  of  the  Russian  authorities  at  that 
point.  He  had  been  gone  twenty-three  days  from  Bulun,  and  had  traced 
De  Long  as  far  as  a  summer  hunting  station  called  Sisteransk,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Lcia,  and  that  the  party  must  be  between  that  point 


830 


hfEL  VILLE   AV  SEARCH  OF  DE  LONG. 


and  Bulkur,  neither  of  which  places  is  mariced  on  the  maps.    There  was 
no  hope  that  they  were  still  alive,  as  the  region  is  devoid  of  "same  as  well 
as  of  uihabitants.     The  commandant  at  Huiun  was  to  continue  the  search 
with  such  resources  as  he  could  command,  while  Melville  went  forward 
to  headquarters  to  secure   the   co-operation   of  the    hij^her  authorities  at 
lakoutsk.     Two  days  later  the  rest  of  the  men  arrived  from  Bulun-  and 
on  New  Year's  Day,  1SS3,  the  tiiirteen  survivors  of  the  "American  Polar 
Expedition"  of  1S79,  were  at  lakoutsk,  the  local  capital  of  Northeastern 
Siberia,  in   latitude  63°,  and   longitude    139"   44'    .ast,   with  a  resident 
population-half  Russian,  half  Yakouts  and  others-of  about  5,000.    The 
most  of  the  company  were  in  good  physical  condition;  but  Danenhower's 
left  eye  was  completely  disabled,  and  the  right  one  endangered   throu-di 
sympathy.    Cole   was   mentally  aiFected-a    n.ild   type   of  insanity,   and 
Leach  was  suffering  from  frozen  feet.     The  trip  from   Bulun   had   taken 
thirty-six  days. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  Danenhower  and  nine  others  proceeded 
southwest  to  Irkoutsk,the  capital  of  Eastern  Siberia,  latitude  53"  17' 
2",  and  longitude  104-  ,6'  3,"  east,  with  a  population  of  about 
33,000 -a  trip  of  over  1600  miles.  On  their  arrival  they  were 
received  in  tho  most  courteous  and  hospitable  manner  by  citizens 
and  officials,  being  invited  to  social  gatherings  and  popular  festivitie- 
at  all  of  which  they  behaved  with  great  care,  and  won  golden  opinions 
from  their  hosts.  They  were  all  lodged  together  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Strelofsky,  the  private  secretary  of  Gen.  Pedachenko,  the  vice-governor- 
general  of  Eastern  Siberia. 

On  the  37tli  of  January,  1S83,  Melville  started  again  for  the  north  in 
search  of  what  he  felt  would  be  the  remains  an<l  relics  of  De  Long  and 
his  party.  He  was  accompanied  by  Ninderman  and  Bartlett  of  the^ship's 
company,  and  organized  three  searching  parties.  The  first  was  headed 
by  Ninderman  and  the  Russian  LobokofT;  the  second  by  Bartlett  and 
Sergeant  Koliukin;  and  the  third  by  himself  and  Gronbeck-each  with 
a  dog-sledge  and  Yakout  driver. 

The  search  was  to  be  carried  on  by  the  three  parties  as  follows :_« I 
propose,"  he  says,  "to  establish  n  <lepot  at  Bulun  ior  all  supplies-center  .i 


DE  LONG'S   BODY  FOUND. 


827 


operations  at 'Two  Crosses',  near  Mount  Yai — one  party  to  go  as  far 
north  as  Sisteransk  and  worl<  back  to  Two  Crosses;  one  party  to  work 
south  half-way  to  Bulkur;  oiu-  ])arty  to  work  from  Bulkur  north  to  Two 
Crosses.  These  three  parties  houkl  be  able  to  search  the  whole  of  the 
country  between  Sisteransk  and  Bulkur  in  twenty  days  after  leavin"- 
the  depot.  Thi^  being  completed,  the  depot  will  be  moved  to  Cathcon- 
tce,  between  Sisteransk  and  Ouvina;  one  party  to  follow  the  northern 
and  west  rn  branches  of  the  Lena  as  far  as  the  river  Olenek;  second 
party  to  follow  the  northwestern  branch  of  the  Lena  and  work  up  to- 
ward Upper  I'ulun;  the  third  party  to  work  from  Upper  Bulun  on  the 
northwest  coast  southwest,  to  meet  the  second  party.  This  \vill  complete 
the  search  loi-  Lieutenants  Dc  Long  and  Chipp  as  far  west  as  the  Inner 
Olenek." 

All  supplies  were  to  have  been  at  Bulun  on  Feb.  15;  and  the 
searciier^  were  to  be  m  the  wilderness  by  March  i.  "[  can  search 
all  the  coast,"  says  Melville,  "between  March  i  and  June,  when  the 
floods  set  in  so  badly  we  cannot  work,  and  everything  that  is  on  mod- 
erately low  ground  will  be  swept  away.  I  kept  all  useful  men  with  me 
antl  have  hired  three  others  from  Yakutsk,  and  will  get  additional  assist- 
ance from  the  Cossack  commandant  at  Bulun,  and  if  the  people  are  on 
the  ground   thev  will  be  found." 

March  12,  1SS2,  Mr.  Jackson— a  correspondent  f)f  the  Herald,  who 
had  been  sent  forward  by  Mr.  Bennett  on  receipt  of  first  tidings  of  the 
loss  of  the  Jeannette — started  north  from  Irkoutsk. 

Mr.  Gilder,  who  it  will  be  remembered  brought  the  news  of  the  loss 
of  the  Rodgcrs  to  Vcrchoyansk,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the' 
search  for  the  missing  members  of  the  Jeannette  Expedition,  forwarded 
from  the  Lena  Delta,  April  13,  the  following  account  of  the  fuiding  of 
the  bodies  of  De  Long  and  his  ten  companions,  and  their  burial:  "  Mel- 
ville found  the  bodies  of  De  Long's  party  March  33d.  Thev  were  in 
two  places,  five  hundred  and  one  thousand  yards  from  the  wreck  of  the 
scow.  Melville's  searching  party  first  started  from  the  supply  depot  to 
follow  Ninderman's  route  from  Usterday  to  ^L^lvey,  and  afterward  from 
Maivey  l)ack  toward  Usterday.     They  stopped  at  the  place  which  Nind- 


828 


BURIAL  OF  DE  LONG  AND  PARTT. 


820 


ermiiu  ami  Noros  passed  the  first  day  after  thev  left,  De  Lon<^  feeling 
sufe  that  the  otiiers  liad  not  got  much  furtlier.  There  tliey  found  the 
wrecli,  and  following  along  the  bank,  th'jy  came  upon  a  rifle-barrel  hung 
upon  tour  sticks.  They  set  the  natives  digging  on  each  side  of  the  sticks, 
and  they  soon  came  upon  the  two  liodies  under  eight  feet  of  sii^w. 

"  While  these  men  were  digging  toward  the  east,  Melville  vsrent  on 
along  the  bank,  twenty  feet  above  the  river,  to  lind  a  place  to  take  bear- 
ings. He  then  saw  a  camp-kettle  and  the  remains  of  a  fire  al)out  a  thou- 
sand yards  from  the  teul,  ami,  approaching,  nearly  stumbled  upon  De 
Long's  hand,  stickiiig  out  of  the  snow,  about  thirty  feet  from  the  edge  of 
the  bank.  Here  uniler  about  a  foot  of  snow,  they  found  the  bodies  of 
De  Long  and  Ambler,  aliout  three  feet  apart,  and  Ah  Sam  lying  at  their 
feet — all  partially  covered  l^y  pieces  of  lent,  and  a  few  pieces  of  blanket. 
All  the  others  except  Alcxai  they  found  at  the  place  where  the  tent  was 
pitched.  Lee  and  Kaach  were  close  by  in  a  cleft  in  the  bank  toward  the 
west.  Two  boxes  of  records,  with  the  medicine  chest  and  a  flag  on  a 
stair,  were  beside  the  tent.  None  of  the  dead  had  lioots.  Their  feet 
were  covered  witii  rags  tleil  on.  In  the  pockeis  of  all  were  pieces  of 
burnt  skin  and  of  clothing  of  which  they  had  eaten.  The  hands  of  all 
were  more  or  less  l)urned,  and  it  looked  as  if  when  dying  they  had 
crawled  into  the  lire.  Boyd  was  lying  over  the  fire,  and  his  clothing 
burned  through  to  the  skin,  which  was  not  burned.  Collins'  face  was 
covered  with  a  cloak. 

All  the  bodies  were  carried  to  the  top  of  a  hill  three  hundred  feet 
high,  alK)ut  forty  versts  to  the  southwest  from  where  they  were  found, 
and  there  interred  in  a  mausoleum  constructed  of  wood  from  the  scow, 
built  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid,  twenty-two  feet  long  and  seven  high,  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross  twenty-two  feet  high  and  a  foot  scpiare,  hewn  out  of 
driftwood,  and  conspicuous  at  a  distance  of  twenty  versts.  The  mauso- 
lenin  was  covered  with  stones,  and  is  to  be  sodded  in  the  spring.  The 
cross  is  inscribed  with  the  record  autl  name  of  the  dead,  cut  in  by  the 
search  partv." 

Toward  the  end  of  March,    Danenhower,  Newcomb,  Cole  and  Long 
Sing  set  out  from  Irkoutsk   on   the   long   trip    for    home.     On  the  39ti'i 


830 


A   RECEPTION   IN  NEW  rORK. 


thc)  were  at  KiMsuoyaisk,  making  easy  marches  to  tlic  west,  and  on 
the  1st  of  May  arrived  at  St.  Petersburg.  About  a  week  later  they 
left  Cronstadt  f.,r  Hull,  Eu<,'land,  and  on  the  jSlh  of  M.ty,  1SS2,  tlie'v 
were  in  New  ^  ork— the  lirst  arrivals  iVoni  the  Jeannette— where  they 
were  received  with  much  enthusiasm.  Similar  recei^tions  followed  at 
Philadel[)hia    and    Washinirtoii. 

Melville  wrote  from  lakoutsk  on  the  37th  of  March  that  he  would 
leave  for  IJnlun  on  the  29th.  ]  l\  liad  concluded  th  th,  .t,  ,mer 
Lena— which  was  to  be  turned  over  to  him  as  the  represe-Uativo  of  Mr. 


TUI-.  JI..V.-,.,;    rli-;  Si-.AKI  li    l.XI'hlJU'lD.V. 

IJennett,  by  the  representative  of  Mi.  Sibiriakoir— would  be  useless  f-r 
his  purpose.  He  preferred  to  enLra,t,'e  a  steam  launch  to  come  down  to 
Bulun  for  news,  or  to  take  him  hack  \\\  Jur.e.  0\\  the  jd  of  April  he 
wrote  from  Ivara-j^a  Tcrinsky,  sev  .aity  miles  north  of  lakoutsk,  liin  he 
met  the  ispravnik  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  (Wilder  to  Vcrciiovau-k, 
and  that  the  latter  had  .^one  in  search  of  the  survivors  of  the  [eamiette. 

On  theSth  of  April  Secretary  Hunt  cabled  Lieut.  Harber  authority 
to  draw  f)r  the  funds  necessary  to  hire  the  steamer  Lena  for  a  season ; 
hut  the  conlracL  was  not  eumplclcd,  ami    another   was   purchased,  which 


;l|iF''ri 


Hiijil  I' 


831 


Br"--— ■nimnninriiii 


882 


OFFICIAL    EXAMINATION. 


was  t..  be  found   on  the  Vitim  River,  a  conHucnt  of  the  Lena.     Subse- 
quent dispatches  told  of  the  severe  horseback  journey  of  Ilarber,  Scheutze, 
and  their  party  over  the  mountains  from   Iricout.ic   to  Vitimsk,  the  post-' 
road  along  the  Lena  being  impassable  through  water  and  ice.     They  ar 
rived  on  the  28th  of  April,  and  it  was  expected  the  Lena  would  be  free 
of  ,ce  on  the  ist  of  June,  and  then  would  com.nence  the   voyage   north 
m  search  of  the  remains   and    rdics  of  Chipp's  party.     Meanwhile,  the 
party  were  busy  building  boats   and  dories  for  use  with  the  vessel  in  ex- 
ploring the  mouths  of  the  river.     With  the  conse.U  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  the  six  well  men  of  the  Jeannette,  still  remaining  at  Irkouisk 
volunteered  to  serve  under  Harber  and  Scheutze  in  the  search  for  their 
missing  comrades. 

On  September  2d,  eleven  hermetically  sealed  and  otherwise  specially 
construstcd  caskets  were  sent  out  from  New  York,  to  be  used  in  bring- 
mg  home  for  permanent  burial,  the  bodies  of  De  Long  and  his 
companions. 

On  the  i3ih  of  September,  Engineer  Melville,  with  Nindcrman  and 
Noros,  and  Lieut.  Berry  of  the  Rodgers,  arrived  in  New  York,  where 
they  received  a  cordial  greeting,  followed  by  similar  demonstrations  at 
Philadelphia  and  Wasiiington.  , 

In  the  months  of  October  and   November  a  formal   inquirv  into  the 
loss  of  the  Jeannette,  and    many  of  her  officers  and  men,  was  made  by 
a  special  committee  of  Congress,  appoints  In  advance  for  that  purpose 
Lieut.  Danenhower  and   Engineer    Melville  were  orally  examined  with 
great  minuteness  of  detail,  and  each  submitted  a  formal  and  full  report- 
Nothing  different  from    the   foregoing  narrative  was  developed.     There 
has  been  no  serious  doubt  at  any  time  in  the  minds  of  reflecting  men  that 
they  all  did  their  duty  to  the  best  of  their  knowledge  and   ability.     Nor 
is  there  any  evidence  of  serious  misunderstanding  between  the  officers,  as 
has  been  sometimes  alleged.     Mistakes  and  miscalculations  were  inevita- 
ble, and  they  began  from   the  first,  and  did    not  end  till  the  close  of  the 
ill-planned,  ill-fated  expedition.     The  careful    reader   of  this   volume  or 
voyages  will  have  no  difficulty  in  detecting  many;  and  it  would  serve  no 
good  purpose  to  more  definitely  point  them  out. 


STATIONS  FO/i  OnSBliVATIONS. 
POLAR  SCIENTIFIC  COLONIES. 


888 


»  .„,.»tc.l  a  few  year,  ajjo,  was  cn.platoi  in  ehc  summer  of    ,  SS,      'r>, 
ob,orvaUo„,  wc.  ,..  co,„„k.„cc  „„  U,„  „.  of  Aa,.„     ,Ss"  a  kI    '     , 

m.n.«.         ■  "'-^  "''^'"'"'  investigations.     The  inst.i. 

mental  equipments  of  the  sevHi-i I   o. ..        r    >  i  hl  uistui- 

.     j;^ '  tnest.veial   corps  ot  observation,  as   well  as   the 


COMMANDKH   CKV.Vk's   PI.A.V  KOK    RKACHNG  THE  POLK 

abilities  of  the  practical  scientists  comprising  them,  insure  as  tnoro,..u 
work  as  will  he  fonn.l  practicable  in  those  hi-jh  latitudes.  They  are  clL 
tribiited  as  follows: 

Th.  United  States  has  two, both  established  in  Au,,n.st,  i88i,to  afford 
ample  tnne  for  preliminary  observations  and  parti.d  acclimation  before 
con.nencin<,  the  preconcerted  work  nearly  a  year  later.  One  is  at  Ladv 
iM-ankhn  liay,  nnder  Lieut.  A.  W.Greeley,  fully  provisioned  for  two 
years,  and  consists  of  four  officers,  besides  the  commander,  and  rinefeen 
men  of  the  United  States  Signal  Service  Corps,  and  one  newspaper  cor- 


834 


THE  EUROPEAN  STATIONS. 


respondent.     The  steam-whaler  Neptune   attempted    to  carry  forward  a 
relief  party  and  additional  stores,  l.-aving    New  York  July  8,  1S83,  but 
was  stopped  by  pack-ice  in  latitude  79°  20',  or  about  160  miles  short  of 
her  destination.     She,  however,  established  supply  depots  for  the  use  of 
the  colony  on  their  return.     The  other  American  colony  is  at  Point  Bar- 
row, under  Lieut.  Ray,  with  a  similar  corps  of  assistants,  and  similarly 
supplied.     England  and  Canada  have  one  colony  at  Fort  Simpson,  inter- 
mediate between  the  two  of  the  United  States;  and    Denmark  has  one 
on  the   vest  coast  of  Greenland,  the    t.)ur   covering  about  100  degrees  of 
loncritudc,  and  the  American  division  of  this  cir'  tnipolar  cordon  of  sci- 
cntific  stations.     Denmark  has  also  a  Polar  expedition  out  in  the  Dympna, 
under  Lieut,  llovgaard,  a  volunteer  subordinate  of  Nordenskiold,  in  the 

Vega,  in  1878-9. 

Austria-Hungary  has  a  station  at  Jan  Mayer  Island;  France  one  at 
Spitzbergen.  Sweden  and  Norway  also  one  at  Spitzbergen,  and  one  at 
Altencraard,  in  Finnmark;  and  Russia,  one  at  Nova  Zembla.  These 
five,  together  with  Hovgaard's  movable  station,  in  the  region  of  Franz- 
J(;sef  Land,  cover  eighty  degrees  of  longitude,  and  constitute  the  European 

division. 

Russia  has  her  chief  station  on  the  Lena  Delta,  under  Nicholas  Jur- 
gens,  an  officer  of  the  corps  of  pilots,  with  Doctor  Bangs,  Mathematician 
and  ICngineer,  nine  soUliers,  and  two  Cronstadt  marines,  besides  such 
additional  help  as  they  may  need,  to  be  supplied  by  the  government  of 
Eastern  Siberia.  The  Netherlan.ls  have  one  at  Port  Dickson,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  W  nisei;  and  a  movable  one,  the  steamer  William  Barenz, 
undn  Lieut,  llof man,  who  is  under  orders  to  make  a  prolonged  cruise 
for  purposes  of  meteon)l.)gical  and  other  scientific  ol)servations,  in  the  Arc- 
tic (Jcean.  Germany  has  one  station  in  the  North  Pacific.  These  four 
constitute  the  Asiatic  division,  and  cover  very  inadequately  the  remainin:^' 
180  degrees,  or  as  much  as  the  otlier  ten.  Germany  has  a  second  station 
on  the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  but  this  of  course  is  in  no  proper  sense  a  Polar 
station. 


835 


A 


A 
A 
A 


Al 


An 


Atn 
Auk 


Av;l 

Jiacl( 


Baffl; 


Rank 
Banii 
llarar 


Barrel 
Boars 


Boicli 


^'^  -'»ir- 


I N  DEX, 


AtjMinl,  the  answer  of  iirnoranre 
Athmralty,  action  of,  in  rcjfanl  to  Knmklin 
stnko  tlu:  nunc-  of    Franklin 
men  from  navv  list.... 
Advance,  the,  in  commanil 


Ad 


:>f  Oe  Haven. 
Kane 


Page. 

...     21 

and 

•    ••4.?7 
••••4-ti 


Jvaversc  circumstances,  risin^.•  above  "[ Jort 

Aaska,  thojeannetteat  .1?' 

Alert,  the /x1 

Kavenscraijjc 


Beechev  Island.. 
Ueh 


Page. 
••■  -452  et.  al. 


-■firing,  voyages  of 

R,.i".i,       i'!'''^"^'-''''*  Hehring's  Strait ,'11 

'•''''•.,^''■„*''^""i'''  '"  .command  of  Heei: •.•.:;  „ 


Allen,  Capt.  of  thi 

Alliance,  the 

Aleutian  Islands 

Ale.vai   

Al,  xander,  the 

Ambler,  J    .\I.  surgeon  of  ihc  (eann'ette 
America,  incidentallv  (li.scovei-ed   .. 
_^          discoverv  of,  bv  Columbus 
results  of  di.scovery 
North  discovered  .'. 


•'74 

•  •'•w 

.Soi 

.i2J 

.  ifij 
.74.S 

•  -7 
■  ,i'> 


aband.ms  five  ships 
ISellot,  Rene 

[Jennet,  Steven,' voVa'ge  of ' ' 

liennett,  James   Gordon,   purchases  the   Pan-' 


(^7 

43,1 
412 

7' 


liienenkorb,  the  ship 
flock.  Adriaen,  vovageof..     ;" 
loodyKill.s,  on  the  Coppermine 
Booh,  Sir  Felix,  fits  out  Koss   .. 
Buchan    ,n  Dorothea  and    Trent 

BuS'S"^^''''- ""'->■  "••-'hHaH.:::;::s;i 

550 


642 

.631 

•  90 

•394 

161 


■•        re-discovered'.".;;";; ^>    '^""■'"''f'"^.  •■^t^phe;;,'TOVage  of . . . 

French  vovages  to  ''-^    '    {'""i-'''"'i^^«.  hunting. .. .'  42 

Ancients,  ideas  of,  concerning/ t'i;.VMV,;;i; •?"         j"'!"".  «ir  Thomas,  vovag'J  of ■'o? 


,  concerning  the  North 


Andrejew'""".;;';:  .7.""" *^  ""''  '""""     ' '    •    ''^ 

■\ninj  Uiver,  tlie! ! ..'!.'.';  ]] -'^' 

Anjou ■^5" 

Annual  oil  lH)at ^54 

\nsel  Oibhs,  the'.'.";;.".' -'>■'' 


.Vrchangel,  voyages  prosecuted  from 
Arctic  voyages,  interval  in  . . . 


seas.first  knowledge. 
•'      voyage^,  earlv....... 

IJcean,  Siberian,  explored 
wintenriLr  in  the...  02,77   0  >' 
ovi'rl.in  1  e\|)edition  '    ' 

".Vryo,  the  (iavk  sliij)   . . 

♦•oun  1  the  woil  I,  first  vova^'e 

Asia,  notions  al..,ut  the  no'rtircoa' 

Atmosphere,  refraction  of 

•Auk,  llij  home  of.  ■•■■•• 

Auroral  displavs         

Austin,  Capt 


•S.?4 
.136 

■    '9 


ylot,  vovage  of •    ^ 

Cabots,  vovages  of 

Cabot^^ Sebastian,  iheoVy  'of " Nonheii^VPas- 
Cabot  s,  second"  vovage"  of' 

ca^S:r^:;i;;;:(r^!:':::'^'-':"*'''"'---"'"' 

Cartier,  Jacques,  vovages  of         

Cator,  Meat.,  in  Franklin  se 


83 
36 

SS 


tof. 


120,  12:; 

'7.  .S')i,  et.  a'l 
■KV),  i;o,  20S 

20 

,iS 
4.! 

44S 

7-iS 


-  ,*■."'■"'',','''■   """"•'■•*.  vovage...     

1'  Chancellor,  vovage  of    '  

u  chi;^;;;;:;:;^:;;'!.::;^''^^"-''''-^---" 

'^^  '  liipp.  I'ieut.,  Chas.   \V    i-iVi,'  t..'...".:.' ■  '  •  •■    • 


.      .       ,, I'l'imands  search  squadron        inr, 

Vustro-Hunsrai-ian  expedition. . . .   1 .        ' W' j^^ 


Avatch  I  Bay 

Hack,  Lieut;,  wuh  l-'ranklin' . ;' 
V(>v.i,(c  in  In  .  Terror     . 

n  a-    "\';rl""''^"<l>''tlition 

liaflin,  William,  voyages  of 

"       Arctj<-  vovages"'of  .....', 

•'        disovers  Biifin's   Biv 

"       s;i«-ntific  (/bservations  of 
Banks'  Lm  I 

Baranichi  River...'.     

Barano.v  R„k ; 

Harenti,  Willi, i,i,;"vo'v;igei  of' 

reaches  Nova  Zembh, 

locked  in  the  ice 

in  winter  quarters  ... 

"^■'"'  :"ul  tnirijlof  .. 
Barrow  Straits     . 
Hears,  attacked  hv ;;;.";.'..';;' " 

destructivetendenc'v  <)"f 
Heechey,  Capt.,  in  search  of  !V«"rthwest'Pii«;- 


•■»49#i. 


,i33.  CT. 


,I.;7 

■  S16 
.'S4 

.  m 

% 

->■,,, 

■•'4S 

.  r.j 

•  'M 


chrS;!tii/.;:'^i:;n^'-;;;,:)^,;:;;'|weannette: 

,,  "         with  Haves 

,,,    .  .         ,  "         "ill'  Hall   . 
t  hristmasin  the  .\rctic 

Church  in  Greenland      

C'lav     ■ 


orieSL;;;;f':."':'"'"'^--p'--'--t'coa;u;f 

vering  Island' ■ 


•  40 

•  37 
.440 
.  20 

•  39 
•4.?i^ 

•  5' 
.  .40 

■  -24 
.204 

748 
•491 
(xyj 

066,  722 
478 

306 
632 


'■       (hscoveied  bv  Hall         J-'' 

Cole,  Wilham,  with  Je  ....w',;,'.; S^o 


Cold 


Jeannette. 


'"'/'nse    polcf  ^freatest... 
rn    !"'•■'  ••■  '" -^^''''lette  panv...    ■■•■ 
Co  Imson    Capt.    ,n  the   Knterprise 

Colonics,  Knglish,  in  America 

Colonization  vov.iyes.  

Columbus,  vova;L;es  of 

Comments  on  Arctic  na'v'i'iratVo'n 

Compasses,  affected  l,v  iron  in  shii.       ' ' 

c::;:isruti.;;rca,;:f:.':':*^^'^'""'^''"-"''"— "44. 

Coppermine  River  ■''" 

Corn   lis/.n.n,  CorneliuV  Voyage  ;;f  '.  .■;;'.".  .;V;'^ 

30 

•77.S 

■54" 

.6S7 

74s  ct.  seq. 


■■•■   74i 
.....41..; 

■  •  T\  93 

<J3 

....   .50 

739,  740 
...  476 


-^    ...   ■.■-."...,  ,^urneiius   vovaire  of 

Cortere-*!  Giisnar,  vovaires  of  

Corwin.  y.  in  search  of  the Je;;nne'tte"  ' 
Cr-vicr,  (  ,ipt.,  reconi  left  bv  ' ' " 

n..v.  Judge,  furthers  Schwatku's  Vovajre' 
D.i„,,,.h,,,,,er,  r.i..,,,.  j„,„,  yy  -'K-i.. 


838 


INDEX. 


Ue 


Danes,  voyages  of  y,_  ,,, 

Uaiush  hospitalitv ci2 

Davis,  Cajn.  Jolm' .\i 

"       arrives  ii\  (licinland *. "ijj 

"       importance  of  his  vovages jlj 

Deasc,  overland  journev  of  "      -^Cto 

De    Haven,   I.'u-ut.   K.J.    in   command  of' (irsV 

(irinneli  Expedition ^.ii 

De  Haven,  nport  to  Secretarv  of  Navv. . . .  !!  ..471 
De  Lonif,  I.ieut.  CJco.  W.  in  command  of  Jean- 

nette  E.tpedition -^8 

Lonf;,  diarv  of .^16 

death  of ,s^, 

"  found  and  buried  liv  Melville 829 

••  frraveof     " .'s^q 

Ueshniev,  the  Cossack 121 

De  \'eer,  (Jerritt,  uilh  Harent/, '.   fx) 

'.'  becomes  historian  of  vovaye 60 

Devil's  N'ip,  De  Haven's  crew  escapes  friMn...4rx) 

*'         Thumb .(-^ 

Discovery,  the  ship .  .  674 

Discipline.  Kanecompels cj6 

"Docto  Kavens" -^g 

Do4f  s.  !•- sqmmaux ; ; ' ; .  257,'  V;^', '.^g^j;  yCi 

Drake.  Sir  hrancis,  vovajfe  of cq 

Drift  of  the  pack,  .vith  McC'lintock..'.. '.536 

"         "  "       with  De  Haven 456 

"         "  "       with  Tyson 655 

'  "  "       with  Wevprecht 664 

"        '■  "       with  De  Long- 768 

Ducks,  eider ....iiA 

Ebierbing, Joseph,  with  Hall ..^60 

"  "  with  Sclnvatka 'i,s,S 

Ej^ff s,  feast  on -  ,„ 

Eira,  voyatfe  of  in  search  of  Jeaimette. . , Ntx) 

Elberir,  (Jovernor 

Eng-lish,  .\rctic  vovaires  of .'. 

Enterprise,  voyajfe  of  the , 


Fort 


?7" 
^7 


..  ..  ^77 
. . .       Sii 

\0i 

■■  7  .'.^S 

■  I  .S'>.  .(/'> 
•  •  ,i7.i.  .^'><' 
•.=:'^'.  7.V 

7^J 

".H 


-O.T 

101,  jV),  (>74 

'■•••415 

209 

of  Muscovv  Conipanv 10 

Eothen  the,  voyay-e  of " o^y 

Erebus  and  Terror,  vovatre  of 

Erie  the  lied   I 

Ericksen,  sutlerinjfs  and  death  of Sio 

Esquimaux     u)i,  274,  3S/,,  5.,,,  51;,; 

Ewerat,  a  sorceror 

Exile,  hospitality  of 

Expedient,  a  novel 

Expeditions,  Arctic,  early 

"  tirst  of  nineteenth  centurv 

"  I-' ranklin  search 

Ilecent 

Kanny  A.  Hyde 

f""iords,  of  Oi-eenland 

Kiskerna's i-s 

Fotherbv,   Robert,  voyai^e  of 4) 

Fox,  Euke.  voyaife  of. ......  y- 

Fox,  McClintock's  vovaire  in  the ^^ 

Franklin,  Sir  John,  bioyraphv  of 'il,*, 

"         tirst  voyaije  of,  to  .\rcllc  rei;i<ms ....  r^S 

"        .second ^ss 

last 

"        search  for 

"        record  of  death 

"        name  stricken  from  navv  list 

"        relics  of ' 

"        I^ady,  devotion  of j'^s 

I'ranks  resist  N'orthmen 24 

Frederichstahl,  I  lansa  crew  arrive  at (130 

Frobisher,  Sir  .M.irtin.  vovaires  of   45 

"        his  alleged  j^'old 45 

"         his  hopes  di'stroved (.f, 

Fury  and  Hecla,  vovaijeof .' 2(16 

"  "      "      "  Strait    jSi 

Geographical  Soi-ietv.  Kane  addresses (,Sq 

Geor^fc  Ifenry.  the  whaler     i;4fi 

Cieor^iana,  the  brii; ij^y 

Cjermania,  the  ship,  vo^  aire  of  651 

"  returns  home 631) 


■••,!74 

...5)o 
••(i7 


V:\ee 

German  Polar  expedition g^ , 

Gibbons,  Capt.,  vovaffe  of [   Sr> 

Gilbert,  .Sir  1  luinph'rey ,  voyag^e  of 47 

"  "  takes     possession      of 

Newfoundland 47 

Gilder,  with  Schwatka .    .'.'.'.fM 

(ill  lam,  .\';ithaniel,  vovag-e  of 112 

^.'■aiiers ". 4,)s;  f^^  ,82 

fiold,  I'robisher's  load  of 4; 

Gotthaab,  colony  founded . .  .151 

Graah,  observations  of ..6zi) 

(Jrave  of  Franklin's  men  jc'i 

;;    ;;"aii ::::::;:;^7 

Lieut.,  Irvinij  discovered 6yf) 

"        "  De  I.onir  and  partv Sio 

Great  Fish  River .' uS 

Greenland,  early  settlement  of .'....".!]  .'.10,' 27 

black  deathin .'.'.'.'...' 20 

piety 

Gnnnell.  Henrv,  benevolence  of '. . .. 

expedition,  first     .    

"  expedition,  second 

"        expedition,  third .  ' 

"         Land,  discovered 

_    . "  "        otherwise  named  bv  liritish 

(juides,  procurinir | 

(hilf   Stream,    infiiience    on    waters    of    N'o 

Zembla ,,,,, 

(nilnare,  cruise  of  the ^S,, 

Hall,  J;iines,  voyajje  of   '.]      ' 

"       Chas.  Francis,  receives   "call". 
"  "      ■'^ails  in  Georjre  Henrv, . . 

"  ''     returns  from  first  vova^e 

"  "      second  voyajje  of ..  .i ft,,, 

"  "      third  voyaife  of (V,j 

"  "     sickness' and  death  of Vua 

Hammerfest.  descripticm  of  town ..io6 

Hansa,  voya>;e  of  (ierman  ship .026 

"  wreck  of   .    "' 

Hartstcne,  Lieut.,  in  search  of  Kaiie   ....... 

Hawkins,  Sir  John,  vovai^^e  of  

Hayes,  Dr.  I.   I.,  withKani'     ..!.... 

"  "  in  steamer  l-nited  States  . 

"  baffled  bv  Smith's  Sound 

'•  death  of. 

Hearne,  Samuel,  sails  bv  Hudson    Hav 

Hecla  and  Fury  Straits.' 

Herjulfson,  Riarne 

ITerodotus'  account  of  Hvperboreans ,  , . ' 

Hesperis,  noticed  by  Kane . . .     ' , 

Hobson,  I,ieut.,  discovers  record  of  Cro/ier." 

Holsteinborij --_ 

Hood,  with  Franklin ] 

"         murdered  bv  Indian  y-uide ...2i'5 

Horn,  Cape,  tirst  voyatfe  around rjo 

Hudson  Ray  discovered -7 

"        Henry,  voyay-es  of   ..  .  

"  "         attempts  North  I'ole  route. .. 

"  "         'liseovers  Manhattaii  Island.. 

"  "         mutinv  of  his  men 

I  lumboldt  Glacier  ....  ' -o-\ 

Huiiijer,  exhaustion  from 'ju,,  Sr" 

Huts  of  Esi|uimaux 1-, 

lakoutsk jji).  j'o 

Ice,  nipiutl  in 

"     rapid  motion  of. . 
"     Sea  of  ancient   . . . 

"Pahvocrysllc 

Iceberg's,  thi'ir  ■■ource. 
"  fornix  of   .    . 

first  seen jtx),  ^|.) 

"  blink   («i) 

floe 

field 

Iceland,  discovered   and 

men   . .  j'l 

Iceland,  perhaps  discovered  bv  I'vtheas Jr 

"  self  yo\  crniny: -"> 

black  death  in :o 


.47^ 
441 
.442 
.4S.; 
■5I.1 
•  47' 
•47- 
.20; 


^^4 
•  •  .^4,i 
••.?47 


•531 

.   4'l 
,.5nS 

.61  ^ 
.622 

.1,!" 
.2S1 

•  27 

•  "J 
.(oS 

I7( 
.107 


74 

71 


S) 


•  S54.  4<>>,  Hi,  vi".  7''** 
401 

0(<4 

SoS 


coloni/ed  bv    Norse- 


■444 


INDEX. 


Idols,  of  Samovfds  V-yxi. 

Ijfloo         701 

iK-looklik  Island ." "Si? 

ilijfliuk,  intelligence  of  ^79 

Illusions  Arctic ^TQ 

l.ulia,  which  way  to' SS.? 

}nj,Hefiekl,  Conimander  e!  "\  '  vovu^.-nf "° 

fnnints.see  EsquiinauY  '  ^">''^'"°f 47,5 

Instructions,  official  \i', 

{mn,,i^H.M.s.voya^e-of:;::^^^^:'^:^^^-44^ 

'"'"^'  Sve  i?  '^-"^''"■^■^-t  voyage.  ^'\^ 

Isabella,  the  .-teamer     ''^ 

Cape ;•.•;. 173 

Jakiits O19 

m),  1-  o 


■.579. 


Pasre. 

•••4'5 
...410 
...417 
. ..421 
. . .420 
..4)0 
. . . 70S 
..  38 
•■  38 


95 

....  97 
. . . 620 

74S 

. ...  750 

•■••77J 

...71,6 

■  ■ . .  790 


J  lines,  rhos.,  vovage  of  ]'] 

■'        discovers  James' iiav 

Jm  Ma  yen  Island... 

Joannette,  the,  fitted  out  l.'yMn'  HennetV 
''-"•'yi--si>an  Francisco  Hav 
_^  iirrivesat  Ounal:.ska        "      ■" 

enters  the  Arctic  

■•    beset 

sinking  of       ."'._    

I  ,  ^      relief  expeditions L 

Jones'  Sound,  explored  bv  Inglefield '"'  ''T 

Kanichalka,  subjugation  hi  "*''^'"-"' I^ 

•vane.  Dr.  K.  K.,  ftography'of 'i' 

;'       with  De  Haven...  ^       ■»^'' 

great  Duoyancy  and  moral  nower  of  r,\, 

decides  to  abandon  the  Advance        -  ,^ 

;;      arrives  at  Upernavik  .      ^""^''"'-^ 5^7 

last  siukness  and  death.     >'"' 

results  of  vo vane  S.'' 

Ivara  Sea   "    "    .132 

ivavak,  description  "of "Of 

ivellctt,  in  Franklin  .search S^' 

"        discovers  W'ranirell  r  ',„'ri '>'*' 

Kendall,  Lieut.,  voyaire  of   tot  ,..  i- •• '  •+""J 

Kennedy  Channel , ...  '  Coppermine  205 

Kingaite ' Sio 

jvir.g  William's  Laiid 57<^ 

Kmght.John,  murdered  bvnaii'ves ^^*^ 

Koldewey,  Capt.  Curl,  eulogv  on  '. A' 

Kolvma  Iliver '""""''^  """'"^'^  iixpedition":;6J^ 
Kolvmsk  Xislini     ""      2.^9.20 

Ki lehne  with  Jeannette  crew      t^t 

Labrador,  discovery  of  "+^ 

r  miiv-  of  k">'''«'^''^ "along "the  "coast  of"  "."■■■  V,"   11 

i.amps  ot  li-squimaux  ^■''  ' 

Lancaster  Sound  S"^'    1 

La  Plata,  voyage  to I'V',  4(xj 

Laptuw  IJrothers... "^ 

i-ititude  reached  by  pJiVr'v  ".".'.".".'. 

,,  ''  "    Kane '' 

;:     ::  i^-'aHs ;...■;.".•;;.: 

I  ,  'N  ares . . . 

Lawrence,  St.  Bay  of  

Lena  Kiver,  ascent  of ...'.".'.' .',' 

Wrangell's  "^IJrnevVlow;,".' '.' ' " ' 

Lichen,  ■•  >/"t!"V  ^'"^■'"'"^••'  J'""-»''.v  to 

I.otila,  I)  e^sh  !>     .        

Lyon,  Capt  ,  I,. a'vJr  tor  "help" 

Lvchius ......  

MacKenzie,  -Vlexa'nder'. .'.'.'.'..'.', 

\T  /-i".   .     ,    '^'^'■''.  descent  of!." 

McC  lintock  Sir  Leopold ....      

"  in    Helclier's'fiee; 

in  c(>uim;ind  of  Fox 

drift  down  Haffin's  Hay 

on  King  Willi.ims  L.iml 

t.nds  relics  of  Franklin    

results  of  Voyage 


7' 
r)S4 

2 '10 
260 


McClurc,  Capt.  Robert  L. 

;;           in  command  of  l"n"Oe.sti"gator " " 
alone  in  the  Arctic, 
predicts  a  N'orthwestl'assa'i^e 
in  search  for " 

".        ab;indons  Investigator  •"•"•" 

Magicians.  *■         

Magellan,  Ferdinand' 

Magnetic  w;:^;i:":^^:'^':';^;^^'-it^-::. 

"      .     I'ole  discovered ! ". 

Magnetism,  observations  on 

Mahue,  James,  voyage  of  

^'''n'Hrs'  linterprise,  English ! ! ! ." 

Markliam  reaches  high  latitude. 

I    'Matinsclikin 

I    -Matoischkin,  .s"Jh;'ir 

I    Melville  ISay '.■■.".'.".".".■. 

^?."'  ^.y-'^."ff''>i^'-'r"f  "leiuinettJ 
..      ..      *';!>^  V'^  '-■""-'  and  crew 
Mevers   Fr,.,l            "'"t'al  examination  of.. 
Vl^n     '1     r  ■'  "arrow  esc;' lie  of.... 
.viuldendorf  in  laimurland"  

MockSuns  ^^'^■^'"'yaSamoyed"d,ief:;;;;... 
Mort.-,,,  U-illian,;  dis;;,Ve;s  "a"  suppi.s^  •;,pen 
Munk,  Jens,  vova'/e'clf '• ^'° 

fcrCT"^'-^"''^'"'-'-"^--;;::::::::::^ 

Xares,  Sir  Geo      Arctic  journc;;",;f ^t^ 

;;        reaches  high  Lililule      ■        "J.-* 

tonclusums  regarding  tlie  Pole J%1 

N  e wcomb    Ka  >  ,no:„l  L.  in  J.annette    l'!^ 

Newfoundland  col.mized  by  Gilbert   "t! 

Newspaj)ers,  Arctic...         •  o' '  '  ?7 

N  i.'hni  Kc.lymsk  '"■*'  **  "  '>^'>'  S.3f>.  7^8 

Nomenclature,  Arctic 229,  2(k) 

.\  ordenskiold.  Prof .  A  '  !•: i*^ 

ploration''"'""'"""  "^•"^-'^'^^'^tiV  "exl'^' 

Nordenskiold  sails  in  the'Vega ''"^ 

accomplishes  Northeast "Pas^ge??! 
receives  ovut nn^  "h>=/',« 


.229, 

440.  4'5S 
..748 
..S26 
.832 
.650 

•  3'H 

•  i'xj 
61 


^^  receives  ov^itions... 

results  of  voyage i^,' 

Norsemen,  or^hr!:^  '""'  ""'  "^'^"^  Nindennun?!: 

"  .sea-iifeof  " 

•Norse  viking,  significance  of  "name 'A 

i-'hief  pursuits  of  ^4 

Northeast  Passatre.  Dut,-b  ;,',;;.;,;,V.:,  V.,'  '..■■•,■■••   ^  ? 


ortheist  Passage,  Dut^h  aiienipi^to  iind",; "  /-}, 
;;rth  I  ole,  attempts  to  reach       ' ,.,,  „^;"'-^l'  'f. 

reaching""""""''---    ^'"^■>"-'^    plan '^<'.; ''^ 

Northmen,  see  Norseman" ■'^■'•' 

Northwest  Passage,  earlyaUempts  to"tind;.";;,  ,6 
„  „  -M  Clure  discovers,.,.    ^'A, 

Franklin '"'''•""'^''     ''--very     "by-^ 

N'orthumberlanii  Inlet.    .'7'^ 

Nova  Zenibla,  Barents'"  voyage" to ^5** 

;;  WeyprechtandPay;'r".sai"l"by"Ji1 

Stream  on"''    '"""""■"     "'    "-"     «»'f 
Observations,    scientiric "  of  "  AVeiic  "  ;;:^pio;ers"^' 

Omuuney,  Capt.,  in  Franklin  search   **^'  ^^'  *^ 
^,_^  "      discovers  first  relics  of  Frank-"'^ 

Onm.m  Cape;  nached'by  {h^  Vega t?« 

Ookgoi.k,  weight  of      •  *^  718 

Oomiali  ..    . S/J 

Open  Sea,  suppo.sed  dLscVi^ery"  of ' '  '  f^-' 

On.nge  Islands,  Huentz'  visit  to V" 

."•cpid""-   ^'•^■'■""■'''  '"   •''"■neer"an"d""in:  "^ 

Oiinalaska. . . .'. ,". 4.34 

P 


>f  J 


lunger 


id. 


•■««♦ 


m 


tNDEX. 


Page. 

Piirry,  Capt.  William  Edward lO,! 

"        first  vovaije  of i6S 

"        enters  Arctic  circle 170 

"        trials  and  iiastiiiics  o{,  in  winter 176 

"        descriucs  native  dress  and  manners igj 

"        second  voyajije  ci£ ifjO 

"         in  winter  iiuarters 771 

"        third  expedition 296 

Passaffe,  Northwest,  discovered 421,37s 

Northeast,  accur.plished 713 

Paver,  Lieut.,  with  Koldewey 034 

"'        in  Tejfetthort' C'Si; 

"        beset  in  pack  <>^i4 

"        discovers  Fran/.-Josef 's  I.and 668 

Pe  ibodv,  (Jeo . ,  benevolence  of 4^0 

Peel's  i^trait 377 

Pendulum  experiments 309 

Penny,  Capt.,  in  Franklin  search 409 

Peterinann,  Dr.,  aifency  in  Arctic  investiffation'123 

Petropaulovsky 5^9,  2rx5 

Phipps,  voyage  of 141 

Piin,  Lieut   4.5o 

Pole,  Ma^'netic,  discovered 33S 

Plover,  !5ritish  steamer 40S 

Pole  ol-  greatest  cold A,% 

Polaris,  vovago  and  wreck  of (140,  (15S 

Pond  Bay.' 4°'' 

Poole,  Jonas',  voyage  of S2 

Portuguese,  vovajfcs  of 29 

Prayer  of  I, von  fo    .iMp 312 

Prohtschischtsctievv 229,  2'Vi 

PuUen,  I.ieut  ,  boat  journey  of 409 

Pylheasof  Marseilles 20 

Rae,  Dr  John P-J 

"    joins  Richardson  in  search  party 3'<3 

'1     attempts  to  reach  WoUastoii  l-and 391 

"     discovers  relics  of  Franklin... 

Raleijfh,  Sir  Walter,  voyages  of 

Ravenscraig 


4,iS 
•  .St 
.^'57 

Becords,  manner  of  preserving 639 

Refraction,  eftects  of ^-fl 

■■■■M'- 

Soi 

.•••,1S<> 
\7,\  .St" 
....  5^-9 


Reindeer,  travel  planned  by  Parr,  ... 

Reikiavik 

Reliance,  Fort 

Relics  of  Franklin 

"  "  Frobisher 

Rensselaer  1  larbor 4y.' 

Repulse  Bay 3M 

Rescue,  as  escort  for  the  Oeo.  Uenrv St^ 

in  first  Orinnell  Expedition 442 

.197 
.3SJ 
,214 

.     ('O 

•  79'' 

•  797 
.161 


Richardson,  Dr.,  with  Franklin. 

"  in  search  of  Franklin 

'■  his  adventure  with  woi\es. 

Rijp,  John  C 

Rodgers,  the  voyage  of 

"  burning  of 

Ross,  Sir  John,  voyage  in  Isabella.... 
"      alleged    discovery    of   Croke/' 

tains •  ■    ' 

"      second  voyage  of  in  Felix 

"       in  F'ranklin  search 

Ross,  James  C,  discovers  magnetic  Pole 

"       search  for  F'ranklin 

Russian  Explorations 

Sabine,  F;dward,  experiments  of 

Island 


Moun- 

16' 

331 

4™^ 

....,W7 
229,  260 
-(o() 


Sailors,  mutiny  and  desertion  of .'126 

Samoveds  . . . : •  ■  .^' ■(.  .<7".  7«'.  7 '9 

Sainoyed  chief  saves  Middeiulorf 3"9 

Scenery,  Arctic ""■' 

Schalafow,  journeys  in  Siberia 221 

failure  and  death 221^ 

Schelagskoi  Cape 237 

Schwatka,  Lieut.,  voyage  of.         '>-\ 

"         discovers  grave  of  Irving o^o 

Scoresbv,  Dr.  William '53 


Page. 

Scoresbv,  voyage  of,  to  Greenland     . . '53 

"        "    Wilham  )r  ,  begins  seafaring  life. ...  154 

"  voyage  of,  to  Sjiit/bergcn I.S7 

"  pulilishes  account  if  voyages ISS 

.Separation  of  Polaris  from  floe 64^ 

"  ofjeannette  boat-parties SH 

Siberia,  explorations  in 229,  2  o,  3  i,  370 

Simpson,  iourney  with  Dease .V  " 

Sledge.s,  Arctic •'3t.  257- .V' 

Smiili,  Leigh,  voyage  in  Lira   779 

Smith  Sound     ..". ^P^ 

Snorri ^'^ 

Snow,  Mr.  W.  P -tSJ^ 

Snow,  phenomenon  of  red '".'^ 

Sofia,  the  ship '^^ 

Spanisli  voyages »^^ 

Sonntag,  loss  of ''"i 

Spit/.bergen '5< 

Steller,  voyage  of,  with  lielinng 11 29 

Sviatoi-noss 7'/ 

Swayne,C,'apt '   ' 

Sweden,  in  Arctic  vovagis "9! 

Tadibcs "f" 

Taimiir  River ■^'^ 

Taimur  Land 'VJ 

"        "     good-bvel. V>' 

Tcluiktchis,  habits  of ^4' 

"  dance ^42 

visits  from   240 

TegetthoiT,  the         ^_" 

"  abandoned <'7' 

Tennyson's  Monument   5°^ 

I'essuisak,    harbor  of "4.?^ 

Terror,  in  coniiuaiul  o£  Hack 35  i 

"         nippeil  in  the  ice 3.S4 

"        in  command  of  Franklin 37" 

Thermometers,  sensitivem  ss  of 499 

Thule,  of  I'vtheas J' 

'Tookoolito 5^2 

Trees  in  Siberia 7^3 

■Tundras ■'57,  2''5 

Tungusi • f'^ 

Tvson,  Capt.  (ieo.  E "47.  "5^ 

Cniipie,  Island,  a       • 22h 

United  States  in  Franklin  search 441 

>'  ■>         in  command  of  Hayes !;90 

Unprecedented  drift,  an 45'' 

Upernavik (79,532 

Vaigats  Sound •  •  •   59 

Van  .N'oiirt,  Dliver,  voyage  of... 60,  0^ 

"  "      attacked  bv  Patagonians <i7 

•'  •'      battle  with  Spaniards <7 

Vegetation  of  Arctic  regions 44H,  49-^!,  703 

\'ega,  tlie,  voyage  of ''91,73" 

Victoria  Strait 7>V^ 

Victoria,  first  steamship  in  Arctic  se.is, 3,52 

"         abandoned 34" 

Vikings ^^ 

\'on  Wrangell,  see  Wrangell 

\'ovage,  first  search  for  lost  explorer S3 

Walruses,  encoimter  with 6,59 

Weert,  Sehald  de,  voyage  of 6^ 

^\'ellingtoll  Channel.' 453>  4'''" 

\\  evinoulli,  voyages  of,  to  Hudson's  Bay.... .   ',1 
Wevprec  lit,  in  command  of  Auslro-  Hungarian 

Expeilition ^59 

WhaleSound 621 

Whale,  stranded ■.!3 

Wilioughliy,  Sir  Hugh 4" 

Winter  tpuirters 175'  2  o,  3.S0,  501 

Wood,  )olin "5,  II" 

Wranglll,  Baron  von 229,  260 

^'en^•sei,  descent  of  the ,3''4 

N'oang,  Capt.  Allen 741 

/cuilila.   N'.va f>4 

/eiii  Itnilhers 27 


«'Mr.M|ik 


Pasre. 

'5? 

:c. ...  i;+ 

'S7 

■••.  iSS 
. ...  60 

814 

,1  t,  .I/O 

.V" 

257.  .V 
....  779 

49-; 

2jS 

4S1 

lO.i 

(Vi 

30 

(07 

157 

12') 

7'7 

>  7 

f  19 1 

70S 

3'H 

yM 

(68 

....  241 

242 

240 

..  .  .6(>l 

f'7' 

....  50S 

64,? 

3Si 

■•••3.S4 

37" 

499 

21 

.  ...5^2 

703 

257,  205 

364 

.647,  658 
....  228 

44" 

. ..  .S90 
4^'' 

479,  532 

59 

. . .  60,  6S 

67 

'7 
,  49"!.  703 
•  '■91,730 

,3,36 

33-' 

340 

22 

■■;:■;  S3 
639 

6S 

4.S3.  4'''f' 
*■ V 

^59 

62 1 

1.^3 

40 

>>  3.SO.  5°' 
..115,  1 16 
.  .229,  260 

.3'>4 

74' 

64 

»7 


